This bonsai
started out as a very wild tree!
Pictured
here prior to collection in October 2002, the tree was 6ft+
including the long whips of growth at the very top of the tree.
The top
growth of a tree will often reflect what's happening in the
ground; this tree was growing in very wet, soggy soil 8-9 months
of the year and therefore had a very compact rootball (for a
Hawthorn). This resulted in an equally dense and ramified branch
system.
Hawthorns
growing in drier soils will have very deep taproots and above
ground, tall straight trunks free of lower branching.
The above
ground part of a tree will very often be a mirror image of the
below ground part.