My First Bonsai

My first bonsai

I pass by this nursery on Route 7 every day on my way to work,  and had heard that they offer a bonsai workshop. So I decided to sign up for their bonsai class this past Saturday morning. There were about 15-18 people in the class, mostly young professionals in their 20s and 30s, even some couples together. I was surprised--I was picturing little old men--but there seems to be quite an interest in bonsai!

We were given a little packet with some scissors, wire, bonsai potting mix, a chopstick, and then we had to pick our pot...

And then we got to choose a plant. There were 3 types of plants-- one was a type of jade plant, another a thin leaf something, and finally a Fukien tea, which is what I chose. It has tiny little boxwood-type leaves and gets small white flowers.

Fukein Teas in foreground

First we wired a small piece of screen over the hole in the bottom of the pot, to prevent the fine soil mix from washing out. Then we placed a long piece of wire through the bottom so that we could wire the the roots of the plant securely into the pot.

Before we put the plant in the pot, the bonsai master showed us how to prune and trim the plant so that we could begin seeing the structure and the branching, which is the beauty of a bonsai plant. This is done mostly by pinching off leaves. My plant was so tiny there wasn't a lot I needed to trim! And by the way, the chopstick is for gently separating the roots when you place it in the pot, and then for tamping down the soil.

Et voila, my first bonsai. I know, it's teeny, but it will grow (I hope), very slowly. This little slip of a plant is already 4 years old. It was fun, and the bonsai master was very knowledgeable and helpful.  I have always admired bonsai, and love to visit the amazing collection at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.