Formal upright Buddleja saligna.

I got this Buddleja saligna yamadori in 2009:

What drew me to the tree was the nebari: it looked good from a few sides. I did not have a formal upright tree so I decided to style this one as an old formal upright lightning struck tree with sweeping downward branches.
The species is an ideal bonsai candidate for the style because the leaves reduce very well and the wood is quite hard - a tree this size is probably more than 50 years old!

The biggest problem with this species, especially on older trees, is that the roots are directly connected to certain branches. When digging the yamadori, it is not normally a problem, but when working on a tree a cut root can mean a dead branch. It can also mean that the "vein", connecting the two may die leaving you with dead bark and later a deadwood strip.

The tree also bud out on these veins, so the branches on a vein must be balanced to keep each branch on the vein an equal chance to survive- if the lowest branch on a vein is left unchecked, higher up branches may die.

Because the tree is basal dominant it was important to me to get the highest growths as strongly growing as possible.

I carved back the top of the trunk to the last living buds to create some taper. This would be refined later on. The biggest reason for the carving at that stage was to see which buds/growths would survive.
The tree after the carving:

The new apex was picked up and wired to the deadwood. I was crucial that I get it as healthy as possible and with so much growth as possible so I decided to grow a little trunk line with branches there. Here is the apex picked up:

The tree June 2010:

As the tree was budding out I bend the twigs downwards as soon as possible to prevent them from being torn off the trunk later on. At that time I still need a lot of branches so I nurtured every bud showing by cutting back older branches.

By October 2010 the tree was coming along nicely:

Much needed higher and lower branches has budded out.

By December 2010 I decided to extent the carving to where the bark has died naturally:

February 2012 I extended the deadwood to the base of the tree:

In April 2012 I decided to thin out the foliage a bit because the inner leaves began to go brown - they were not getting enough sunlight.
Big mistake!
After the thinning we had a cold spell and the tree suffered through winter. Winter here is May-July. Early July I slip potted the tree into a bigger container because it showed new growth. It has recovered well and I did some refining carving.

Will update with the newest pictures in the next week.

Buddleja saligna

The famous Buddleja by Louis Nel of South-Africa.

Art of Bonsai BCI Award -2009

Another typical Buddleja grown from yamadori:

Description:
Buddleja saligna is an evergreen, small slender tree or shrub, 4-6 m in height in cultivation and up to 10 m high in habitat. It has got a much-branched crown with new growth almost vertically upwards. Older branches tend to droop.
The grey-brown bark on the older branches is longitudinally furrowed and young branchlets are 4 angled. The simple leaves are arranged opposite with a linear/oblong shape, olive-green above and whitish below. From a distance the tree appears grey.
Tiny white flowers occurs in dense clusters up to 5cm in diameter and the tree flowers profusely in spring, covering the tree in these bunches of flowers. The seeds are minuscule 2mm long capsules.
The heartwood is cream to dark brown, fine grained, heavy and very durable.
A typical example of a tree grown into its natural form:

REPOTTING:
Repotting is done when the tree is actively growing (In South-Africa Spring - Autumn), the best time being the warmer

time of the year. Heavy root pruning may be done as long as the top is reduced too. 

Big yamadori, even big trees take also well. Keep the transplanted trees in shade until the tree starts to grow. Collected material can be left in light shade for a full growing season.
Do let the yamadori grow freely for a while (2 years) before cutting back again. The roots do take a while to become established again.
POTTING MEDIUM:
It can grow in a variety of mixtures as long as it is free draining.

STYLES:
As the leaves reduce very well, the tree can be grown in any style. The tree (which is apical dominant) can even be grown in a cascade as long as the higher growth is pinched regularly. Yamadori suits themselves well for formal upright, flattop, Acacia or driftwood styles (A good idea because big wounds don't heal easily).

A few examples of the tree as bonsai:

The next pictures were taken at the Brat meeting at Kierieklapper Bonsai Kai(2014):

 This tree also belonged to Louis Nel:

STYLING:
It's important to note that this tree has vertical sap flow: remowing a branch close to the trunk directly under another may lead to the above branch dying. Rather remove the branch in stages. Roots feed specific branches so care must be taken when removing either.

The tree back bud easily especially after heavy pruning. Styling is mainly done by wiring and clip and grow methods. The branches and twigs are quite brittle so be careful when bending. For small wounds I only use flowers of sulfur but big wounds must be sealed to prevent the tree from drying out. The first buds on a healthy tree can be pinched after every second leave to reduce the size of the leaves. Defoliating is not necessary to reduce the leaves, but can be done to help with the ramification of the branches. Growing the tree in shade will lead to longer internodes and bigger leaves.

WATERING AND FEEDING:When actively growing the tree is quite thirsty. In spring, summer and autumn keep the tree uniformly moist. In winter the tree still needs water but just enough not to dry out. The tree responds well to organic or inorganic fertilizers.
Propagation:
Cultivation is by either cuttings or from seed. The seeds are very fine and should be mixed with river sand before sowing. Spread the seed/river sand mix over a 50/50 mix of river sand and compost in a container (about 10cm high). Water the seeds with a very fine mist sprayer or preferably from the bottom, by placing the seedling train in a shallow container filled with water. Due to the small size of the seeds it is difficult to estimate an accurate germination rate but 50% is feasible. Most seeds should germination within 3 to 6 weeks. The seedlings transplant well and should be planted in a 50/50 mix of river sand and compost for best results. Treat cuttings with a rooting hormone and plant into a well draining mix (river sand/compost, peat/river sand, etc). Keep moist but not soggy wet.
A growth rate of at least 70 cm per year can be expected, except maybe in severe conditions. Normal growth rate after the second year in the garden can be up to 1m per year.
Trees should be grown in full sun. They do not tolerate indoors for more than a few days(Leaves drop).
Alternative Names:
Witolien (Afrikaans)
Valsolien (Afrikaans)
Icqeba-elimhlope (Zulu)
Mothlware (Tswana)