Be a Bonsai Expert

There are many articles around that will tell you about the ins and outs of looking after your Bonsai tree. They go into forms and styling, pruning techniques, repotting and so on. But let me just take you quietly into the feeling of Bonsai and why the majority of Bonsai gardeners become addicted.

It would be a very rare person who has not heard of Bonsai trees or Bonsai plants. Originating in China many centuries ago, Bonsai trees were taken up with a vengeance by the Japanese who perfected the techniques of miniaturizing some of their standard trees and turned the skill into an art form. Gradually the rest of the world has become captivated by the Bonsai tree and the techniques have spread to the home gardener and hobbyist.

There has been a lot written about Bonsai and it’s care, growing techniques, forms, styles, dos and donts. If I were a newcomer to the hobby I could be quite overwhelmed by the amount of information and seemingly complicated rules to follow. I may then decide that it is all too hard and not get involved in Bonsai at all. But that would be to miss the entire point.

There is a uniqueness to Bonsai trees that is hard to describe. Their tiny size and indefinable beauty transport you to a completely different perspective, a place of peace and tranquillity where “chill out” is the word of the day. The noise and tension of the day drain away and you experience a feeling that has to be felt to be understood. Its even better when those Bonsai plants have been groomed by you!

To spend time with a Bonsai plant caring for it, shaping it, feeding and watering it, is to gradually enter into a kind of meditation. The world is shut out while you study the form of the tree, visualizing the shape you wish to coax your tree into and planning the small steps needed to achieve your aims. There is much to learn, there is much to practice… but the pay off is priceless. Once you have had some small successes with your Bonsai you are in danger of becoming addicted! But then so what! There are far worse things in this world to become addicted to than the harmless and beautiful world of Bonsai trees.

Time and patience must of course be put in to achieve your aims. But it is the time and patience that is the whole point of Bonsai. It is in the doing that the spirit is calmed not in the achieving of the objective.

However before you can loose yourself in this type of meditation you need to learn some basic skills. Select the type of Bonsai trees that you want to grow and set yourself up with some good quality Bonsai supplies. There is ample Bonsai literature available both for the beginner and the experienced and your Bonsai trees will look even more beautiful in an interesting pot and perhaps on a display table.

If you allocate enough time to the basics in the beginning you will be rewarded well into the future with a great deal of satisfaction and pleasure.