Trident Maple root over rock wrap and strap

This is a similar method to a Pheonix Graft without a trunk or base to start with . I first carve grooves into a nice piece of volcanic rock . These will accomodate the roots for the feature required. Using about 30 whips i gather half of them a place into a reasonable order having the roots in the desired areas necessary for the arrangement over the rock then tie off with string .Placing the trunk over the rock i then place the roots into the grooves as desired and then secure to the rock with more string .Adding more whips into the gaps until all is full spreading the finer roots of the first lot of seedlings i place the remainder of the larger roots into the grooves .Then with string attach securely to the rock . Remove the first string that held the whips together and with another wind around the gathered seedlings to form the shape of the desired curve/profile you are seeking .If the curves are pre set they tend to take the stress off the whips rather than trying to bend later .Continue his all the way up to the apex , placing a fork or devision into the trunks .Wrap with heavy wire and style the tree prior tto potting .I used a pupose made split pot for surrounding the roots and rock and added a shade cloth sleeve to ensure there was enough soil to completely cover the roots

Atlas Cedar - Cedrus Atlantica

These were collected tree with no real character at the time of collection , my thoughts at the time were Why Bother. I did and now i'm impressed with the resulting progression of the 2 trees . Originally potted into a 350 mm planter bag the repotted into this pot as a trainer . The mix in which these 2 resided in was 60% soft red scoria and 40 % old aged pine bark both sieved from 8 mm minus and washed to remove the dust and fines ..The resulting root growth is testament to this potting mix for pines and Cedars . The roots were all but non existant and i doubted these would survive . I applied the wire prior to repotting and position the branches using a hook and hold method that has countless advantages over conventional wiring . Shade cloth slings are placed over the branches to prevent any damage and the hooks are attached to these .While they don't look fantastic , i'm not into making "pretty boy trainers" if it work and works well i use it .With the trees repoted i attached a trunk block and prop to aid in the trunk bending .These will now rest for a few weeks before a trim and style takes place

Trident Maple Pheonix Graft

This has been in the pipe line for some time . I decided to make a Sumo out of a stump and seedlings . I have carved the stump to produce a tree that appears to be hit by lightning . Carving numerous grooves into the base in a spiral fashion will aid holding the whips in line . I simply stapled the base of the 6-8mm plants with a staple gun to the stump then added smaller ones in between the gaps of the first layer A quick wrap around the roots with soft wire to hold it firm.Then i removed the leaves before i spiraled the whips around the stump and up to the apex securing again with soft wire . With all the seedlings in place i began to wrap the entire trunk from the bottom using grafting tape to form a solid jacket from which the fushion of the stems should take place .

Ishitsuki composed

This is the result of a comp i decided to enter .A native Aussie vertical landscape , i used an older trainer and the cuttings taken from the previous year off the trainer to combine into this finished item .All up it took 9 hours to complete the landscape

Arbutus unedo

This was a good find while out seeking a hawthorn from the clear felled area behind my house . I managed to remove 2 large root layers from either side of a monster 500mm base . I will collect the main tree before the dozers move in to flatten the lot. The small turtle back has a base of around 100mm while the larger 1 has a 150mm base .Should sprout quite well considering the large amount of roots attached to the bases .

Sequoia Sempervirens-Coast Redwood

I purchased these 2 trees from a wholesaler prior to the Beechworth fires , unfortunately his business was burnt out , luckily his family and house were saved . I used 2 method for training the new shoots 1 was to leave the old branches and tie down with fishing line .

The second method was to remove all the branches and when the shoot emerged used the spring pegs the direct the new shoot into the desired position . Much safer , less damage and very simple to adjust .

The trees were monitored over the next 2 seasons and trimmed sparingly . I decided to do the first initial styling using conventional spiral wrap wiring , something i don't particularly enjoy except for the result . With 50% of the foliage removed these have come up a treat I will allow the foliage to grow on to increase the width by about 30% over the next few months and trim to suit . All in all i am happy with the result

Redwood from the Ashes

This is a trunk that i collected after the 98 Beechworth fires . I estimate the tree would have been about 4 metres in height prior to the bush fire. Left unchecked fora couple of seasons i styled it as a twin trunk with the original stump retained for carving .I will allow it to settle then carve and pot it up into a Bonsai pot .