This English Elm was dug during a dig that was organised by the Goulburn Bonsai Society several years ago. This particular tree provided an interest to me because it had a sweeping nabari much like the nabari on quality Trident Maples. So I set to work and out it came. Once out of the ground and bare rooted it was obvious that the nabari I so desired was only on the front of the tree and the back of the tree had little or nothing in the way of extended roots.

Nice front, shame about the back

Photo taken in July 2012 showing the root flair at the front, but there is very little at the back. There are very few English Elms with a flaired nabari and so I went about introducing a similar root system at the rear of the plant.

The back

The plan was to get a number of seedling size elms from the same location and then use one or two of the seedlings for an in arch graft.

The seedling selection

One of the two selected

Preparing the site for the graft

The new roots fitted into position

The bonsai was put aside to recover and hopefully the roots will grow and the graft will attach.

Photo March 2013

Nine months later the growth of the graft was going along fine and the tree was fertilized and watered like all the other bonsai. By August 2014 it was time to see if the graft was successful and the tree also needed a repot.

The trunk and branching of the root graft was removed and it showed what I had hoped for, very healthy new roots.

The new roots firmly in place

Repot completed

The latest look

I have purchased a new pot for this tree and in two or three years I will have a tree that is worthy of its new pot and also worthy of a place on the exhibition table.