55. Dan Robinson

Bremerton, Washington


This hemlock has a huge story to tell, some of it is revealed by studying its convoluted trunk.  The natural concave dead wood on the trunk is evidence of an earlier larger trunk now long gone, but easily visualized.   I spotted this tree cascading from a 30 foot high vertical cliff.  I extracted it from a perfect pocket, ensuring its survival.  The gnarly trunk was compressed early in it life by heavy maritime snow.  I exposed one layered root and left it as a jin. I designed the overall tree by honoring the natural trunk-line.  I arranged the foliage to frame that value and to increase the gnarly-ness of the distal branches to mimic the artistry of the convoluted trunk.  It is an unusual cascade, in that the majority of the appreciation is delivered by the lift of the trunk rather than the cascading branches. I decided to use an antique Chinese pot for this tree because it matches the trees elegant demeanor.


Mountain Hemlock / Tsuga mertensiana

Estimated Age: 900 years old
Time in Training: 10 years
Origin: Canada
Container: Antique Chinese
Stand: not provided