A present from the birds…

Someone asked me the other day how many bonsai did I have in my collection, and if I had a favourite. A question I found hard to answer.

I wondered why I found it hard, I mean, counting them was easy, I had twenty trees in my collection. Whether one of them was my favourite was harder to answer.

They are not just a hobby, they are part of my family, and like any other family, I love them all.

I have some very expensive older trees, presents from my family, and several younger ones. I also have what I affectionately call my nursery. This is where I am cultivating ordinary garden shrubs, patiently pruning and trimming them, year after year, hoping for a passable bonsai.

There are many rules and regulations for bonsai, their shape, style and condition, and of course, their age.

I also have a few trees that were gifted to me by the birds. They tend to drop the seeds they carry in their beaks as they fly over my garden. I always know it’s them when I find a new plant growing where there wasn’t one before. If I like the look of it (some are weeds) I dig them up, introduce them to a bonsai pot and they join my collection. Sometimes it takes years for me to recognize what they are, and that is part of the fun.

Watching them grow and change is exciting, but caring for them all can be a nightmare. Like children their needs are constant, no days off…