I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that they purchased a tree, or collected one only to find that when they clear away some of the top soil that the tree continued to widen out. This not only will add height to the tree when planted at the proper soil level, but will add a stronger look for the tree as the nebari width increases.
A few years ago when I potted up my bouganvillea I had to plant it rather low because I had changed the angle of the tree dramatically. It showed no surface roots and had no flair. However this week I decided to repot the tree into a smaller pot to bring attention to the massive trunk. However when I cleared away the soil the trunk had some great surpises to show me.
The trunk had great flair and roots had developed. In addition I was now able to pot the tree up about 3″ higher.
You can see the old soil line and how much more strength the repot gave the tree.
