Small and Beautiful: Part 2-Ancient Art of Bonsai
The art and craft of bonsai seems to me to be an amalgam of basic horticultural knowledge and good deal of artistic ability.
As I reported in the March/April issue of Growing Edge (16 #4), I've only recently become interested enough in bonsai to sit up and take notice.
[Readers can order back issues of Growing Edge from the Growing Edge online store www.growingedge.com.]
I'm now interested enough in bonsai, in fact, to devote a second Growing World column to the topic. Fortunately, I can justify this to my Growing Edge editor, who expects me to write about hydroponics. I can justify it because I've come to realize bonsai enthusiasts are, in fact, practicing hydroponics.
Magic of Bonsai
The highlight of a recent bonsai convention I attended was the visit of an American bonsai master from Atlanta, Ga. Much to my joy I found out he is a native of New Orleans, a city much loved by me. (So now I know that they also have other interests besides music in the Deep South.)
Gary Marchal has a lifetime of experience working with bonsai, and he travels widely to lecture and demonstrate his skills. He even has a website devoted to his bonsai work (www.cajunbonsai.com). Not only is Gary a talented teacher, he also has good stories to tell of his experiences digging out specimens in snake-infested swamps. Wow! He does this for his hobby of growing small trees. Sounds weird, but he loves it!
