I styled this bonsai to evoke the image of a tree growing in a meadow, the primal picture of a tree standing alone, unchallenged for light or space, spreading its wandering branches freely. In its diminished scale, it embraces both strength and grace, anchored firmly in its place, offering a scene of welcomed ease beneath its shaded branches. A place of rest. This tree began its journey as a cutting struck in 1968 by Jim Barrett. I acquired it 30 years later as a pre-bonsai in a growing container. The following year, I planted it for the first time in a bonsai container. From then on, I began to develop the tree from the primary structure Jim had begun, building and rebuilding the tree as it changed from year to year. As such this tree also represents the continuity of bonsai: a gift from one generation to the next, and the succession of effort, skill and knowledge.

Pomegranate / Punica granatum

Estimated Age: 47 years old
Time in Training: 20 years
Origin: Cutting struck in 1968 by Jim Barrett
Container: Modern Chinese
Stand: not provided