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.
Try putting it outside for a while if you can. Most bonsai are meant to live outside really.
Sometimes a very dead looking tree can spring back to life if given the right conditions. But other times a tree can enter a death spiral that seems hard to stop.
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…
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.
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.
I think it's a mixed bag. In some ways you are manipulating the tree in a way that could be harmful (trimming, putting in small pots, wiring etc). But in other ways you end up providing much more care and attention to your bonsai than you would for another tree.
As a beginner you probably will accidentally kill some trees though.
I don't really have space to grow 5 Cyprus and Juniper trees, and my landlord probably wouldn't appreciate it... but I can care for a dozen bonsai.
I feel the same way. I really enjoyed bonsai when I lived in a small rental, and now that I can plant actual trees it just seems so much more exciting to watch something big and healthy that has a real presence compared to a small tree on life support in a tray.
I've long wanted to 'get into bonsai' and had mentioned this 'bonsai retirement plan' to my middle-school aged kids (who are also very intrigued by bonsai...) -- Nice to see that my assumed 'silly' concept is likely not the worst 'investment' concept and shared by others! (With all of the real world benefits of learning and appreciation of time all wrapped up together!)
Photos? If you have a few photos and can write a short blog post about that with your personal experience (no cheating, no AI), it may be a nice submission. I don't expect a million upvotes for it, but it may have a nice discussion. Not all post in HN have to be about technology, they only must be interesting.
What is the most weird/interesting anecdote about your bonsai farm? Bonus imaginary points if it's a good anecdote to tell to a technical frined.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Interesting seeing this thread. I just bought a bonsai yesterday at a market in Tokyo. They were selling it for only 1000 yen. It's only after I bought it that I realized that it takes a lot of attention and care to keep these alive. The seller said this it was 10 years old. Felt the sudden immense pressure to keep it living. It has been a nice week of tending to it in the mornings though. No longer use the phone in the mornings. It's strait to the balcony to check up on the bonsai. Much better for the mind.
if you live in the PNW and would like to see some world class bonsai in person, the Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way is a great destination. this time of year is also good for visiting the neighboring rhododendron and azalea garden
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Sometimes a very dead looking tree can spring back to life if given the right conditions. But other times a tree can enter a death spiral that seems hard to stop.
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.
Has anyone here started from scratch? I would appreciate it if someone could share their experience and point me to some relevant online content.
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.
As a beginner you probably will accidentally kill some trees though.
I don't really have space to grow 5 Cyprus and Juniper trees, and my landlord probably wouldn't appreciate it... but I can care for a dozen bonsai.
What is the most weird/interesting anecdote about your bonsai farm? Bonus imaginary points if it's a good anecdote to tell to a technical frined.
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.
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 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.
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
Is there anything that is fast growing, or is the only option buying a multi-decade old one?
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.