Cloud tree

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cloud-tree

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the horticultural art form?Topiary, specifically the Japanese Niwaki style
2. What is the geographic origin?Japan, with historical development during the Edo period
3. How do gardeners create a cloud tree?Gardeners first trim the main branches to make a light, elongated frame. Then, over many years, they prune the leaves and use wires to guide the growth into rounded cloud shapes.
4. Why do people make cloud trees?Cloud trees add a sense of lightness and beauty to gardens. They help gardens feel calm and connected to nature.

Topiary: The art of shaping plants by clipping them into ornamental forms, often geometric or figurative.
Niwaki: A Japanese gardening practice of shaping trees to create artistic, idealized representations of nature within a garden setting.
Bonsai: A Japanese art form of cultivating miniature trees in containers, mimicking the scale and appearance of full-sized trees.
Edo Period: A period in Japanese history (1603-1868) known for its cultural flourishing and development of arts and gardens.