Bonsai Show and Sale

Little trees can be big work.

The Toronto Bonsai Society is throwing a bonsai show and sale at the Toronto Botanical Garden this weekend.

Members of the society are on hand to answer questions, show off their work and show you what they're still working on. There are a number of plants for purchase, along with tools of the trade and fertilizer. I was shocked at how cheap it all was, and how helpful society members were. They will be happy to send you home with a plant that suits your home and lifestyle.

The art of bonsai originates in China where it later spread to Japan, and eventually, the rest of the world.

Bonsai trees are not a special breed of plant. They are miniaturized versions of all the regular sized trees you see everyday. The plants are kept small through pruning the roots and branches and keeping it all in a small, shallow pot.

The results are incredible. Even if you don't know anything about the art, it is easy to appreciate the clean shapes of the foliage and twists in the trunks. Every branch is careful considered and grown at a precise angle with the help of wire and pruning. Bonsai is an art that takes patience.

It is humbling to look at a tree that has been alive longer than Canada was Canada, and collected from the wild before you were born.

The Toronto Bonsai Society meets on the second Monday each month, and costs 35$ for the year. They have workshops on the different aspects of growing bonsai, and as Carlos Bras explained, lots of advice to give. Even if it's unsolicited.

The show and sale is open until 5pm today.