Genesis

So I suppose I should start with an introduction. I’m James, a garden centre manager from Northern Ireland. I have always had an interest in bonsai and the idea behind it however past attempts have generally led to small dead trees in pots. You see, patience is a virtue I do not have and therefore I found myself prodding and poking at the trees every other day leading to their eventual demise.

So I’ve decided to give it another go but this time I’m determined to do it right. There are two things that make me a little more likely to succeed this time:

1. I am a little more educated in the art. I understand more about the process and what it hopes to achieve and more importantly that it takes time.

2. Being a full time husband and father alongside working full time means I do not have the time to annoy the trees day and daily meaning I am less likely to run into the same problems I faced in my previous attempts.

Those time restrictions will also apply to this blog unfortunately. It will not be updated on a daily basis. The main aim for the blog is to catalogue the progress of my trees and also talk a little bit about what I am learning and the problems I am coming across on the way.

If you are a bonsai veteran then you may not find a lot in here that will inspire or interest you but you may have a chuckle at my amateurish mistakes. If you are also starting out in bonsai, then feel free to ask questions and if I know about it, I will help. If it is a little over my head, hopefully one of those veterans will take a break from laughing at me and help you out.

I have around 7 trees in the pre-bonsai stage and a couple of seedlings that are growing nicely in their nursery pots. My initial aim is to get everything into training pots and do some rough styling. I will post images and details of my trees shortly.

Good luck