Background

I would like to start with a little background to how I became interested in bonsai and where I am at present. I have had a strong interest in bonsai trees really since I was a little kid, my Dad always used to take me to the local flower show every year and I would stand and marvel at how they made these seemingly ancient trees fit into little pots. Various members of my family have also owned a couple of "bonsai" trees widely known as "mallsai" (cheaply bought supermarket trees) and so had a little experience with them up close. However, as with most of these purchases they are often mis-sold as easy to keep indoor plants when they are usually quite the opposite. So it is of no surprise that these early forrays into bonsai were unsuccessful and the trees succumbed to over zealous care. My interest hightened in my late teens when I became involved in eastern martial arts and this meant I was enlightened to the wider eastern culture also. So I decided it was time I tried to care for a bonsai tree of my own, and this is where my journey began!