I love trees. It’s been a big part of my life for a long while and I didn’t really realize it. I grew up in Washington state and the trees there are magnificent. Even without a love of trees it’s easy to imagine how anyone could become attached to them after seeing the large temperate rain forests of the northwest. Growing up there and experiencing the incredible trees on a regular basis it’s possible that I took them for granted. After living in Florida for sometime, I discovered within myself a love for all plants and gardening. It didn’t take long for the two hobbies to coalesce into one via bonsai and penjing. Since, I have been inspired to re-invent my self and my life around the lessons I’ve learned through trees. It has been nothing but positive to me and I hope to share it with the world.
The trees in Washington State are incredible. The tree however is not so limited to where it can survive. Something I find particularly inspiring from trees is there ability to grow seemingly anywhere and despite a significant amount of adversity. Still, they are endangered in many ways by perhaps the only organism more capable of uninterrupted growth, humans. Without going to off on a tangent, I’ll say in this first blog that trees are in a way, a communication tool of an eco system. Based on the type of trees and their health we can learn a great deal about an area. From the trunk to the canopy, a tree can provide home and safety to thousands of local species. Imagine your dreamhouse, I’ll bet there’s a good tree in the yard. Why? Trees are calming and peaceful and not just metaphorically.
Gardening is good for your health. I’m sure of it. Maybe it’s because being outside is good for you, maybe it’s because there are healthy bacteria in the dirt, and maybe it’s because it’s a moderate amount of exercise. I don’t know why but being in the garden is good for my mind. At the time that I discovered that to be true, I was pretty unhealthy, I was in a bad marriage, and there was a worldwide pandemic. The stress was pretty significant and I found that spending some time in the garden was really helpful. There was a lot in my life that was out of control and gardening seemed to both remind me and distract from that fact simultaneously. I can imagine a world in which it isn’t for everyone but who can’t benefit from a bit more patience? The lessons that gardening can teach you about life are endless but never are the lessons more obvious than in the world of bonsai trees.
The best part and the worst part of bonsai trees is the time. There are many parts of bonsai that can be discouraging to new enthusiasts. For one thing, little trees do require some amount of care and it’s unlikely that every tree you want can grow in your backyard. It’s a bit surprising how often simple changes in environment can kill a tree and many more advanced species can be easily killed by simply wiring during the wrong season. Even after discovering the required care for a tree, any bonsai gardener will then have to wait for the tree to grow. A bonsai tree can live for hundreds of years and any seedling today will not really be bonsai-able in the traditional sense for 10-20 years and after that many phases of a bonsai tree require time in between. Bottom line is, bonsai requires you to see past today and into tomorrow. It requires you to come up with a plan and then follow it. You must handle adversity while remaining focused. You learn that life favors the brave and that indecision is the enemy of time. Through bonsai I discovered myself and to thank the artform I want to spread it to more people.
Bonsai helped me to see the way broadly and I’m very grateful for that. The patience and the attention required for bonsai helped me rediscover many values I forgot were important to me. I can imagine that more people would benefit from that sorta thing and that’s why I’m doing my best to write my thoughts down on this. I don’t know that many people realize the power of the trees and how much they have to teach us.