AusBonsai

This is one of the trees the digging crew unearthed during the shibui annual field grown trees dig.
It was quickly christened the 'Root over Boulder' because it took some moving with the weight of the rock, roots and attached soil.

After cleaning away the excess soil and roots I reckon its not too bad. After pruning it looks even better.... but I reckon it could make quite a good vertical rock planting.A rock this size should give the opportunity to grow a powerful trunk and some decent branches even though it will weigh a bit.

Hi Shibui,

A very daring choice of rock This rock would escape me totally. But seeing the roots clasping it, making all the different.

If you stand it up like in the last photo, then I imagine you would have to grow a different leader? When I first saw the first photo, I thought that would make a nice root over rock too; admittedly, I still like that very much.

Best regards.

I like "the other side" as a bit more of a landscape, of a tree with the roots hanging over the edge of a cliff down to the ground below ... ahh there's my imagination running away again!

I'll be interested to see what you do with it ...

How long was it in the ground? Three years?

Ryan

Thats a ripper Shibui, I am guessing it will be a keeper.
Craigw

Daviet you are right about another leader though a semi cascade tree on that vertical rock would look ok. I usually leave several possibilities when I dig and prune the field grown trees - sometimes an old leader just refuses to bud properly so the other is there as a back up. When this tree buds out and starts to grow and we can see where new shoots grow it will be time to make the decision as to which idea to follow.

Not sure whether this one was in for 2 or 3 years. More probably only 2 or I think it would be a bit bigger. While 'the other side' might produce a reasonable tree I don't think the roots have sufficient impact to make it great. They are little wider than the trunk above - after all 'root over rock' is surely about roots?

Thanks for the praise Craig . Whether this one stays or goes depends on how it develops. I can, and do, grow quite a few of these now so get pretty spoiled for choice. Lets just say that at this stage I have my eye on it.