A Positive Side Of Bonsai!

hansvanmeer

Hi everybody,
The last couple of weeks i have been joining in /and reading, a lot of discusions on different bonsai forums, about the importence of bonsai rules/ or not, is bonsai a art / or not, overcharging bonsai traidsman, a heated argument between buyers and cutters, a thread about climat worming (my own dowing) and even today about bad club experiance!
And before we now all go "YES SO WHAT", i am all for that, and i joined in plenty off times myself! So please dont get me wrong this time, it is all mend in the nices way posible!
But on the other hand, reading back on some of those mentioned dicusions, i could easely understand that a novis bonsai person, novis forum person or anybody who is just here because they like bonsai, find it sometimes a bit to serious and even negative!
And because the bonsai hobby or in my case bonsai life, is much to fantastic to take any chance on giving any starting bonsai person the wrong idear, i came up with this thread!
So let this be a positive side of bonsai!
Lets share our good stories, our positive experiances, show pics of friends, gifts, found yamadori, naked wo...(sorry for that!)!
Lets be positive we can discus in another thread ok!

Here are two of my stories, let me hear yours!
I was working on the dead wood of this Chamaecyparis obtusa nana (first pic) this afternoon, when i rememberd how it came into my posesion, now more than 10 Years ago. In Boskoop Holland i was on all fours in a proffesional grower backfield looking at his thick Hinokies, when suddenly the owner scared the ....out of me by taping on my shoulder! He asked what i was dowing there on the ground and told me that this part of his place was off limet to the public! I apologized, and told him about my hobby and the intrest for his trees to make them in to bonsai. To make a long story short, those trees i was looking at, were the first trees he planted with his father for over 50 years ago. Sinds then they were used as mother plants and cuttings were taken of of them every year. Because of the sentimental value he could never part with them over all those years! But because of my story about my trees he was convinced, and sold me this one for $30! 10 times les then what it was worth at that time!
The tree was afterall not so suitable to create a bonsai from, lake of movement, all the branches way to high and allmost no useble branches.(but it is getting there)
To all fresh starters: it does not have to cost a lot of money, it just takes patience and a lot off improvisation and carving ! Two more years of growing and refining and it wil be going to its first show!
I think i wil ask the man who planted it to come and look at his tree!(i hope he likes?)

The second photo is from this afternoon, it is a Pinus sylvestris from Sweden.
When i was dowing a weekend demostration and workshop in Denmark at Jurns place, together with some great bonsai friends, I demonstrated one this tree, one of his best yamadory, although i was there just to help him, he could not have paid me in cash, what he gave me out of frienship: namely this tree!
I have been working on it now for about 7 years, most work was based on getting more foliage, and bringing the branches down. But the hardest work went in to shortening step by step the very thick roots on the left side of the tree! Now most work will go in to shortening the needles.
This tree wil be showned in two years, and although i never seen him again, this tree will allways remember me of that great weekend in Denmark.
P.S. He allso gave me a very rare italien pressing of a BEATLES album out of his private collection, witch for me as a collector ment the world!

I hope that my story, and those that follow, give of some insperation to others that are just starting.
Keep on dowing it, it was the best thing that ever happend to me!

Best regard,
Hans van Meer.

Attached Images

	november, 2005. 0081.jpg (68.9 KB, 117 views)
	november, 2005. 0141.jpg (61.8 KB, 110 views)

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robert1955

Hey Hans,

As Martha Stewart would say, This thread is a good thing.
I hope all who read this see what I am writing as positive. About 8 years ago my niece died of breast cancer. I got a Gingko at that time and dedicated it to her memory. So every time I am in my green house, which is every day, I see it and think of her. I call it my "Vicky Gingko." I often wonder how often I would think of her if it weren't for my bonsai tree.

Sad but positive.


Peace
Bob

__________________
The older you get, the older old is.

pootsie

beautiful trees and nice stories
thanx, Hans

pootsie

__________________
p.s. My cat is a bonsaiTALK Master.
Columbus Bonsai Society

Joanie

There isn't just one story for me, its a series of good people who are warm and friendly and helpful, who take time to explain things to a newbie. Who give trees and pots and rocks to someone they hardly know, waving away the offer of cash or trade, saying "No, no, everyone has to start somewhere, and I have too many trees anyway." Who will encourage and critique and give a warm hug upon parting. Who tell amusing stories, or poignant stories, or uplifting stories, and always have time to help.

People who do bonsai think of the future, nurture the living, and pay attention to the details.

Joanie

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calliemichelle

Bonsai (and plants in general) are my stress release, be it looking,reading or doing.
I find this site 99% positive and you really cant ask for anything more than that because nothing and no one is perfect.

Have a Happy Day!

