I never thought a miniature tree could be so interesting, but mine and April’s ficus bonsai tree has become just that. I bought it for her for Valentine’s Day just about a half year ago, and the change in just that short time has been captivating to watch. They told me it would grow well in good conditions and with good amounts of humidity, but I didn’t expect it to grow like it has. And no, that picture above is not our tree, but give me 150 years and maybe we’ll be there.

I bought it at Cactus and Tropicals, where there is a nice little variety of bonsai trees from the old and very pricey to the very young and inexpensive.  I decided to buy one about seven years old and grown in Florida so that I would get some nice aerial roots and a decent trunk size.  It also had the best root curvature of the bunch - something I thought would be important in the long run.

I can’t quite pinpoint what is so fun about caring for this mini tree.  Maybe it’s that large trees in nature are so overpowering and awe-inspiring that we can’t become involved with them on a personal level.  Yes, that sounds incredibly tree hugger-like, but I think it’s true even if you don’t verbalize it that way.  With the bonsai tree you are involved in the growth process, and if you are into wiring and shaping, you can create shapes that maybe only exist in your mind, if not in nature.  Then again, part of bonsai is mimicking natural tree forms, so I don’t think I would ever get too odd in wiring.

We’ve started with a ficus retusa, as they are very forgiving and fast growing.  We also just acquired my mom’s natal plum that was suffering from lack of sun at her house.  We’re going to try to revive it.  Someday I hope to move up the difficulty scale and buy a juniper or something cool like that.  Then maybe I’ll don my gi and do birdie kicks on a wooden stump at the beach while a wooden recorder is played in the distance.

Tags: bonsai, trees, hobbies, Cactus and Tropicals, ficus bonsai

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