How do you make an elm root-over-rock bonsai? Where does the elm on the rock come from?

In the autumn of 2001, a bonsai artist bought an elm sapling. If he chose to plant it in the ground to grow the trunk thick, it would take several years, but if he made it into a small root-over-rock piece, it might take shape in less than two or three years. So he fixed this elm sapling onto a very ordinary rock, then wrapped it in plastic sheeting, stuffed it full of soil, and planted it in this flower pot. When making a root-over-rock bonsai, this step must not be planted too deep.

After nearly three years of free growth, the trunk was fairly thick, so he shortened it and trained another branch. The roots had already become very developed.

So he planted it into a bonsai pot

He carefully removed the plastic wrap, and the roots had completely wrapped around the rock. This shows the root-over-rock was very successful.

After another few months of free growth, once it had returned to normal growth, it was time to consider a preliminary design for its future styling. This is how it looked in the winter of 2004

By September 2006, it had grown quite a few branches, so he repotted it into a different pot

This is how it looked in December 2006 after the leaves had fallen, it was starting to take shape

In March 2008, it was repotted once again

In April 2008, it grew leaves. The root-over-rock is very good, but the top is still slightly lacking, and it may need more styling. Overall it is still a nice little piece.