[Category 1] Callistemon sieberi root over rock

[shibui]

Botanical name: Callistemon sieberi
Common name: River bottlebrush
Years in training: From tubestock 1990; Basic styling from 1995; Planted into bonsai pot 2003
Height: 45 cm; Width: Base of trunk to foliage 45 cm; End of root to foliage tip 67 cm
Artist: Shibui, Victoria

Callistemon root over rock 2011 03 3.JPG

This tree was inspired by callistemons growing on rock bars in the Ovens river near Myrtleford.
Seed germinates in small soil pockets and roots clamber over the rock searching out pockets of nutrient and cracks to obtain a foothold. Regular floods completely submerge the trees. Plants well enough established to hang on have their branches and foliage forced downstream while flood borne debris damages the upriver sections of trunks and root leaving broken branches and deadwood as reminders of the harsh conditions these survivors have endured.

This callistemon bonsai began when a tubestock seedling from the local landcare nursery was bare rooted and the roots arranged over the rock. It was grown on in polystyrene boxes until the root/rock/trunk unit had developed sufficiently for basic styling. It was potted into a Chinese bonsai pot in 2003 and has continued to develop rapidly. More branches were removed this year, the deadwood extended and the tree placed into its new pot.