• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Working on Some Goals: Bonsai

December 29, 2007 By Carol Michel 11 Comments

One of the best things about setting goals instead of making resolutions is goals seem less tied to a specific date. We can set them anytime we want to sit down and make some plans.

Those darned resolutions seem so “tied” to January 1st that the pressure is on to come up with some good ones before that magical date, if indeed you are going to make some resolutions for the new year.

Well, no pressure here, I’m working on P.L.A.N.T.S. goals! And I’ll take my sweet time about it, as we still have January and February to get through before much outside gardening is going to happen here in Zone 5.

But already I know that one of my goals is going to involve bonsai.
(Bonsai on display at White River Gardens in 2006)

I’ve always admired bonsai and wanted to have a few bonsai of my own. I’ve even made a few feeble attempts to have one. I’ve looked at mature bonsai for sale, but they always made my wallet hurt. Then last year I purchased a tree seedling that had been grown to become a bonsai tree, but it didn’t make it through the winter, or more likely, it didn’t make it through the cold spring.

In spite of these failed attempts, I know I’d like bonsai partially because of all the tools that seem so essential for caring for bonsai, or at least I would make them essential! Special pruners, scissors, brooms, rakes, tweezers, wire cutters. I love the idea of all these special tools and using them to care for these special plants.

And now I have new motivation to learn about bonsai.

One of my nephews has decided that he wants to grow some bonsai and has been asking me a lot of questions about them. He plans to start with ivy because he read somewhere that it is a good plant to start with, that you can get it to look like bonsai relatively quickly. On Christmas Day he showed me his tiny ivy start, planted in a tiny bonsai tray. He said in a few years, maybe we could compete against each other in a bonsai competition. My! He’s read a lot about bonsai.

It would just not do if I was not able to answer his questions and speak with some assuredness on this particular gardening topic. I have a reputation as the family gardener to maintain! Plus I’ve always wanted to have some bonsai, so I’ll use this little ‘competition’ as my motivation.

So, that’s my first P.L.A.N.T.S. goal, to learn more about bonsai this year, and have at least have one bonsai plant that I am successful with.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: bonsai, family

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sweet Home and Garden Carolina says

    December 29, 2007 at 4:06 am

    I’ve always been drawn to Bonsai as well but have killed off what few I tried. My neighbor that grows Bonsai successfully said the key is in grow lights. Of course as you no doubt know since the soil surface is so little it requires frequent watering.

    The conifers are especially difficult to grow indoors because they need a period of dormancy. I’ve heard Bonsai growers say that they leave their confers in an unheated but protected space with light, such as a basement window.

    Good luck, this could be the start of something BIG !

    Reply
  2. growingagardenindavis says

    December 29, 2007 at 4:17 am

    I will enjoy your bonsai endeavors from afar…which you will appreciate since bonsai seem to give up the will to live when I’m nearby. This way I can play along at home without endangering any plants.

    Reply
  3. Mad Man Bamboo Nursery says

    December 29, 2007 at 6:53 am

    I wouldn’t mind trying bonsai using bamboo as a plant material. I’ve seen it done in bamboo books. Curioushow well it would work.

    Reply
  4. Frances, says

    December 29, 2007 at 11:32 am

    I like your goal oriented mindset. No time limit, anything is possible. A garden book gift received recently shows amazing bonsai at the Ediburgh Botanical garden in Scotland. Inspiring enough to make one give it a go.

    Reply
  5. Stunned Donor says

    December 29, 2007 at 1:19 pm

    I’d love some Bonsai, but I already worry enough about the dogs when I go away. Where would I find a Bonsai Sitter?

    I did have some very nice Juniper Bonsai when I lived in California, but I gave them to a neighbor with a green thumb when I moved. I was afraid they wouldn’t survive the cross-country trip.

    Reply
  6. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says

    December 29, 2007 at 4:45 pm

    Good luck on the bonsai! It’s 1 of my pipe dreams to have a bonsai Wisteria standard. Have you seen the bonsai at the Chicago Botanic Garden? Pam/Digging had a post about them about a month ago.

    Reply
  7. Carol Michel says

    December 30, 2007 at 4:05 am

    All… it sounds like we all want some bonsai, but are all somewhat hesistant or something? Let’s go for it this year, make it the year of bonsai! Who’s with me on this?

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

    Reply
  8. Kylee Baumle says

    December 30, 2007 at 4:25 am

    Oh Carol, I had to giggle when you said you like the special tools needed for bonsai culture. I can SO relate to that mindset. It’s kind of like when I walk through the kitchen gadget section at Walmart. I want one of each of those nifty little things. The only difference between those and special garden tools is that I actually garden.

    Reply
  9. Lisa at Greenbow says

    December 30, 2007 at 1:27 pm

    Carol, I realy like the idea of bonsai. Like you I look at it every opportunity I get and I love the ones that have a landscape. Especially the ones with tiny statuary or some beautiful rocks in it to enhance the plantings. To actually do it. Hmmmmm Just don’t know if I could take the plunge. Maybe your nephew has the right idea. Try something simple like ivy to start. I wouldn’t feel too bad killing an ivy. However I would feel bad killing a tiny tree. I think a lot of sun is a key to this too. I have little sun to use. Hmmmmm I always like the opportunity to purchase new tools. 🙂

    Reply
  10. lisa says

    December 31, 2007 at 6:38 pm

    I like Bonsai too, but so far I’m a killer. I have most all the cute little tools though, and I’m gonna keep trying. The problem I’ve had is the watering-I just can’t keep up with it properly. So now I’m trying to “bonsai-prune” the tops of a few things growing outside with normal root systems and see how that goes. Not exactly the “real deal”, but baby steps, y’know? From my online research, it seems that sclefflera are easy candidates for beginners

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    May 16, 2008 at 3:39 am

    Most Bonsai should be kept outside , year round unless they are tropical and you live in a zone that is too cold for what you are growing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,053)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT