Nature Photos of the Week

September 28, 2007

Amazing Trees!

Arborsculpture is the art and technique of growing and shaping trunks of trees and other woody plants. By grafting, bending and pruning the woody trunks and branches, the trees grow into shapes that are ornamental and sometimes useful. The word arboursculpture is a conjunction of the words arbor (Latin for tree) and sculpture.The word is believed to have first appeared in print in the book How to Grow a Chair- The Art of Tree Trunk Topiary 1995 by Reames and Delbol. Reames coined the word in an attempt to give a unifying name to the practice of shaping the growth of tree trunks into sculptural shapes. The word has since been used in media around the world. The nascent word is not found in standard English dictionaries. Other words do exist to describe the technique including the term pleaching among others. Fruit trees are particularly good subjects to alter in this way, much of the work being done as the trees are young and budding in the spring months.

Enjoy the photos!