How Bonsai Trees Can Turn You Into An Addict
July 29, 2008
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!
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 something indefinable about Bonsai trees. Their exquisite beauty in miniature form, the way they transport you to a different perspective, the peace and tranquillity you feel by just gazing at your tree is something that must be experienced rather than described. With Bonsai trees in your home you can be transported to a different place, away from the hustle and bustle and pressures of modern life to a place of inner peace and calm. All the more so if those Bonsai trees have been nurtured and sculptured by you!
As you begin to care for your Bonsai plant and spend some time getting to know your Bonsai you tend to enter into a kind of meditation. The rest of your busy world looses its focus while you concentrate on the job at hand. You can see the shape that the tree is inclined to grow into so you coax it by pruning and shaping, bit by bit until you have the result you were after. It becomes so soothing and relaxing that you can become quite addicted to your ” Bonsai time “.
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.
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.
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