As well as a software person I'm an arborist as a side hustle. I love bonsai and I have started a few off myself in my garden (technically this makes them 'niwaki' - in garden, rather than 'bonsai' - in a pot. I went with scots pine (Pinus sylvestris, Wych Elm - Ulnus glabra and Quercus robur - english oak) as they're all native to where I live.
But I am somewhat conflicted because as awesome as they look, all that aesthetic comes from doing the exact opposite of what a tree needs. Deliberate wounding at non-meristematic sites to create deadwood, binding roots into and using wires to manipulate the structure and keeping the tree at a juvenile isolated state. Basically it would make Alex Shigo shudder in his grave.
That being said, if anyone is in their twenties and looking for a nice future hustle pension, then start off some bonsais today. In forty years, if you can keep them going, with a hundred or so you could be sitting on 300K plus of stock. The trees will teach you a lot (notwithstanding the above sentiment on treating them brutally) in terms of patience, planning and delight in aesthetic.
If you are in your twenties and "start off some bonsais today" then in 20 years you will start to know what you are doing and then you can start off "good ones" ;)
Longwood Gardens (https://longwoodgardens.org/) is one of the most incredible public gardens in the US, and maybe the world. If you are in the Philadelphia/West Chester/Kennet Square area, do not miss the opportunity to check them out!
The Conservatory (and the new West Conservatory) is stunning. Checkout their summer concert and fireworks series for something family friendly. The Chimes Tower District reminds me of something you'd walk around and discover in Myst. https://longwoodgardens.org/gardens/chimes-tower-district
This place is huge! And there's a bunch of trails and places to walk if you wanna get away from the crowd.
When I was younger, bonsai always seemed to have a notoriety of being difficult to care for. I've got a ficus which I've owned for about 4 years now, and it's doing well because my apartment emulates tropical/greenhouse conditions on even mild spring days. I'm thinking about getting a large cloche for it to try and ramp up the humidity even more and encourage aerial roots. I've also got a Chinese elm next to it that's doing well, which I will move outside in the summer. The only worry with that one is how to keep it dormant over winter - I'll have to move it inside but I'm worried it will be too warm.
More recently I bought a Japanese maple shrub from a nursery. I was planning on turning it into a bonsai, but it's already re-grown its leaves for the season so best not to prune it harshly like I was planning. I think that's the main lesson to learn with bonsai - patience. It's going to be almost a year now before I can do anything major to it. Until then it will just be some extra balcony foliage.
I grow rare cactus and succulents and this is a similar lesson, patience. Also, more often than not the correct answer to anything is “do nothing”.
You also become much more appreciative of the most minute changes, noticing things that previously you would not notice. It’s a great practice for all of life, slow down, notice the small changes and sometimes the best thing to do is nothing.
I solved my problem of over-caring for many of my hardy desert plants by getting myself some more delicate plants which demanded more care, so that I was too busy with them and could give the hardier plants the neglect they needed to thrive.
My colleagues gave me a bonsai when I left the company. I loved it and it was georgeous. When I switched to my actual house, the bonsai felt it and started to dry out. I could not stop it, and even transplanting it to better soil and placing him in another room. It never went up. Right now I don't know if its alive anymore, and makes me very sad.
Yep. It's supposed to be an entry level one. Ligustrum sinensis. In my old house had like 8 hours of direct sun and right now it only has like 2... I don't know what to do anymore.
I had a fig at my work desk for a couple of years. Work moved buildings. The new aircon killed it. No matter how much I watered it, it kept drying out.
It was still trying to live off its two remaining leaves, when I picked it up by its trunk and noticed it was completely hollow and almost made of paper. It was utterly desiccated.
Long time member / supporter / donator of Longwood Gardens here… it’s a wonderful place to visit if able - while their Christmas display is well known - I personally prefer spring / early fall to be able to more easily walk around outside / when the fountains are open.
When they have larger bonsai displays they have been some of the best I have seen anywhere.
The Philadelphia Flower show recently had a bonsai display. I also know there is a bonsai focused garden somewhere near Philadelphia that I have yet to make it to.
As someone who has tried to grow bonsai and never quite succeeded - I always find them enthralling.
Go explore your nearest rock formation. It doesn't have to be tall, in my experience the opposite is true. You have to chose the right time to get the tree out, soil moist level and the status of the tree itself are the top priorities, the latter depends on the season and the tree type.
