The Kaizen Bonsai Blog by Graham Potter
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Bonsai, It’s All Too Complicated
Bonsai Made Simple: Why Horticulture is the Real Art I am a simple fellow. Born into simpler times, the 1960's, I have spent my life among simple working class folk who live simple lives. None of my compadres ever went to university and most of us couldn't spell 'semantics' never mind explain its meaning. A clodhopper may be a derisive term for us uneducated country-dwelling simple folk but we are, by and large, happy and content in our own little world and are rarely troubled by the machinations of the wider world. The internet and the media do their best to burst our contented peaceful...
Crapshoot Pays Off.
I know very well that most folk have a great deal of difficulty in bonsai when it comes to sorting out the way forward for their raw material. A few people are seemingly blessed with a sixth sense when it comes to such issues. I have no answer for this but I do know that it's often an excuse for inactivity. I have lost count of how many times I have heard something along the lines of, 'Oh I could never do that, i'm no artist'. My retort would normally be a forthright "When was the last time you tried?" Way back in the beginning of my bonsai career I literally binned no end of piss poorly...
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Recent Posts
Heathrow Bonsai Show Coming Up
The Heathrow Bonsai Show is coming up in a couple of weeks. I have been asked to present a demonstration. Anyone who would like me to bring orders to the show please get in touch as we won't have much stock with us on the day. Mark asked me to work on privet and I...
Keats? What a Numpty
Keats was an English romantic poet who wrote about autumn, "tis the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness". Not too sure if I share his whimsical notion. I don't much like autumn OR winter here in Blighty. Last week I was in Spain enjoying beautiful warm dry...
Enfield Bonsai Group Autumn Show
4am Sunday morning we were on the road in the torrential rain heading for Enfield, north London. Not my preferred option for a Sunday morning, especially after a hectic week of travelling. A busy day in prospect we collected my friend (also Graham) and reluctantly...
New Bonsai Tree Listings Imminent
Over the last few weeks we have bought in several large private collections of bonsai trees. The thing I love about doing that is we always turn up some very unusual trees. When you buy a whole collection you also get some strange items like weird pots and a few...
New Bonsai Tree Stock
This week I have been away on a buying trip. By the end of next week we will have a large delivery of some really nice yamadori trees including junipers, scots pine, oaks, olive and even some vines. Obviously more information and pictures will be available once...
Losing my Religion
I have been at some form of business since I figured out how to get my gran' to give me sweets. I have been relentlessly beavering away ever since. These days our primary business is bonsai and everything that surrounds it. Keeping employees and a family afloat is no...