Workshop Review: Bonsai!

Ann Lumsden and Jean Hancock
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
lumsden@bio.fsu.edu and hancock@bio.fsu.edu

Editor's note: this article is a compilation of workshop reviews submitted separately by the two authors. -M.H.

Bonsai is the art of growing miniature trees and plants in manageable-sized pots so that you can enjoy them in your garden and in your home. Images of Mr. Miyagi clinging to a cliff enshrouded in mist while tenderly collecting his precious little plants kept floating through my brain as I listened to the wonderful, giving, and interesting botanist and greenhouse manager, Joe Baker, on the first morning of the ABLE conference. This workshop was an absolute gem.

Participants were first given a brief talk on the history of the ancient art of oriental plant clipping and then were shown various examples of the bonsai styles, including many that Mr. Baker had in his collection. He then demonstrated the snipping and wiring techniques on a 3' specimen that ended up as a promising 1' bonsai, complete with rocks and bark.

Mr. Baker also discussed a variety of other topics, including miniature bonsai, general plant maintenance, and how to best display your plant…and he still had time left for individual questions about growing, pruning, and fertilizing plants, the amount of sunlight needed for different plants, and general care and purchasing of plants. He made it sound so easy. It was all very interesting indeed and began to demystify this noble art.

Each participant was then given a hands-on opportunity to create his or her very own take-home bonsai in a beautiful pot, using cuttings and soil that Mr. Baker had prepared for the workshop.

To end the session, we were given a tour of the teaching and research collections in the Bowling Green State University greenhouses, where Mr. Baker introduced us to many plants native to the area. Mr. Baker told us stories of how he had to shade-paint and then remove the paint on the greenhouse windows (political reasons.) It sure sounded familiar to me….wax on….wipe off……

This was a very interesting workshop and all participants came away with enthusiasm and appreciation for bonsai. Best of all, we even got our bonsai through airport security!