A root over rock maple is born

I see some amazing trees in Bay Island Bonsai workshops. I also see some amazing projects. The root over rock Japanese maple planting below is clearly one of the latter.

Root over rock maple planting in training

Young maples were planted on a large stone a year or two ago. This year, the tree’s owner exposed the roots to make sure they were fusing to the rock. Some roots were trimmed, others were guided into channels in the stone. Blue plastic ties were added to hold the composition together. Once the last knot was tightened, the stone was buried in a large pot so the roots could continue to develop.

All tied up

Blocks and chopsticks keep the ties tight

It’s not much to look at, but time and the blue ties will help the roots fuse to the stone.

The trees could just have easily been planted in the ground. Keeping them in a pot, however, will make it easier to work on the roots during the next repotting. Apart from some minor pruning, the trunks and branches were left alone to encourage root development.