How did I get started? I was a very keen Koi carp hobbyist, and in around 1996 a couple of friends and I went to Dai Ichi bonsai in Reading for their Koi auction. Instead of buying a fish I bought a small Deshojo maple to compliment the pond, and shortly afterwards went back for a Hawthorn, which I still have. Subsequently one of those friends became (and still is) very taken with bonsai and kept nagging me to go along to Northampton Bonsai Society. I always remember him telling me how good it was there, and “the club is run by a guy who looks like a rock star”! The ‘rock star’ turned out to be Paul Goff. How did I learn about bonsai? I have no formal training in horticulture, so I started the hobby with just the basics you learn from everyday gardening. The knowledge of how to grow trees in pots is hard won from talking to experienced growers and reading books, and is probably the steepest learning curve facing any novice hobbyist. My grounding in bonsai as a representation of a natural tree came from the Northampton club, to which I owe a huge debt of gratitude for the knowledge I have gained from them over the years. Who was your teacher? I suppose my ‘mentor’ in bonsai culture was Paul Goff and I still refer back to his teachings. Other people that have had a major influence on my bonsai life have been Peter Warren and Corin Tomlinson. Some people will know that my wife and I ran a small bonsai nursery for the better part of 20 years, which requires a different set of disciplines to those used by hobbyists. Making that transition from hobby to commercial wouldn’t have been possible without assistance initially from Collete of Bonsai Trees Southampton, and a huge amount of help for many years from Zac Dzuimak of Zac’s Bonsai. What was the most important thing you learned? I think the thing that really sticks with me is something Paul said from time to time during our teaching sessions. He said, “When you get your tools out to work on a bonsai, put your ego away and work in sympathy with the tree”. I’m not sure I always manage to do that, but I do remember the lesson. There is still much to be learned. As my Father used to say: ” What I know would fill a book, what I don’t know would fill a library”. Do you belong to a bonsai club? As already mentioned, I am a member of Northamptonshire Bonsai Society, and have been since my first visit in the 90’s. I am also a member of Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire Bonsai Societies. Growing small trees in pots in your garden can be an insular, and even lonesome pastime, and clubs pave the way for discussion and education about bonsai in a social environment. So I believe that clubs are by far the best way to find your feet in this hobby. Do you consider bonsai an art form? Without being toffy-nosed about it, I have to say yes. Some people will disagree, but a typical dictionary definition will say something like – ‘Art is something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful’, and to me it’s hard not to see bonsai in those terms. Why do you practice bonsai? What a question. To coin a phrase from Dan Barton, The Joy of Bonsai is the reason I do it. I’m not much of an artist in the way that our greatest bonsai practitioners are, but I do enjoy the creativity and seeing the response from a tree when an applied technique produces the desired results. Do you have a favourite tree species or size of tree? Probably Japanese Maples, if I could only have one tree it would be a maple. I always appreciate large bonsai, but as I get a bit older and the back aches a little more, I have come to like small trees just as much.
Do you have a favourite bonsai? Yes I do, but regrettably I no longer have possession of it. Back in 2005 I was lucky enough to acquire an outstanding Japanese White Pine, a magnificent tree that I could never aspire to own now. But owing to its size I sold it in 2021 before it became too difficult for me to maintain properly. I would never suggest that you couldn’t find a better tree than mine was, but to me it represented an iconic image of a classic bonsai species.
Do you have a favourite potter? More than one. Show me a well-made hand-crafted pot and I’m interested, it’s impossible to pick just one. Since I now have (according to my wife) too many trees, I have started a modest collection of bonsai pots. These include all manner of pots, from the cheapest slip-cast pots of the kind you used to find commonly with so-called indoor bonsai (shown here), up to comparatively higher quality English, Japanese, and Chinese hand made items.
What mistakes have you made? All of the same mistakes everybody makes. And then some I invented by myself. Most of the mistakes, as opposed to sheer bad luck, I can put down to an over-active ego – remember that lesson from Paul Goff. Being in too much of a hurry to make my mark on a bonsai, impatience is such an alien attitude when working with trees. And wanting to use a pot that was too small just because I liked that pot, or bending a branch just that bit too far, and so on. As soon as a hobbyist working on a bonsai thinks ‘I want ….’ it’s just an ego trip and you know the tree is in for a hard time. Have you experienced bonsai abroad? I have been to several exhibitions in Europe, Ginkgo, Noelanders, and wholesale trade shows at Lodders and Oriental bonsai nurseries in Holland. I have been to Japan and seen a few bonsai, but the purpose of the trip was buying Koi carp, so bonsai wasn’t really on the list at the time. Can you recommend one or two books? Not really specific books, but authors certainly. Anything by Peter Adams, or Harry Tomlinson and Paul Goff, or Peter Warren. I mention Harry and Paul together as they often collaborated on written works. There are lots of other reliable and knowledgeable authors of course. People now have the opportunity to visit vast numbers of web pages with information of varying credibility. Two web sites that offer sound advice are Bonsai4Me, and a web site that every practitioner should visit, called bonsai-science.com. It’s not as onerous as it may sound, and it will surprise many people. What is your best achievement? I have exhibited at several major UK shows which I consider to be a worthy achievement. But also running our small bonsai nursery was something I enjoyed immensely.
Do you have any future ambitions or goals? It would be very nice to return to Japan at some point to see the Kokofu or Gafu exhibitions, but mainly just to try and improve my styling and presentation skills with my trees. And acquire a few more pots!
Over the years what has been your favourite bonsai show? Having visited the Noelanders show three times, that has to rank as the best show I have visited. However, the Heathrow bonsai club shows, and more recently, the Expo Bonsai show both show very high standards of exhibition trees. In our time as bonsai traders we were regulars at the BTA events, and it’s sad to see the demise of this once very popular show franchise.
Do you have any other interests or hobbies? I have always had an interest in cars and motorsport, specifically drag racing, is my other main interest. I raced dragsters for around 15 years until it got to the point where it just became too expensive. I still go as a spectator occasionally but compared to actual participation it’s a bit like eating a bar of chocolate with the wrapper on! Alongside of my racing ‘career’ I also kept Koi carp which we used to show at national level, and I was fortunate enough to win a few national awards along the way. I also did a 2-year course in fish health with the British Koi Keepers Society, the purpose of which was to enable me to visit fellow koi keepers who were experiencing problems with their fish and advise, and sometimes apply, remedial actions. Back in the late ‘90s we were lucky enough to visit Japan with a UK koi dealer on his annual buying trip, a very busy holiday but also immensely enjoyable. I always protested that bonsai would never take over from Koi, but the fish were sold in 2012 and bonsai now has a firm place in my daily routine.