Renovating a Zelkova forest part 3

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In the initial selection I put part of the zelkova trees together two small bonsai group plantings. However, I did not really like the way they looked. Furthermore, I prefer to have one larger group rather than several smaller ones. Upon further inspection however it was clear that these two could be merged into one.

One of them is actually a multi-trunk clump, which on its own would create an awkward tree. The other is a combination of 3 separate trees. Two of these had fused together in the original planting. The third one I screwed at root level against the other two. This was to ensure these trees stay close to each other. Putting these together involved shaving off the side of the nebari.

The nebari of all trees in the group are now touching; hopefully over time they will fuse. After planting them together, the plants were cut back, focusing on taper and removal of old cuts. Where I felt it was safe to do so, old cuts were shaved back so they can heal. A light wiring later and the basic setup of the Zelkova bonsai forest is done. I still feel some trees on the right are missing, so at some point I will take cuttings or layer an old section to add to the right of the forest.

Zelkova bonsai forest trimmed and wired
Zelkova bonsai forest trimmed and wired