Tony Tickle’s European larch

I received this tree from Matija Triglav my Slovenian friend a mountain dweller! Matija had the tree for a year and I kept it a further year before repotting and styling.

Some may say the trunk is ugly and had too many thin and fat parts. This larch has endured the worst of weather and environments; I am sure it has been hit by the odd avalanche and crushed under many meters of snow.

The bulbous growth is a result of callusing and ‘recallusing’ caused as the tree was under constant attack from the elements.

I wanted to create a compact tree that reflected that struggle for survival, so the canopy cradled in the bosom of the trunk.

I look forward to the canopy developing and the ramification improving, I prefer Larch as a winter image so the styling must be perfect.