How did you get started? It started with the interest of my Dad and I having a pond with koi in my hometown Deventer in The Netherlands (Holland). Like many people we wanted some accompanying bonsai next to the pond. I bought two from a local garden centre but I couldn’t keep them alive for long due to lack of gardening/plant knowledge. I kept trying for a while and realised I needed some help. There was an internet forum, which did help me a bit, but without the hands-on experience I wasn’t much wiser. I found out about a local bonsai club and they propelled my skills with a 3 day beginner’s course within the club. I learned all of the basics like wiring, repotting, styling and, most importantly, horticulture. In the first year I went to visit the Dutch National Show and in the same year I visited the Ginkgo awards in Belgium(2007). That show really blew me away, the standard of the trees and attention to detail in every tree made me feel ‘this is what I want to achieve’.
How did you learn about bonsai? At the time I was only 19 years old and it was quite daunting being in a club with people much older than myself, but I really liked bonsai and wanted to master this as best as I could. Following the Ginkgo awards show I was full of motivation and looked for a teacher. I booked a 3 day bonsai course led by Gijs Meboer. He told me more about horticulture which I realised was a very important aspect of growing bonsai.
A Beuvronensis Scots pine displayed at Doncaster bonsai experience 2021
Who was your teacher? My first teacher was Rijn Becude who led the beginner’s course at the club. After that it was Gijs Meboer. I followed workshops with him from 2007 to 2009. In 2009 I met Graham Potter at the Noelanders Trophy after having contact via email. I visited Graham in 2009 for 3 weeks to work for free and learn along the way. After many weekends coming back I decided to take a year sabbatical from my job in The Netherlands (carer in addiction care). During that time I assisted Graham in the making of the famous YouTube videos. From Graham I learned how important it is to prepare/grow your trees before you start doing any ‘serious’ work like proper wiring/shaping a tree. The better your preparation, the better the result at the end. Your tree will also respond better afterwards. Late 2010 I moved back and got introduced to Hotsumi Terakawa via a club member. His workshops had very small groups and I learned about the Japanese philosophy and way of working with bonsai. In 2011 I moved back to the UK to start working full time for Graham and his business, Kaizen Bonsai. I stayed for another 7 years with Graham before going my own way. My advice is to work with as many people as you can, every teacher has a different view and way of working. This way you start to develop your own style.
Graham Potter, Stewart and I with Stewart’s Sabina juniper we did for a YouTube video.
Do you belong to a bonsai club? I have been a member of several clubs. My first club was in The Netherlands and then I went to UK and became a member of the Norwich bonsai club. After moving to Staffordshire in 2018, I joined Stoke Bonsai Club, South Staff’s club and Ashfield Bonsai Club. Due to the expansion of my family with a son, I choose now to only be a member of Ashfield bonsai club. We have a small number of people but they are more or less at my level or above, so there is still plenty to learn for myself.
Your thoughts on Bonsai I think bonsai is a great hobby to learn about many aspects in life. It teaches you patience and that things not always go the way you might like. It is about dealing with challenges and how to solve them in the best way for the tree. In bonsai there is so much variety, as in species and the styles in which you can shape a tree. For myself the connection with nature and caring for something living is quite special. The development and gradual improvement (Kaizen) is another part of what is important to me.
Do you consider bonsai as an art form? Bonsai is definitely an art form but one that shouldn’t compromise the health of the tree. I see people use very small pots for example. It might look good/different but will it be a struggle to keep the tree healthy?
Why do you practise bonsai? I practice bonsai to relax and to be in touch with nature. Making things out of nothing and gradual improvement is my motivation.
Recent commission of a rock-planting with juniper and quince.
Do you have a favourite tree species? It’s hard to choose but the common privet is definitely up there. It’s very forgiving, develops really quickly and grows well in the UK.
Do you have a favourite tree? Every tree has his own history with me but my big yew I wouldn’t sell in a hurry! I dug this tree up by myself taking 6 hours of hard graft. I collected it from a park (with permission) in The Netherlands and then it moved with me to the UK. I have had it now for 12 years and I’m hoping to show it within the next 5 years.
Taxus Baccata collected in 2011 and in 2022
What mistakes have you made? I have made all of the mistakes and still do now and then! If you don’t make mistakes then you don’t learn. Figure out what went wrong and don’t be afraid to talk about it. My first mistake was to not have enough material to work on. At the time I had about 5 trees and having finished number 5 I went back to number 1. As a result my trees got overworked and I didn’t get the results that I wanted. With having more trees some trees will have time to rest while you still work on others. Be patient and look at the tree, see if the tree is ready for the work. When in doubt wait another year.
Have you experienced bonsai abroad? I have visited a few EBA shows, The Noelanders Trophy, and I visited the last Ginko awards. Besides that, I had the opportunity to spend a weekend with Mauro Stemberger and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Dolomites. I also went to Madrid to meet David Benavente and visited the Alcobendas museum of Luis Vallejo. Whilst on holiday in Sicily I met up with some bonsai friends from Instagram and Rocco Cicarello. Japan is still on my list to visit for obvious reasons.
What is your best achievement? My best achievement is to have some of my trees displayed at ExpoBonsai and various other UK shows. Besides that, starting a bonsai business on my own I am also proud of.
Do you have any future ambitions or goals? My future ambition is to display a tree at The Trophy in Belgium. My goal is to spread bonsai to the younger generation and people in general. People have the perception that its very ‘arty’ and hard to do. I would also like to start making videos to teach people how to work with bonsai and to be an inspiration.
English oak. Originally collected by David Prescott and Colin Lewis. I bought the tree as raw material in 2015
Any advise for beginners? My advice for beginners is to learn about horticulture. Someone once said ‘bonsai is 90% horticulture and 10% art’. If you can’t grow it you can’t shape it, simple as that. Have as many trees as you can afford and have space for. The more material you can get your hands on to work on, the better you get familiar with the skills. Save some money and buy a nice shaped bonsai. For some it’s cheating as it’s not really your work, but it will be a very good example and something to aspire to. Once the rest of your trees get better you can sell it again. When you start out it can be frustrating that your trees don’t looks like much in the first few years, so it’s nice to have a half-decent example in your garden. Spend your money wisely, don’t buy on sight but look further and look for the qualities in the tree. Sometimes the best tree for the future is not the best tree at this time but with some work it can be. Let yourself be educated by the seller, or ask a club member or friend for advice.
Do you have any other interests or hobbies? I have always been interested in sports, mainly Judo and other martial arts. Nowadays I like to go to the gym and do a bit of bodybuilding. I think it has a lot in common with bonsai, you’ve got both the nutrition aspect and the building/development which I like the most. I also recently got into Suiseki. I always liked stones/rocks but now I collect them with more of a view towards aesthetics and natural looks. Rammon Hamers R H Bonsai Instagram: bonsai_rammonhamers Facebook: www.facebook.com/rhbonsai