Open or closed base on big bald cypress

[Joe Dupre']

I collected this big BC in Feb. of last year......so it's 15 months from collection. It's doing great. I love the fluted base but that presents a dilemma. The base is mostly composed of knee roots.........roots that exit the trunk above the true base of the tree. Now what I'm calling the base within the confines of the roots could just be the upper part of the tap root. Anyway, I'd like some opinions on whether to show off the empty space or fill it with soil to give more of a solid impression. Open or closed???

 

[Meh]

Very nice tree. I think it looks good open and gives it more interest, and I love the knee in the back too.

 

[Dav4]

Very nice tree. I think it looks good open and gives it more interest, and I love the knee in the back too.

I agree!

 

[SniffingKrylon]

3 for open!

 

[Housguy]

Open as well

 

[Tieball]

Open....at the level you have right now. I’d avoid additional substrate erosion so you don’t end up with a BC dancing on long legs.

 

[Wilson]

Open is nice, plus you can always fill it in for a different view now an then.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Open

 

[Joe Dupre']

I'm leaning to open also. Oh, the "knee" is just a suitable piece of driftwood found on a scouting trip. Yeah, I understand the "dancing on long legs" thing. The final level will be as it is now or just a smidgen deeper. Thanks, guys.

 

[amatbrewer]

I could be totally off base here but I am actively trying to get better at seeing the potential in material and this is an opportunity for me to work on that, so I will offer my $0.02 (and you are probably not getting your $ worth at that price).

I think closed gives the tree a more formal and solid feel, but open creates a much more distinctive look.
I looked at the first image multiple times and find my eye is repeatedly drawn down to the openings and away from the foliage. So for me the question would be where do you want the focus of the design to be?
While I would say I like it open better, I can't help but wonder if it might be a better overall composition with it closed.
The nice part is, as Wilson mentioned, you can have it both ways. Leave it open for now, and close it if it ends up not contributing to the overall composition.

 

[Michael P]

Open, so that we can imagine animals living in there.

 

[Lars Grimm]

Leaving it open creates a unique feature on the tree that you would be hard pressed to find otherwise. I would keep it open and accentuate it even further by maybe planting some micro-ferns to give it the feeling of an ancient tree in a deep bog.

 

[choppychoppy]

I would try to fill the spaces with rootage.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I would try to fill the spaces with rootage.

Me too. I like the holes, but I don’t want to see daylight through the base.

 

[Joe Dupre']

For the time being, I left the holes open but added soil a little bit up the trunk. That helped give the appearance of a more solid anchorage and kept a bit of daylight showing to add interest.

 

[Nanuk]

Either way you decide to go, that's a nice nebari.
I think it looks good open but would look just as good with a bit more cover on the roots.

 

[Joe Dupre']

I raised the soil level and that seems to be a good balance between showing the holes and reducing the leggyness of the base.

 

[jason biggs]

your tree looks awesome and your lawn looks lusher than a golf course

 

[Cajunrider]

Big fan of open.

 

[Joe Dupre']

Well, in fairness, it's the neighbor's lawn. He does a great job. I own about 3 feet past the cucumber trellis.
I'm liking the open version more and more.