What would you do if this was your tree...?

[fredman]

I really am in 2 minds about layering this Camelia...Knight rider. I love this tree. Had it since it were but a adolescent. Its about 16 years old now.
It always had this weird root base....but I kinda got to like it over time. It has a different kind of beauty....I think. It stands powerful in the ground, because of those roots.
I know the tree can be bettered (or will it really) with a ground layer, and maybe that's what it needs...to take it forward.
Thing is...I like natural looking trees...and this certainly is a natural phenomena that adds...or takes away depending on how one looks at it.

Hence my question....What would you do..?


 Front


Back...roots alone

Side. It has this overhang...can't decide if I like it or not....and that is exactly what I like about this ugly duckling.
Red line is where I see the ground layer.

Front of root base

For interest...the flower.

 

[fredman]

Another angle. If I layer at the line...this will be the new front.

 

[akillas]

Its a very nice tree as it is, and there are a lot of ways you could go if you are not fond of it right now. One is ground layer it as you say, another would be to place an ornamental stone in that cavity. You could also repot it at an angle so the bulge faces upwards and redesign the whole tree.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Camellia grow so slowly that I’d be hesitant to layer it. I would try to find the best planting depth and front and just enjoy it. Over the years it will continue to improve in a pot. The current front could be rotated a little counter-clockwise and then planted just a little deeper. The tree doesn’t look super strong, but maybe it just hast started growing yet. I think they are acid-loving trees that benefit from some shade and cool roots.

 

[DonielDoom]

I have a camellia japonica that's been in a galventized livestock trough the last few years. It has not put off growth that would encourage me to restart the base of yours. I expected a bit faster growth than I've gotten. In other words, I agree with what Brian has said above about them being slow. Finding a kind of stone or object to fill the void might also add a storytelling element, like akillas mentioned.

Funny enough, mine has a very similar kind of root system at the surface level.

Personally, I'd try to find a way to work with it. Whether that be an angle change, adding an object, etc. It seems like there's enough to work with (grain of salt as I'm pretty inexperienced) that you'd be going backwards more than forwards with a full reset of the roots and trunk base.

 

[MalsRFun in TN]

Just getting started with camellias, which I love, and can add to previous comments that in a year when all my other air layers were vigorous my only "no go" was a camellia. That being said, I have several camellias, including the air layer failure, that had vigorous growth in their original nursery pots, while the only one I did root work and pot reduction on hovered at death's door for months before it began to grow again. Just my experience...

 

[BrianBay9]

I find the base quirky, not objectionable. I'd work with it.

 

[Potawatomi13]

I really am in 2 minds about layering this Camelia...Knight rider. I love this tree. Had it since it were but a adolescent. Its about 16 years old now.
It always had this weird root base....but I kinda got to like it over time. It has a different kind of beauty....I think. It stands powerful in the ground, because of those roots.
I know the tree can be bettered (or will it really) with a ground layer, and maybe that's what it needs...to take it forward.
Thing is...I like natural looking trees...and this certainly is a natural phenomena that adds...or takes away depending on how one looks at it.

Hence my question....What would you do..?


 Front

View attachment 615870
Back...roots alone
View attachment 615871
Side. It has this overhang...can't decide if I like it or not....and that is exactly what I like about this ugly duckling.
Red line is where I see the ground layer.
View attachment 615873
Front of root base
View attachment 615874
For interest...the flower.
View attachment 615875

Jump up and down with Snoopy dance for joy. Also would attempt to ground layer roots where they are missing or do thread graft of roots. I love your tree and lovely flower. Also would suggest to grow larger tree so flowers are more proportional to tree.

 

[fredman]

Thank you to everybody....
I'm glad I put this up. You've confirmed what my gut been saying to me all along. I'll keep it as is. Its unique in its own way...and deserves to be respected for that.
Besides, I won't be able to like with myself if the layer throws out a bad array of roots...and puts the tree backwards...or in jeopardy.

The pics above is from just after it has been root trimmed and repotted. I've trimmed the whole tree back a little to....might trim more.
Previously it was planted deeper...but this time I felt like lifting it out a bit. I'll see how I go with this new look over the next few years.

@Potawatomi13 it is a large tree, and luckily the flowers aren't that big. It is all well in proportion....I think.
Thanks again.

---

 

[oranjeaap]

I would not ground layer it unless you are willing to take a certain risk.
I would focus less on the tree and more on the composition.
I would make the landscape more interesting by creating depth and I woud use a soil gradient to achieve this.
The roots already form the majority of the barrier you need to keep the soil from sliding. You would need to put a tiny rock on each side to further block the soil. Like so:


Slate rock works great for this. You bury it for 2/3 for stability and make the remaining 1/3 stick out a like a shard. It will look like a natural rock formation.
You would also need a more natural looking substrate, or simply cover this substrate with a thin layer, gray lava stone would look nice.
I would change the pot to oval. The color would be grey / brown / cream white or some other earthy tone. Not blue.
The soil levels would like so:



From the front it will look like a tree growing on a cliff, I think it would be really neat. From the side it would also hide the weird overhanging trunk.

All you need is a different pot, lower the tree slighlty and find 2 subtle pieces of slate rock that will look like a natural continuation of the roots basically. They are there the create the illusion of a cliff and to keep the soil from sliding. They must not take attention away from the tree so they have to be subtle.

 

[oranjeaap]

I did something similar with a moss garden im growing in a large glass bowl.
Just burried 1 slab of slate rock to create a steep gradient.



The soil itself (grey) only has a slight gradient so it doesn't move or slide down at all, but thanks to the piece of slate rock the overal angle of the composition (yellow) is quite dramatic.