MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
This is another collected gray oak I purchased from Alvaro in June 2019. Only this time way smaller than my other one. Its small dimensions appealed to me as I have not seen many collected at this size.
I originally was looking to make a shohin planted in a pot of appropriate size. So I set out to repot this tree. As I took soil away from the root ball, the tree took a different character. This is why one cannot make assumptions as to what a tree will look like until the roots and lower trunk are cleaned and carefully examined. After removing most of the old and heavy field soil, the tree suddenly presented itself quite differently. I had to scrap all my preconceptions and adapt to what the tree was now offering.
I tried several pots which were ok. In the end they all were solutions that felt too conventional for this little and rugged wild tree. I looked around for other possibilities. Then I found something in a corner of my garden that seemed to feel just right!
The oak as it looked before the repotting. Probably a very old tree judging from the rugged, fissured bark that was stunted most likely by constant grazing.
And here it is after repotting. The result is a rugged composition that I think presents the oak in a better context than if it had been planted in a more traditional container. The roots were carefully cut back where needed but elsewhere they were cleaned and folded underneath the tree to preserve as many as possible and be able to fit them all within the tight space of the driftwood. Keto was used on the outside to hold everything together while I used a mix of akadama and kiryu for the main substrate. The entire piece measures 17" x 18".
The buds turn red as they begin to swell in spring adding to the beauty of these oaks. The leaves are quite small on this species as well.
I originally was looking to make a shohin planted in a pot of appropriate size. So I set out to repot this tree. As I took soil away from the root ball, the tree took a different character. This is why one cannot make assumptions as to what a tree will look like until the roots and lower trunk are cleaned and carefully examined. After removing most of the old and heavy field soil, the tree suddenly presented itself quite differently. I had to scrap all my preconceptions and adapt to what the tree was now offering.
I tried several pots which were ok. In the end they all were solutions that felt too conventional for this little and rugged wild tree. I looked around for other possibilities. Then I found something in a corner of my garden that seemed to feel just right!
The oak as it looked before the repotting. Probably a very old tree judging from the rugged, fissured bark that was stunted most likely by constant grazing.
And here it is after repotting. The result is a rugged composition that I think presents the oak in a better context than if it had been planted in a more traditional container. The roots were carefully cut back where needed but elsewhere they were cleaned and folded underneath the tree to preserve as many as possible and be able to fit them all within the tight space of the driftwood. Keto was used on the outside to hold everything together while I used a mix of akadama and kiryu for the main substrate. The entire piece measures 17" x 18".
The buds turn red as they begin to swell in spring adding to the beauty of these oaks. The leaves are quite small on this species as well.
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