I find bonsai fascinating, even if I would never be willing to put in the time and care required to do it myself.
I had the pleasure of seeing the bonsai collection in the Gardens at HCP (Horticulture Centre of the Pacific) in Victoria, BC, Canada recently. They have many different species of trees, and something like 60 individual trees in total. Well worth seeing, and the cafe just outside the entrance is nice too.
I would just like to note, that you don't have to "put in" hardly any time or care. Maybe three hours per year? You just have to be very patient. Amateur bonsai is pretty easy, it just takes forever.
The oldest bonsai in this collection is over a 100 years old. Imagine training a bonsai continually for so long, the steady care and attention required across multiple generations…
I have several, extremely hard to find ones, high-silica volcanic ejecta found in silica-poor environments (like basalt) that are very prized by bonsai artists. I've had offers of tens of thousands of dollars for an organic-looking rock.
Growing bonsai is still on my hobby wishlist, but I haven’t been able to provide the stability it requires due to work : even keeping regular plants alive for a few years was impossible.
Has anyone here started from scratch? I would appreciate it if someone could share their experience and point me to some relevant online content.
Been living in Japan for a while and have come to appreciate bonsai. There is a lot that goes into it. I love the concept of such an intricate thing being carefully maintained across decades and generations of people.
It's an amazing economic example of value-add. Taking trees that grow like weeds and putting so much labor and time into them that they become worth a lot of money (and can exhibit tremendous aesthetic beauty). Similar to sushi.
When I was a kid we had a bonsai book… I used to look through it for hours…
Cut to the future and I not only can find that book again [1] but the author has a beautiful and hilarious youtube channel [2]
Worth the watch if only for the lulz
As well as a software person I'm an arborist as a side hustle. I love bonsai and I have started a few off myself in my garden (technically this makes them 'niwaki' - in garden, rather than 'bonsai' - in a pot. I went with scots pine (Pinus sylvestris, Wych Elm - Ulnus glabra and Quercus robur - english oak) as they're all native to where I live.
But I am somewhat conflicted because as awesome as they look, all that aesthetic comes from doing the exact opposite of what a tree needs. Deliberate wounding at non-meristematic sites to create deadwood, binding roots into and using wires to manipulate the structure and keeping the tree at a juvenile isolated state. Basically it would make Alex Shigo shudder in his grave.
That being said, if anyone is in their twenties and looking for a nice future hustle pension, then start off some bonsais today. In forty years, if you can keep them going, with a hundred or so you could be sitting on 300K plus of stock. The trees will teach you a lot (notwithstanding the above sentiment on treating them brutally) in terms of patience, planning and delight in aesthetic.
If you are in your twenties and "start off some bonsais today" then in 20 years you will start to know what you are doing and then you can start off "good ones" ;)
Yes, the best time to plant a tree....
1 reply →
Longwood Gardens (https://longwoodgardens.org/) is one of the most incredible public gardens in the US, and maybe the world. If you are in the Philadelphia/West Chester/Kennet Square area, do not miss the opportunity to check them out!
The Conservatory (and the new West Conservatory) is stunning. Checkout their summer concert and fireworks series for something family friendly. The Chimes Tower District reminds me of something you'd walk around and discover in Myst. https://longwoodgardens.org/gardens/chimes-tower-district
This place is huge! And there's a bunch of trails and places to walk if you wanna get away from the crowd.
Here's a 1hr video from QuietPlaces featuring the Conservatory, Lilly garden, Chimes District. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooR-f3vx_RY
Deep Link to the Bonsai area: https://youtu.be/ooR-f3vx_RY?t=1364
When I was younger, bonsai always seemed to have a notoriety of being difficult to care for. I've got a ficus which I've owned for about 4 years now, and it's doing well because my apartment emulates tropical/greenhouse conditions on even mild spring days. I'm thinking about getting a large cloche for it to try and ramp up the humidity even more and encourage aerial roots. I've also got a Chinese elm next to it that's doing well, which I will move outside in the summer. The only worry with that one is how to keep it dormant over winter - I'll have to move it inside but I'm worried it will be too warm.
More recently I bought a Japanese maple shrub from a nursery. I was planning on turning it into a bonsai, but it's already re-grown its leaves for the season so best not to prune it harshly like I was planning. I think that's the main lesson to learn with bonsai - patience. It's going to be almost a year now before I can do anything major to it. Until then it will just be some extra balcony foliage.
