A life with trees. The essence of bonsai.

Living a life with trees. As far back as my childhood, I was fascinated by trees. One of the clearest memories of that time is playing with the other kids in the local forest just five minutes away at short skinny legs.

The small Cotoneaster reminds me of my childhood favourite tree.

The inspiration from trees

I lived at the coast all my childhood. With trees growing just down to the shoreline. Sometimes I just walked down to the forest at the seaside to visit my favourite tree. An old Oak with curved and gnarly branches. One of these branches reached out over the water. I often climbed up and sat there, dangling my feet and daydreaming.
This mood still sits in me, although it is 50 years ago.

One of my smallest bonsai reminds me of that Oak. The bonsai is not nearby that tree, it just passes on the same feeling.

Not long ago I revisited my childhood forest and the tree still stands. Much smaller than I remembered, but everything seems bigger from a small boys point of view.

The bonsai forest


I am surrounded by trees every day. The Kisetsu-en garden is located in the countryside and trees are all around the property and in nature just one step from the house.

In the video is a clip from the coast side with trees having their feet covered with soft mosses and roots exposed. At the end of the article, you can watch my own bonsai presentation of that type of nature.

 


A bonsai display with a Japanese maple forest at the outdoor Tokonoma reflects the nature nearby and at the island where I live. The video gives a hint of the coastal setting with the forest growing at the edge. This is what I try to bring forward in my bonsai forest creation.

It gives that sense of beauty and silent moments I explore when taking a hike around the countryside. The silence when raindrops fall at the leaves, or when the light breaks through early in the morning.

The Japanese maple is featured as this month species at Kisetsu-en. The beauty of the tender leaves makes it a perfect match for bonsai.

With hundreds of varieties with all kinds of amazing leaf shapes and colour variations, the Japanese maple is a favourite. Learn to grow Japanese maples for bonsai. Released September 1st.
 

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