This tree has been in training for about three years now, and has been repotted more times than I can remember. It is one of my favorite trees, and especially now that it is bloom. Very fragrant tree that is easy to care for.
I’ve had this clump forest for a long time, and have studied it for a while now. However I have never been thrilled by the trunk placement, or variation in trunk sizes. I have considered other fronts for the trees, but each time I found some flaws. I knew I had to get a second opinion.
Mike Rogers has been my teacher from the beginning and his eye for good bonsai is second to none. I knew he would know just what to do with this tree. After 12 years of doing bonsai I still consider myself a student and will be for life.
The first thing we addressed was to add an additional trunk to fill in an empty spot of the composition. That’s not exaclty easy since the entire base of the tree is one root. We had to remove a pie shape piece in order to insert one more tree.
The new tree’s roots were pruned to match the space that was carved out. It would be a perfect fit.
To make sure that the tree held it’s position and was able to fuse with the other trunks, a 2 inch screw was driven through the tree into the root mass of the main tree. The tree was very secure after this and the screw will be left in the tree which will cover over in time.
Lastly the tree was repotted into a smaller pot and a new angle. The newly added trunk is the second from the left. Notice how much more of a focal point the main tree is. This will be an outstanding planting in a very short time.
For those that did not see the report on Bonsai that was on the CBS Morning show this week.
A while back I had shortened a long surface root of my Chinese elm. I wanted to show how well that root has healed and how nicely the cambium closed up the cut
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