I grow rare cactus and succulents and this is a similar lesson, patience. Also, more often than not the correct answer to anything is “do nothing”. You also become much more appreciative of the most minute changes, noticing things that previously you would not notice. It’s a great practice for all of life, slow down, notice the small changes and sometimes the best thing to do is nothing.
Excellent advice.
I solved my problem of over-caring for many of my hardy desert plants by getting myself some more delicate plants which demanded more care, so that I was too busy with them and could give the hardier plants the neglect they needed to thrive.
[dead]
My colleagues gave me a bonsai when I left the company. I loved it and it was georgeous. When I switched to my actual house, the bonsai felt it and started to dry out. I could not stop it, and even transplanting it to better soil and placing him in another room. It never went up. Right now I don't know if its alive anymore, and makes me very sad.
Do you know the species?
Yep. It's supposed to be an entry level one. Ligustrum sinensis. In my old house had like 8 hours of direct sun and right now it only has like 2... I don't know what to do anymore.
4 replies →
I had a fig at my work desk for a couple of years. Work moved buildings. The new aircon killed it. No matter how much I watered it, it kept drying out.
It was still trying to live off its two remaining leaves, when I picked it up by its trunk and noticed it was completely hollow and almost made of paper. It was utterly desiccated.
Long time member / supporter / donator of Longwood Gardens here… it’s a wonderful place to visit if able - while their Christmas display is well known - I personally prefer spring / early fall to be able to more easily walk around outside / when the fountains are open.
When they have larger bonsai displays they have been some of the best I have seen anywhere.
The Philadelphia Flower show recently had a bonsai display. I also know there is a bonsai focused garden somewhere near Philadelphia that I have yet to make it to.
As someone who has tried to grow bonsai and never quite succeeded - I always find them enthralling.
I love bonsai, but it'd be nice if one could start a bonsai tree that looks like a mature tree in miniature without spending decades on the process.
Is there anything that is fast growing, or is the only option buying a multi-decade old one?
Go explore your nearest rock formation. It doesn't have to be tall, in my experience the opposite is true. You have to chose the right time to get the tree out, soil moist level and the status of the tree itself are the top priorities, the latter depends on the season and the tree type.
I find bonsai fascinating, even if I would never be willing to put in the time and care required to do it myself.
I had the pleasure of seeing the bonsai collection in the Gardens at HCP (Horticulture Centre of the Pacific) in Victoria, BC, Canada recently. They have many different species of trees, and something like 60 individual trees in total. Well worth seeing, and the cafe just outside the entrance is nice too.
I would just like to note, that you don't have to "put in" hardly any time or care. Maybe three hours per year? You just have to be very patient. Amateur bonsai is pretty easy, it just takes forever.
The oldest bonsai in this collection is over a 100 years old. Imagine training a bonsai continually for so long, the steady care and attention required across multiple generations…
Not that different to our two year old tortoise, who still has another 100+ years to go.
Jonathan is quite a lot older than your lower bound: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_(tortoise) and still going!
Rumours of his death are greatly exaggerated.
Don't forget to include your suiseki.
I have several, extremely hard to find ones, high-silica volcanic ejecta found in silica-poor environments (like basalt) that are very prized by bonsai artists. I've had offers of tens of thousands of dollars for an organic-looking rock.
Growing bonsai is still on my hobby wishlist, but I haven’t been able to provide the stability it requires due to work : even keeping regular plants alive for a few years was impossible.
Has anyone here started from scratch? I would appreciate it if someone could share their experience and point me to some relevant online content.
Been living in Japan for a while and have come to appreciate bonsai. There is a lot that goes into it. I love the concept of such an intricate thing being carefully maintained across decades and generations of people.
It's an amazing economic example of value-add. Taking trees that grow like weeds and putting so much labor and time into them that they become worth a lot of money (and can exhibit tremendous aesthetic beauty). Similar to sushi.
Even better Man-Bonsai
https://www.google.com/search?udm=2&q=%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E7%...
When I was a kid we had a bonsai book… I used to look through it for hours…
Cut to the future and I not only can find that book again [1] but the author has a beautiful and hilarious youtube channel [2] Worth the watch if only for the lulz
[1] https://a.co/d/06DuHIQs
[2] https://youtube.com/@HeronsBonsaiUK/featured