Bonsai

The reality

When you think about it, a 500-year-old tree growing in a pot 3 inches deep is pretty amazing. Bonsai are not miniature plants, they're actually big forest trees, strong bushes or immense vines.  They're not "tortured" or "starved" or "stunted," but kept from their true nature by art, artifice, persistence and lots of patience.

Spring is the time of year when they revert back to what they were genetically programmed to be. During the growing season, the bonsai custodian should not turn her back for long. The rest of the year they need very little attention, with the exception of never, ever, being allowed to dry out. This is a real challenge in the hot dry months.  Yes, even in Seattle we get long stretches of dry weather, and by August our green lawns look like baked straw. Then my bonsai appreciate a drink twice a day.

It's inspiring to see the world-class bonsai collection at Weyerhauser. Many of the specimens have been carefully tended for hundreds of years. The plants are displayed at their peak of perfection, like the precious works of art they are. There must be a behind the scenes area where they can let their leaves down, so to speak, and just hang out the rest of the year. 

The ideal

I should say, this is an unobtainable ideal. But the home-grower has to begin somewhere, so yesterday I got out my new mini shears and started summer haircuts.