Interview with Graham Morris of The South Yorkshire Bonsai Society May2022
How did you get started? I’ve always had an interest in Japanese culture witnessed by the number of Akira Kurosawa videos I have. As a consequence in 1987 I tried my hand at creating a bonsai, which at the time was a little pathetic; tinkering with small Hinoki cypress from the local garden centre. At the time I was unaware of any bonsai centres and my only knowledge source was from a few books by British bonsai professionals that were on sale. I think I spent about four years in the wilderness before a work colleague said a friend of his had formed a bonsai society and would I like to join. Consequently in early 1993 I joined The South Yorkshire Bonsai Society (SYBS).
Who was your teacher? I suppose my first “teacher” would be Les Worthington, the founder of our society. Not long after I began to attend John Hanby’s “Better Bonsai Club” evenings. I’ve also attended a few workshops with the likes of John, Harry Tomlison , John Armitage, Rob Atkinson and Corin Tomlinson.
Can you recommend one or two bonsai books? I suppose if I had to choose they would be: (a) “Bonsai Basics” by Colin Lewis. An inexpensive all round book aimed at the beginner. A good starting point. (b) “The Bonsai School” by Craig Cussons. Again an all round book with several case histories by other artists. What mistakes have you made? Not getting into bonsai at a younger age! Seriously, I suppose like most of us it was impatience. In my early days all I was concerned about was creating something that looked like a bonsai. I had no real awareness regarding the health of the tree and what was actually going on within the pot.
Your thoughts on Bonsai? With the advent of the internet I’ve gained a great deal of knowledge and insight into bonsai and it’s helped me take my trees to a greater level. Equally I’m aware that there is also a lot of what I call duff information being put out there and it concerns me that, having followed it, many potential enthusiasts are turned off and become disillusioned with bonsai. The best advise I can give is to join a club or society and seek advise from fellow members first. Over the last eighteen months particularly I’ve become increasingly interested in the use of organic materials in the development of bonsai. I think the recent development of probiotics and the application of beneficial bacteria is exciting and shows great promise. Have you experienced bonsai abroad? On my first visit to Japan I was fortunate enough to attend the 8th World Bonsai Convention in Saitama. It was part of a bonsai tour and I don’t think I’ll ever see the likes of it again. I was privileged to witness demonstrations by Kimura, Kobayashi, Suzuki and many others. A once in a life time experience.
What is your best achievement? Apart from serving as chair person of our society, for the better part of 25 years, it was helping to establish the Don Valley Bonsai Road Shows. The road shows were a concept suggested by Colin Lewis at a FOBBS A.G.M. In conjunction with Ashfield Bonsai Society we took up the challenge and organised this event successfully for several years. Sometime later Les Worthington and I were approached by Alan Harriman of the Bonsai Traders Association with a view to holding a joint event, later to become the BTA Northern Expo. I used to organise the venue and facilities, while the BTA organised the traders stands until I finally took a back seat.
Do you have any future ambitions? I suppose I’m getting a bit long in the tooth to have any long term ambitions but I would like to, some how, encourage the younger generation to take up the hobby. I remember on my attendance at the 8th WBC they held a workshop for many school kids in which every child was given a small tree to work on. Maybe we could take something from that. My immediate “ambition” is to continue to grow our society into a place for all levels of bonsai expertise for the foreseeable future. Do you have a favourite tree species or size tree? I have a pretty varied collection but I suppose some of my favourites are the Japanese maples and junipers. I love the spring and autumn colours of the red maples and the vibrant green of juniper foliage in conjunction with the intricate deadwood associated with them.
Do you have any other interests or hobbies? My other hobbies are walking in the Peak District and other areas. I spent one day a week working as a volunteer with a local countryside management organisation maintaining paths and woodland. I also have a decent hi fi system with a CD and vinyl collection. This affords me some distraction when the weather’s not so conducive to walking or tinkering with my bonsai.
How do people contact you? I can be contacted through our society web site : [email protected] www.southyorksbonsai.org.uk