Maple Root Over Rock – A Journey Through Time

Botanical Name: Acer palmatum

Common Name: Japanese Maple (Root Over Rock)

Story of the Tree

This elegant Japanese Maple has been in training since the 1990s, and its character has grown steadily over the decades.

Rita acquired the tree from Hap Thompson in 2005, continuing its care and development with a steady hand and an eye for refinement. In 2025, she repotted it into a handcrafted Sara Rayner pot, sourced from the Mendocino Coast Bonsai community—pairing the mature form of the tree with a vessel that complements its age and aesthetic.

Styled as a root-over-rock, the tree tells a subtle story of perseverance and anchoring—roots gripping stone, branches reaching upward, and years of thoughtful tending etched into its form..

Exhibited by: Rita