The art of Bonsai is something that has always intrigued, fascinated and appealed to me. Being an avid gardener – and being raised within a family of extremely capable and professional gardeners – I suppose it is in my blood. And I can’t get enough of it!
Gaining experience through 20 years in the small town garden I have – learning from the huge amount of mistakes I have made along the way – has given me enough knowledge to confidently create some of the many different styles of Bonsai, using a wide variety of material. Some material has been gained from local garden centres, some from Bonsai centres, some from trees that my clients no longer require and some, I am proud to say, have been gained from the wild. With the landowner’s permission, of course.
A lot of people think of Bonsai as a mystical, complicated and daunting hobby. Some even think it cruel to the plant. In reality it’s none of those. All it takes is the right tools to create Bonsai, a good understanding of how a plant survives and grows, an understanding of a plant’s individual requirements in terms of soil type and nutrients, and a lot of patience and foresight. And as regards cruelty to the plant – that’s a total myth. Most Bonsais gain more love and care than any other garden plant, and they will thrive for decades under the right care.
In this new Brilliant Bonsai Blog I am going to rattle-on incessantly about my passion and my small Bonsai collection, hopefully passing on a few tips along the way. If I persuade just one person to give this extraordinary hobby and artform a try that will be a bonus.
The changing seasons, tools, techniques, locating and sourcing Bonsai, feeding, soil types, displaying, pots and all manner of Bonsai-related themes will eventually be covered on a weekly basis. Plus there will be regular Bonsai news updates, Bonsai events throughout the year and information on any Bonsai-related offers I might find. So please feel free to follow my little blog, my trials, tribulations and laugh at the mistakes I’ll undoubtedly make as I step into the unknown…
I’m self-taught, but sometimes I get a little help from our fluffy friends who are always willing to keep me company as I potter around the garden…
brilliantbonsai 