Callie

Min_Rizor

Patience, responsibility and discipline are positive lessons I've learned (as I rather lacked those values before in most ways... and who knows if they'll spread into other areas of my life. ) from my single mallsai, being a newbie to bonsai. Vigilance in relation to plants has been a bit of trouble for me in the past, but now I'm TRYING to nurse a queen sago palm of mine back to health after periods of overwatering, then malnutrition, and in a much more consistent manner (daily attention, even) than I would have in the recent past. I've also learned so much information about bonsai and plants in general from you guys, some ignored for a while (mostly due to a bit of pestering from one person and then mixed answers all-around), but all in all, accepted and someday the knowledge will be all put to use.

I have no real stories to share, as of yet. But those're my positive lessons so far.

__________________
<JPolito[stuff]>yor bonzai is always dying
<JPolito[stuff]>take it to the vet or something
<MinRizor>There are no bonsai vets. D:

PatArizona

To me...an interesting tale...I hope it's interesting to you all...

MY FIRST TEACHER, or, HOW I GOT STARTED IN BONSAI...

Many, many something years ago, my wife (in that previous life) took me to a bonsai show at the Claremont Resort Hotel (I once watched Mickey Rooney play a tennis match there)...located in the Oakland/Berkeley (CA) Hills.

To say that I was touched by what I saw is a gross understatement. I didn't even know what bonsai was until I walked into that hall.

What caught my eye almost imediately was a VERY LARGE (probably 4-6 man) Japanese Red Maple, in a patio sized bonsai pot. It looked as though somebody with magical powers had miniatured this large mature tree...you know, like in "Mama I Shrunk the Kids".

Well...inside of 2 weeks, I found the University Nursery, a neat landscape /bonsai nursery on University Avenue in Berkeley...this is where I bought my first bonsai wannabe, first pot, first tools, first book, first soil, first wire, etc.

The owner, an ancient Japanese gentleman became a friend, and something of a teacher...every time I walked into the nursery, he greeted me like an old friend...he always had time for me.

One day, he asked me what had peaked my interest in bonsai and I told him about the maple at the Claremont show...he looked up at me with tears swelling up in his eyes, then rolling down his cheeks. He said to me, in his broken English... "...that was my tree...". Then he proceeded to tell me that shortly after the show, a man came into nursery...wanted to by the maple... "...not for sale...". So, after some discussion...outside, water, check daily, on and on...then an offer that would be $15-20K today, the sale was made. My friend reminded his customer "...outside... water, etc...", and the man said "...yes, yes, I know, I know...". A few months later, the man showed up again and told my friend the maple was not looking good and asked him to take a look at it.

My friend went to the man's house (I mean mansion) and found the maple indoors, in the entryway, about 20 feet from the front door...soil was dried out...maple was dead.

My friend reached out, touched my hand, and said "...you wait here...". He returned carrying a nice 12" rhododebdron in a bonsai pot. He handed it to me and said "...you take...you love bonsai...". I treasured it, until, a few months later, my stupid landloard, although he never admitted it, dropped a ladder on the rhodie. Smashed the tree and destroyed the pot.

Sad ending to an otherwise touching story.

Pat

__________________
BONSAI isn't about surviving in a storm, rather, how to dance in the rain.
THE ONLY WAY: Always remember, and don't ever forget, that whatever you read here is not cast in concrete... the intent of any advice is to help. In no way should you feel that I’m saying that my way is the only way…heaven forbid! I've seen far too much of the "my way or the highway" attitude in bonsai as well as in other areas of life.

PatArizona

About my friend at the University Nursery...

After some passage of time...my friend passed away. I found out about it when I stopped by the nursery and found it locked up.

To this day, I cannot remember my friend's name.

Does anybody out there in Northern California know the name of proprietor of the University Nursery in Berkeley...passed on many years ago?

__________________
BONSAI isn't about surviving in a storm, rather, how to dance in the rain.
THE ONLY WAY: Always remember, and don't ever forget, that whatever you read here is not cast in concrete... the intent of any advice is to help. In no way should you feel that I’m saying that my way is the only way…heaven forbid! I've seen far too much of the "my way or the highway" attitude in bonsai as well as in other areas of life.

brad66

as a newie to this forum i thought id add my 20 cents worth.........i potted a "some type of tree" in the saucer of an old terracotta pot when i was in the sixth grade.....it died. i used powdery dirt and some green moss and presented it to my school class the day after i created it (looked good then the leaves were still green). THERE WERE NO RULES WHEN I CREATED THIS BONSAI IT WAS IN THE 1970s the rules werent that well known and I didnt care.
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My motivation for creating this tree was a calendar my grandmother had bouth back from Japan......possibly the Kokufu 10 and boy did the tree's look good.
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I have since been in Bonsai clubs and I have found them political and governed "usually" by the person with the best tree's...? Unfortunately these people are usually caretakers of some talented masters tree's purchased at great expense.
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To me bonsai is about discovery.......but to create great bonsai YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE TRADITIONAL RULES....BEFORE YOU ELECT TO BREAK THEM!!