Landscaping and Gardening Info

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.

Bonsai trees carry an air of indefinable uniqueness. You are taken to a different perspective by their miniature stature and undoubted beauty. To be in the presence of a fully mature tree that is only 12 inches or 30 centimetres tall is a feeling that has to be lived to be fully appreciated. You are transported to a different place, one far from the hustle and bustle of modern city life with its pressures and stresses, and into a place of inner calm. That feeling is enhanced when those Bonsai trees have been trained by you.

There is much to learn, as there is much to practice, but the benefits of having patience and just spending time with your Bonsai plant are enormous. The more you get to know your Bonsai the more you will find yourself entering into a kind of meditation where the world is shut out while you study the form and style of your Bonsai tree. A little pruning here , a little shaping there, some watering and feeding and you become so involved that you are in danger of becoming addicted. But so what! Its an addiction you are happy to live with.

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.

You will be rewarded with endless pleasure and satisfaction for life if you get a few basics in place in the beginning.

Tags: gardening, garden