Many years ago, my husband and I went to the Napa Town and Country Fair.  A vendor had a table display of miniature trees in shallow containers.  Some were pruned into interesting shapes or wired to mimic windswept trees in nature. I had seen bonsai displays before and thought they were “interesting”. This display was intriguing because of the variety of plants, the unusual containers and the Asian miniatures placed in several small garden settings below the plant.

I found there was a Bonsai Club in Napa that welcomed novices to their meetings. They encouraged you to come and learn from the Masters. Members brought their own Bonsai plants and were coached on how to prune, wire and care for their miniature plants. I attended a meeting and met Steve, a firefighter, who was a bonsai instructor and lived in Vacaville.  I had been given a bonsai, which consisted of three Gingko trees in a shallow blue container.  Not knowing how to care for these tiny trees, I contacted Steve. He arrived at my home with his “tools”, wire and an assortment of bonsai paraphernalia.  He placed bendable wire on each tree explaining the wire would guide the shape of each tree. He talked about repotting and the need to do this every 2-3 years.

Bonsai means, “tree in a tray” or “shallow pot”. It also refers to the art of training the tree to grow in a particular direction, like they would in nature. Bonsai need to be kept outdoors. They need daily attention (misting). There are four sizes of bonsai, which are miniatures, small, medium and large. Miniatures grow up to 2 inches; small to 6 inches; medium to 12 inches and anything taller are considered large. My Gingko trees were considered medium.

Centuries ago the Chinese started creating miniature landscapes. The Japanese overtook the Chinese with their mastery of this art. A great place to view amazing bonsai plants is at the San Francisco Flower Show in San Mateo. Several club members bring their ancient plants that have been passed down from generation to generation. You occasionally will see one or two that are in the 300 year old range.  

I would like to encourage you (if you are interested) in creating these amazing trees for yourself.  Bonsai is for everyone, from children to seniors and even those who are not mobile. Care and maintenance can be accomplished without needing to bend or kneel. Bonsai clubs are willing to help and guide you. The local libraries have books on the art of bonsai. Small trees or even seedlings are available at nurseries, plant exchanges or possibly your own garden. It's not difficult, so start planning today to learn more and create your own bonsai.

Napa Bonsai Club meets at the Napa Senior Center on Jefferson Street the first Saturday of the month from 10am to 2pm.  Question? Contact John Holt @ (707)312-0887.