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Photo 1: From the first batch
that they sent, I especially liked these two pieces that had a lot of
knarly character. The one on the left was a bit too small and thin but
would be useful as a complimentary piece.
The bottom of the larger piece was cut with a chop saw and an acrylic rectangle was screwed to the bottom to hold it upright. The small pieces in the center are the pieces cut off to allow vertical positioning of the driftwood. Note that there's a "saddle" about 2" from the top where the pre-trained tree would sit. Roots would be positioned so the most interesting portions of the driftwood would still show. |
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2: The other side of the driftwood also had interesting
portions. Note that there is a large "empty" area under
the main portion of the driftwood that will be occupied by roots in the
future.
The tree selected was a 8LS8-RR root over rock Dwarf Schefflera #8 Living Sculpure. Trees that are pre-trained root-over-rock are generally short and stocky with strong aerial roots. The tree was removed from the pot, pried off the rock, root pruned, then positioned on the "saddle," and tied to the driftwood with string. |
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3: The driftwood planted tree is shown with the driftwood in the
same position as photo 1 above. The area under the main part of the
driftwood is filled with potting media to allow the roots to grow
vigorously.
Aluminum foil was used to temporarily hold in the media until the roots become established in it. The deep cavity on the driftwood is visible and the smaller driftwood piece is positioned on the left. Note that the bottom of the planting now is wider than the heaviest driftwood section and this gives the planting visual stability. |
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Photo 4: The other side is also attractive. Aluminum foil holds media in position until the roots are fully established into the pot. The smaller complimentary piece on the right visually widens the base. String is used to support the aluminum foil which holds the media in place. In six months or so, the roots should be well established and the aluminium foil and string could be removed to better appreciate and enjoy the details. |