Nearly precisely a yr in the past I posted concerning the creation of this Vine Maple composition.
This publish opinions its creation, shares just a few tweaks utilized to the tree since then, and ends with an “because it appears at present” remaining photograph.
The place we began in March 2022: an previous Vine Maple clump, collected and grown in a field for a pair years. Nice age is usually recommended by the rotted core, absence of unique trunks, and a rocky, virtually soil-less accumulating website. (I’ve been shocked on the age of a few of these Vine Maples. After eradicating a big root on one other specimen, as an afterthought I sat down and counted the rings: 180!
Out of the field, with the rootball on prime of a cardboard mockup for the Corian board.
Reducing the Corian.
Extending rootball with sphagnum moss. A bit of bamboo over the sphagnum stored it from shifting.
Brushing sphagnum moss with muck slurry. Appears to be like very similar to a potato pancake.
Getting the angle proper for the stand. Referring again to the inclination of the field, the thought was to create a stand assist that held the slab at that racy angle. However we needed to make the assist after placement on the slab, to get the tree angle simply so.
In Might 2022, on the stand assist. Tree did properly within the months following “potting” on the assist. To enhance institution no branches had been eliminated.
A yr later, Might 2023. For the reason that tree did properly in its first yr, this spring just a few pruning cuts had been made.
One of many lowest branches lower off, in addition to the best. I felt this was essential to convey the eye again to the principle story, the bottom.
I’ve blended emotions about this experiment. I just like the tree and slab, however the “tuning fork” stand doesn’t combine. It’s an apparent assist with out providing an aesthetic function past that. I’ve thought-about a “shadow” assist—a flat piece of metallic to reflect the Corian slab—to switch that and will achieve this sooner or later. However, like most experiments, this pushed me a bit additional down the highway just a little wiser about what highway I used to be on. That is one other of the items impressed by precariousness, just like the Shore Pine on the metallic stand (first displayed on the Pacific Expo and now on show till September, 2023 on the Pacific Bonsai Museum).
For the unique publish with extra pictures of its creation, please see Cantilevered, Historic Vine Maple on a Board
Might 2023 Bulletin Board
