A Tanuki design example by Josef Burschl.

When we Europeans take a look at the ancient juniper trees in Japan, it can make us a little envious. Trees of such quality with impressive wood could be bought, but they are simply unaffordable, even as raw material.

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Technology

You could grow such a juniper from a cutting or a small tree, but that would take an enormous amount of time. Tanuki is an interesting alternative. These impressive and dead woody plants are ideal for "marrying" with a living plant.

The first results can be seen after just five to six years. Although some plant designers do not appreciate this method due to the unconventional stem shape, this method is traditionally Japanese.

The secret lies in the right technique. If this is missing, the result can be anything but appealing, just as would be the case with an incorrectly designed deciduous tree. With the right technique, it is no longer possible to tell later whether it is a tanuki or not.

Parts of juniper varieties and yew are ideal as living parts. Other evergreen varieties are much harder to use. Our example shows how to build a foliage structure on the dead wood.

We used the Himalayan juniper "Blue Swed" (Juniperus sqamata) for the living part and cornelian cherry for the deadwood.

Step 1

Here is the deadwood as it was found in nature. It serves as the starting wood for the structure.

Step 2

After the deadwood was married to a Himalayan juniper "Blue Swed", it was freshly planted in a seed tray. This photo was taken in spring 2015.

Step 3

The first results can already be seen after around six months. This picture was taken in the fall of 2015.

Step 4

By the fall of 2016, so much foliage had developed that an initial basic design was possible. In this example, exact tiers were built up right from the start. After this shaping, the tree now has to grow again for a year.

Step 5

As this tree variety grows very quickly, a lot of foliage had already formed by the fall of 2017. Due to the strong growth, the branches have also increased significantly in circumference. This makes it the ideal time to carry out the next shaping step with exact tiers again.

Step 6

Another year later, in the fall of 2018, the time for the final design was reached. It took just four years to build the tree in this attractive shape. Of course, further shaping will be necessary in the future to maintain the shape. The branches are getting thicker and the tiers bigger.