What's your story.......?

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So been running into more Bonsai guys here locally in my area. Cool to listen to some of their stories of when and how they got into Bonsai. Figured it be cool to hear how you all got involved......

That being said how did you get into Bonsai? How long have you been doing it, what's your favorite spieces to work with, what tree styles do you favor, and do you still have your first tree??
 

Mihai

Shohin
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Well, funny story. 3.5 years ago, the guys from my team at work figured out that I need some sort of stress relief from the 9-5 drudgery of corporate life so they got me a ficus retusa mallsai. This was at a point of my life when i could barely keep myself, my wife and my cat alive, and her only because she meowed loud enough to remind me to feed it. I didn't have any sort of spare time or any sort of desire to fuss after a plant. Needless to say, the ficus died on the two week mark. They persevered and got me another. A forthnight later, same fate.
Basically that was the point when I said that no blasted tree is going to get the better of me. So i started do do research... Started to grow hot peppers. Succesfully i might add. Then I found this forum, a few others, went out and dug myself a hornbeam. Thought it was a beech at first, then learned better. It's still alive and kicking. Now I have ~20 trees on my balcony and about 20 more in a friend's yard. Killed a tiny chinese elm, a poorly handled japanese quince, a small larch and three spruces. No great loss there. Also held a eulogy recently for an apple ordered off of ebay last autumn that didn't wake up in spring. I suspect the seller sent it dead but given that the tree arived leafless in late autumn can't be sure. That one actually made made me drop a small tear. Superb trunk...
Now i can't think of not doing bonsai. Love it.
The cat got fat in the meantime. :).
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Chopsie

Shohin
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I was 23 and my wife told me she was pregnant!!!
My pub lifestyle needed to change!
We started going out on Sunday afternoons , one particular Sunday we ended up in a garden centre
I brought a Chinese Elm, that was it I was hooked.
For the next 12 years I had tuition and traveled wherever I could to nurserys
My first lesson was with Colin Lewis, then the tree was worked on for around 20 years by myself and Lee . It eventually ended up in a tokoname pot
One Sunday morning I got up and noticed the tree had been stolen
I sold all my collection that same year!
That's when I started keeping marine aquariums I figured nobody would steal it
I sadly lost my father a few years ago and decided that when I had some spare cash I'd buy a tree in memory of Dad.
I hooked again but now I'm hooked on marine aquariums to!!!
I have my new aquarium being delivered next week
 

Anthony

Imperial Masterpiece
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I was a poor lush shrub just minding my own business, enjoying the sun and rain.
Then up comes this clown with a shovel and arrgh, next moment I am in a moist plastic bag.
This silly pot shows up next and some ---- ooooh sooooooo nice soil, tasty.
Well 30 years later I am living la vita loca ............................................
 
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In 2015 I found my brother passed away at the age of 28. It really messed with me mentally and physically, I started drinking like a fish, hard stuff and beer daily right when I got out of work. I eventually noticed I got more depressed when I drank and it was not doing me any good AT ALL.

So what did I do?

I bought me a pair of sweet LL Bean hiking boots from the goodwill found me a stick and hit the mountains. I spent countless hours by myself in the wood not wanting to see anyone and the woods and mountains was perfect, it's wierd to now think about it now but when the sweat was dripping down my face and my heart POUNDING from INSANE inclines I would yell out like a fucking nut job " I'M ALIVE " cause deep inside me I felt like I died when my brother died...

I really started to look at trees gnarled up, hanging of cliffs, the bends and curves of these beautiful New England trees but before I did anything I studied, studied and studied some more.

I spend COUNTLESS hours reading up on bonsai I ended up buying my first bonsaI before reading obviously cause I bought a ginseng at a big box store. I joined a bunch of groups on FB which I noticed there are a bunch of snobs out there. HAHA I ended getting kicked out of Bonsai America for calling a mod a nazi but in all honesty you know what I might say.

All in all I have been growing long before I got serious into bonsai, growing is my passion it helped me get thru tuff times and it's never did me wrong.

Sorry for the long story but it felt good getting it out.

Tim
 
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