Thickening the trunk by growing out

Taper is an important concept in bonsai – it is one of the few unbreakable rules in the art. Taper refers to the flared base of the trunk of a tree, which is called the nebari and is arguably the single most important part of any tree, regardless of the style. Simply put, the wider the nebari, the more impressive is the tree. I often refer to it as the ‘Eifel Tower’ look.

Reverse taper, where the base of the trunk is narrower than the trunk further