Learning something new has always intrigued me. I can remember as a young boy, wanting to constantly learn something new. It took many years (as many as 40 of them) until I realized that I was only skimming the subjects that I had attempted to study and had not attempted to learn any further than I felt I needed. That was until I met Norman Nelson and his passion for Bonsai.

Wow, he was something. It took me years to really realize how much knowledge this gentleman was playing with. During my study period, that began in 1984, at his small, overstocked, incredibly-interesting nursery where he hosted many masters from around the world all thirsting for that Tropical Bonsai know-how that Norman possessed. Eventually he moved to a larger location in Coral Springs, FL. A new image or style began to really fester. This was my awakening and understanding of the many traditional styles that took on new faces with more consistent showings with different varieties of plants. Definitely a positive learning environment with Bonsai students like Norman, Jim Moody, Mary Miller, Jim Smith, Mary Madison, and so many more. A group of Floridians that where hooked on Bonsai in the Tropics.

‘So many varieties so little time.’

Norman eventually pushed me into the instruction part of this incredible hobby. I have taught in a couple of schools that lasted many years. And then at Flamingo Gardens, ‘The Art of Bonsai’ classes began in 1991. These classes were morning sessions that was restricted to 30 students. We developed a system where we introduced ‘Bonsai Buddies’, where, a new arrival had a buddy to rely on for basic information. We eventually had to add afternoon sessions on most Saturdays. I feel that it is time to reach out a lot further with Tropical Bonsai. The computer has made it possible. In the next few minutes I would like you to walk through with me as we look at pictures taken at one of our morning sessions in June of 2004.

Saturday, June 12, 2004

Attended this morning by twenty-six bonsaiists, this group averages five years into their hobby. We began this session with a Portulacaria or Dwarf Jade. It is considered Mamé, meaning that it is 8” or shorter. It needed to be trimmed and repotted, not a lot of work. However, it has to be handled very carefully as the branching is brittle.  Good news is that the roots are very hardy and are user friendly. These studies continue for three hours, a lunch break then the afternoon study.

As can be seen there are more than enough plants to work with. The next plant is Lysaloma or Wild Tamarind. This plant should be classified as a weed here in Florida. It’s a fast grower and if it is not trimmed every 3-4 months it will get leggy especially if it is shade grown. It branches very easily and will develop into a good looking Bonsai in 3-4 years.       

This group is infused with new participants every 10-12 weeks. The Bonsai semesters at Flamingo Gardens in Davie are scheduled for eight weeks. Alternating with the Broward Bonsai Society that, if not on a ramble is using the meeting room every third Saturday morning of each month. We have been studying at this location long enough to realize that it has also become a social event. People enjoying people, how much better does it get?

As the classes developed we realized that with the increasing number of incoming beginner Bonsaiists, the basics had to be taught with the aid of existing students. As I had too many trees to work with in only three hours the method had to be consistent, thus, ‘Bonsai Buddies’ became an interesting and exciting way to be able to learn the Japanese and Chinese Traditional methods. These are the two styles that intrigued me when I was studying with Norman. It all just happened so naturally, a new semester began and I had not seen so many new faces all at one time in one classroom.

One of our regulars looked at me and said, ‘The newbie next to me will be my Bonsai Buddy’. We were off and running.

Next in line we have Acer Rubrum, or Red Rum Maple. These plants are seasonal root pruners. This means that only when the sap drops and the plant becomes dormant is it the safer time of year to do any drastic root work. However, the branch development and leaf pruning is a year-round process.

The Flamingo Gardens classes are all ‘hands on’ workshops. Teaching this way I have found that you either enjoy the ‘Art of Bonsai’ or it’s not what you thought it would be. Working with a different variety every week does tend to create a bit of confusion, however, within a couple of weeks and a few basic lessons (including the help of a buddy) the information begins to fall into place. As you see another Portulacaria, this time a Bunjing as an Informal Upright, that needed to be heavily pruned and repotted. Then a Gardenia ‘Wrightii’. Wow, what a way to go!! This one will take much longer to develop but as it grows it will produce more cuttings, and being rarer than the average, it is one of those plants that normally gets more special attention than most others.

Most weeks we have a varied collection of Bonsai that turn up at this class that need to be worked on. I would imagine that there are over a hundred different varieties of tropical plants that will adjust to Bonsai or informally, ‘Tree-in-a-Tray’. Of course, a good collection could also have the same variety in different styles too.

Since the first class at Flamingo Gardens began I still have a couple of ‘diehards’ that have rejoined classes. They are still adding to their collections and Bonsai knowledge. By viewing the above pictures and you will see Portulacaria, Calliander, Lysaloma, Maple, Arboracola… it seems like, every time I turn around it’s something different.  The consistency of these studies allows us to continue the development of our collections. Some of us need the visual contact on a consistent basis. This gives us the insight to know how and when to follow up with each tree. To be able to repot when necessary, some of these varieties grow so fast that repotting may have to be done every year. How and when to rewire different branches must also be done to allow for restyling.

What is a class without Conocarpus Erectus, a Buttonwood. It will always create excitement and this one is still in its grow pot. Purchased at the previous BBS ramble, it has a great shape, good future possibilities and excellent driftwood ‘Jin’ as you can see shown in one of the pictures on this page. As the styling conversation takes its course with the magic ‘cloth’ (newspaper) used to cover unneeded branches, a really nice specimen with good branching and good possibilities shows through. The fact that a healthy Bonsai is constantly growing can create challenges because they are still developing and going through many changes. We should not forget that The ‘Art of Bonsai’ is a collection of trees that is consistently growing and is constantly changing its shape. With all of this growth happening, each and every one of these trees need to be worked with three to four times a year.  This gives us the satisfaction knowing that we can enjoy our trees as we watch our prize Bonsai take on a mature form.

A great thrill for me is to see a plant brought into class that was originally shaped years ago and now once again, it is in front of us. Now maybe needing a repotting or a branch needs to be rewired and redirected so that we can promote new growth where its needed. These steps will further help enhance its beauty or maybe even mature into a completely different style.

The search for the perfect tree is a never ending story. As soon as I feel that I have found that tree, along comes another and not necessarily the same variety. I have experienced this happening over and over again to the point where I had collected so many trees of each variety that I needed more room. That could be either a larger yard or another piece of property. Your personal collection is controlled by the time and space available to you. I have heard many discussions about this issue and have come to realize that it will always come down to your personal choice. In my book, there is no such thing as a perfect number of trees in a collection. It is not as simple as collecting baseball cards that are numbered, giving you the direction that the manufacturer has designated.

These trees are not numbered so it will take a little common sense and a strong, willing mind to help determine what specimens your collection will have. And then to determine how many trees can I look after? How much extra time each day will I need to keep them healthy? Just the fact that it must be watered maybe every day, even though you do have an automatic system with a dependable timer, it will still demand that your Bonsai collection be looked at regularly.

The best is yet to come.