On Thursday 26th May 27 members visited Herons Bonsai Nursery, Lingfield, for a fascinating talk and demonstration on the origins and techniques of Bonsai. The nursery is run by Peter Chan who started the business in 1986 after a career as an electrical engineer. Peter has won 21 Gold Medals at the Chelsea Flower Show, written a number of books on the art of Bonsai, appeared on radio and television shows and is patron and sponsor of the Bonsai collection at RHS Garden Wisley. Peter is the foremost Bonsai authority and expert in the UK with 40 years experience. In a garden setting, he showed us how to select suitable subjects to “bonsai” (which simply translates as “a plant in a pot”), how to trim and shape them and plant them in a shallow pot.
He presented us with one of the products of his demonstration, a spruce tree, which will be auctioned or raffled to members at the Autumn Fruit Flower and Vegetable Show. The nursery, set in an 8 acre site, has hundreds of Bonsai trees for sale at prices from £40 to £40,000! Numerous demonstrations and lectures can be found on Youtube Herons Bonsai.
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