Home & Family Facts and Notes

Instead of telling you all the ins and outs of how to care for you Bonsai tree, the different styles, the techniques, the why and the when…let me just take you into the feeling of Bonsai and give you some idea as to why most Bonsai gardeners are addicts!

If you have not heard of Bonsai trees or Bonsai plants you are a rare person indeed! Bonsai miniaturization probably dates back before the Chinese started several centuries ago. Then Bonsai techniques were picked up by the Japanese who really went to work and refined and perfected the skills to turn them into an art form. Since then the rest of the world has caught up with this amazing hobby and taken to it with a vengeance!

To the newcomer there seems to be an overwhelming amount of information on the techniques of growing Bonsai. There are seemingly important things like styles and forms, pruning and potting, watering and feeding and a long list of things you should and should not do. Is it no wonder that the novice might throw their hands in the air and say its all too hard! However to do that would be a mistake.

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.

Of course nothing really beneficial comes without putting in time and care. But the thing about Bonsai is that the journey towards perfection is the addiction! Its the doing not the getting that calms the spirit. This is the whole point.

There are some basic skills you need to learn before you can loose yourself in this type of stillness. Choose which type of Bonsai trees that you want to work with and purchase some good Bonsai supplies. For the beginner there is comprehensive information available to get you started.

Spend some time getting these basics right and you will have a lifetime interest in Bonsai trees that will bring you enormous satisfaction and pleasure.

Tags: home improvement, shelter