does anyone know anything about these trees i know there a form of black loctus and there limbs and even leafs are twisted they should make a really great bonsai if any one has in info please
twisty baby
Can you provide a name or photo? There are several contorted trees that fit that description.
BettyDee
hey i got the tree off ebay the only thing the gave as far as a decription was its a trade mark plant #pp9771 i can get you a photo but the trees are dorment looks like a twisted twig but if you have time to visit ebay the seller is plantranch and its called twisty baby they have a p[icture of a young plant with leaves thanks for your reply hey were is la grange i lived in ceder hill for eight years just out side dallas
Looked at Twisty Baby on e-bay. The plant is a Contorted Locust. I couldn't find much info except the the paragraph I've included below. Even planted in the ground it shouldn't get any taller than 10' so it should make a good bonsai. It might be difficult to train because of all those twists.
BettyDee
'Tortuosa' and 'Lace Lady' (Twisty Baby™) - These selections form small trees with twisted, contorted branches and stems. They are often grafted and usually do not exceed 10' in height. Flowering is sparse or non-existent. Their artistic stems may lend interest to the winter garden.
I have a few answers for you about Twisty Baby having grown them last season for retail sale. Absolutely gorgeous! Every branch looks like someone took a crimping iron to it. Very quick growing. Finished size of 8' x 8' useful as a small patio tree or speciman plant. Full sun to part shade. All the leaves are curled and the new growth stems are kinked and swirl as well. Without selective pruning as it grows and fills, it will quickly turn into a blob. A little thinning and shaping in June will keep it in shape. Each one has it's own individual and highly creative shape. Non-suckering (a problem with the Black Locust family)
It was found in a pot in an Austrailian nursery a few years ago - a chance seedling discovered while weeding. The worker thought it nifty looking and it was salvaged from the compost heap. Beware! Rabbits find it tasty we have discovered. Part of the rarity is due to the discovery that it can be prone to bore in large nurseries who have discontinued growing it as they feel it requires too much care. No evidence of bore here as of yet. Some things are worth a bit more care and this one is really worth whatever you have to do to keep it looking good and feeling healthy. My own lot of them has been destroyed by unexpected rabbit munching this winter. But I will replenish with new babies as soon as they become available this fall or next spring and make sure to protect them with chicken wire when late fall brings on the munching past the wood edge. Definitely a gotta have collection participant.
Here is a link to a photo of a large Twisty Baby somewhere in the world...
http://www.conard-pyle.com/twistybaby.jpg
hey thanks alot i had just about gave up i have two of them in clay pots they are only about 6 inches tall they are buding cant wait i figure at least a year in the pots does that sound about right again thanks for the info and link
What an awesome idea...I just got one of these from the same seller on ebay...I was going to use it as a shrub in my Japanese garden, however, now I think I will start the beginnings of a new bonsai!
Lisa
Twisty Baby is Robinia psueudoacacia 'Lace :Lady" - Twisty Baby Locust. Prune long spurts of growth back to encourage twisting branches. Confusing that it has 2 common names, but not that unusual. I believe Monrovia gave it the Twisty Baby name. There are actually two types of contorted locust but only Twisty Baby has the recurved foliage. Given plenty of foot room it will grow very rapidly. As far as "training it" I woould be more worried about selective thinning as it is impossiblew to TRAIN something that has its own unique shape. Properly thinnned, they have a beautiful oriental look much akin to the Japanese Maple but with its own unique flair. Rabbits muched down on those in my growing area last winter. I was looking for death this spring. Instead 90% of them sprouted leaves and they were up potted from 1 gallon to 5 gallon fiber pots. The breeder said they didn't think any suckering of branches would occur and they were pretty much goners in late winter. SURPRISE! They are huge. Most of them are over 3 ft high x 3 ft wide having no care about what the Rabbits did to them. However, they did not regrow leaders, instead producing new branches where none were last season. Since they were robbed of their leaders they are not for sale, but a science experiment at this point. Actually they were robbed of much more dignity than their leaders. The once wonderful looking little trees all expertly thinned for shaping were reduced to sad nubbins of their former selves. Only one of them did not come back to life after the munching. I would suggest that this plant be kept pruned back from long growth spurts on the branches or you will indeed loose the zig zag appeal of the limbs like a 9 ft tall one we put in on a landscape job this fall. It fit the waterfall nicely, but there wasn't much zig or zag left to the slightly wavy trunk and limbs. Yet I have seen them half mature with gorgeous ziggy hardwood. Clip the long growth, a little selective pruning to thin the head and expose the awesome natural architecture. Likes consistent moisture as do all black locust who are natives of waterfront areas here in Michigan. Good luck with your experiments!