grouper52
Masterpiece
I will start a progression on this tree, and add to it as it progresses.
The tree is a Shore Pine (P. contorta contorta) I found and collected a year and a half ago from a bog on northern Vancouver Island when I was there with Dan Robinson. Only the foliage could be seen sticking above the overburden. I dug down to see if the foliage was connected to anything worth collecting, and found this fascinating trunk, mostly buried under centuries of detritus and sphagnum moss.
Many of the main roots ran down deep into surrounding water, but there seemed to be enough small feeder roots coming off close into in the soil, giving it a chance at survival if collected. I wrapped up the root ball, brought it home, and threw it over in the side yard untouched for a year. It survived collection well, and was pushing new growth the next season, so in the fall I transfered it to a pot.
Things are pushing new growth already in this warm winter here, so I decided to start styling a few weeks ago, stripping bark from naturally occurring jins, drawing the branches in a bit to bring the leggy foliage closer to the base, and studying where to go with it. The photos below show it from front, right and left at that stage.
The tree is a Shore Pine (P. contorta contorta) I found and collected a year and a half ago from a bog on northern Vancouver Island when I was there with Dan Robinson. Only the foliage could be seen sticking above the overburden. I dug down to see if the foliage was connected to anything worth collecting, and found this fascinating trunk, mostly buried under centuries of detritus and sphagnum moss.
Many of the main roots ran down deep into surrounding water, but there seemed to be enough small feeder roots coming off close into in the soil, giving it a chance at survival if collected. I wrapped up the root ball, brought it home, and threw it over in the side yard untouched for a year. It survived collection well, and was pushing new growth the next season, so in the fall I transfered it to a pot.
Things are pushing new growth already in this warm winter here, so I decided to start styling a few weeks ago, stripping bark from naturally occurring jins, drawing the branches in a bit to bring the leggy foliage closer to the base, and studying where to go with it. The photos below show it from front, right and left at that stage.