Thinking about bonsai again
A few years ago I borrowed a book from the Akron Canton Bonsai Society. I kept forgetting about the monthly meetings, so the book sat on my shelf over the years just waiting to be returned. I finally found out that they were having a meeting yesterday, so I made sure to attend. My sole intention was to walk in, hand the book back, and leave promptly. Unfortunately (or maybe not) I was lured into staying. The meeting’s agenda was simple. The new members of the society would receive a Juniperus chinesis ’shimpaku’ plant and with the help of a seasoned member they would change the shrub they received into a new bonsai.
I just had to stay. With their permission, I sat down with one of the new members and their mentor and watched and learned as the mentor showed the beginner how to shape the plant into bonsai. I was amazed by what I saw. I looked at the scraggly bush and thought, “There is no way that plant is going to turn into a good bonsai.” All I saw was poor branching without much movement, but when they were done I saw a really great bonsai sitting in front of me. Well, to be honest, it probably wouldn’t win any awards, but it definitely had a lot of potential, unlike what I thought they were going to end up with.
I almost regretted not becoming a new member and getting my own shimpaku to shape. But I also knew that if I didn’t stick with it, I would just end up with a dead tree and feel even more regret.
So now I’m thinking about getting back into bonsai. In previous years I had tried to work with native Ohio plants that I just found outside growing out in the back yard, not getting satisfactory results, and wishing I had proper material to work with that I was actually passionate about. I dreamed of working with a Chinese elm or a trident maple. Maybe a Scotch pine. The only place that I knew of that carried bonsai stock either didn’t have the species I was looking for or it was already trained in a style that I didn’t like and would take years to undo. But yesterday I spoke with a guy who told me of a local nursery (about 15 miles away) that specialized in bonsai where I would probably find what I was looking for. So, I think that I will go down there one day this spring/summer and take a look around. If I find something cheap that fits my tastes I might just pick it up and try this bonsai thing again. I will be sure to take pictures if I do.