Day of Culture by Tora

This day of culture passed on a slightly different way (08. February is the National day of Culture in Slovenia). Jože, Miha, Jan and I visited a work shop In Tora and under the supervision of Tomaž and Rajko each of us worked on our trees ... IMHO that’s a very likeable way of spending the day of culture.

The company was as always excellent, the atmosphere great, basically a perfect day to learn, gather experience and create.

Tora with surrounding area

Unlike previous workshops, this time we all worked on deciduous trees, which require a different approach than conifers.. the result is not visible after the first design, you need to work step by step and take into account that after the first creation, the desired shape of the tree will not be visible to the naked eye ... you have to see the vision of the trees, understand the tree and then follow the steps to the final shape ... "watch and learn" a little bit differently.

I worked on my Hornbeam (Carpinus Betulus) which I collected from the wild ... classic yamadori with its charm, its potential but also their whims, weakness and errors.

Carpinus Betulus Yamadori - 03-2010

The basic dilemma in the beginning was to choose the direction of the shape, to design it with only one dominant trunk, or keep both?... if leaving just one, which one? ... After a good discussion with all participants a decision was made ... I start with the lower right part of the tree and after that we decide... soon it became clear that both trunks have to remain.

Hornbeam - before styling

Time once again passed too quickly, the work is not completed, but an intermediate result is visible. In the coming days I will finish the work on the dead wood, work out the narrowing of the trunk below the top of the tree, style the left root, refine the nebari and perhaps some other detail.

Hornbeam - after styling

In the next steps I will focus on the development of the first left branch, try to make it more dominant, to achieve a balance between the left and right part of the tree.

Hornbeam (Carpinus Betulus)

Another issue is, of course ramification of the crown, which is not so problematic on Hornbeams and can be achieved relatively quickly and easily. 

The third issue concerns the nebari at the rear of the tree...

The fourth issue is.... The fifth issue is ...., Fifty-sixth issue is....the important thing is that I’m getting there.

The beginning of the story of this tree is available here.