Hi everyone and thanks for such a warm welcome.
George has caught me at a good time to review Bonsai Genie, UK is the grip of a cold snap and there is little to do outside during January; if there is a job I have little inclination.
Anyway, I have been slowly getting to grips with the software and to be honest at first glance I had thought it was a database creation application but on further inspection have found that it has a much more practical set of features. It reflects George's years of hard work and I will try to contribute in whatever way I can.
Meanwhile, I have posted a few images of the FoBBS display at Chelsea last year when I met up with George.
http://www.ideasforgardens.net/mikesmith/Now back to Laurie's question on bonsai, costs and getting started.
Yes it can indeed be expensive if you want to jump right in at the top end and buy a fully refined specimen. Prices often reflect the work that has been carried out, how long the bonsai has been in cultivation, importation taxes if it is a dealer and other qualitative characteristics which I won't go into here. However, bonsai can be a relatively inexpensive pursuit.
Most of our members, and I suspect most of modern society, do not have the spare income to buy an expensive piece of art work as it is often considered. Indeed, I would not recommend beginners splashing out a lot of money until they are confident in their horticultural skills and life style. So, how to get going.
Bonsai is 70% horticulture, 30% creativity. If you are already a keen gardener and are used to growing plants in containers then you are half way there. If not then I would recommend buying an inexpensive woody plant and keep it in its container for a year. If it is still alive at the end of next Spring then your lifestyle and plant skills are suited to bonsai work.
For a beginner to get started cheaply I will stick to 2 options there are other choices but I will try to keep this short.
Option 1
There are a number of bonsai traders around which can sell cheap imports, the sort you might sometime see in shopping malls and market stalls. These are not the greatest quality and I often find them ugly but they are cheap (around £15 or cheaper in UK) and are a good way to start and practice techniques. Then if all goes horribly wrong little is lost. The sort of plants I am talking about are chinese elms and chinese privett. They are often styled in contorted shapes usually because this is the favoured style in China, Japan has a more naturalistic approach but that is a discussion for another day. These bonsai will lack finesse and the pots will not be that attractive in my view but ignore this as this is a means to an end.
Option 2
If you are feeling creative you can make your own. Trawl around your local garden centre and look at the selection of Cotoneaster or similar small leaved shrub. When choosing look for a good taper in the trunk, nothing too straight and a good number of branches on which to work. This sort of starter material can cost around £10 in UK. A bonsai pot to suit can cost the same but remember it does not need to be a bonsai pot just yet almost any similar type of container will do. Just ensure it has enough drainage holes and it looks good.
Styling of the material then consists of selecting the branches so that they are distributed evenly staggered around and along the trunk. Use the impact of sunlight as your guide, for example try to avoid branches over shadowing each other. There is a huge amount written on bonsai design but it is early days yet.
Potting on should be a simple matter of moving the plant from its plastic container to the pot you have chosen. Do this early in the season. Again there are things for consideration but later.
So that should get folks started.
It now just remains to get into the right frame of mind. I often use the analogy that bonsai work is similar to restoring a classic car. A little work is done every so often and at the appropriate season, then over time you will create the thing of beauty you hade hoped for.
Go create
Mike
