The Calligrapher. You don’t need anything but your eyes and a little imagination to appreciate the the story of this remarkable little Yew’s (Taxus baccata) time spent on a remote rocky outcropping somewhere in England. But then there’s the story of the time it spent in Tony Tickle’s bonsai collection, where, instead of rough weather and poor soil, it experience a human-caused series of dramatic changes. The result is a refreshing break with convention that evokes a sense of delight and a big question mark (part of the answer is here). BTW: I don’t usually say too much about people in this blog, but I can’t resist: I met Tony Tickle in Spain a few years back and, in addition to being a first rate bonsai artist, he is in possession of a first rate sense of humor.
Tony and his Yew back in the days when he thought it was a full cascade. It’s what’s underground that caused his change of mind. A very good change indeed.
Viva Mexico! I’m not sure this has too much to do with Tony Tickle, except that I seem to remember that Tony taught in Mexico and that it’s all about bonsai.
The spherical pot fits the tree perfectly. The development article is very informative of the time and effort this tree required.