This Narrowleaf Firethorn Bonsai was one of the more unusual specimens in the courtyard exhibit at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The roots of the Firethorn have been carefully trained to grow around a large rock.
How does one train tree roots to grow around a rock? The horticulturists at the botanic gardens explain. Roots of bonsai can be trained as intricately as the branches. The rock and roots are both buried in the soil when the tree is a sapling. Then, gradually, the soil is removed and the flexible young roots are trained to form around the shape of the rock as they continue to grow downward. The roots are usually trained to follow crevices and fissures on the rock, creating form on form.
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She has just finished the longest art show stint of the summer, and now will spend the next three weeks entertaining out-of-town family and catching up on many photo projects.