I was contacted a short while back by a woman who I had met a year or so ago. Her brother was ill and she couldn’t keep up with his bonsai collection and asked if I would accept it as a donation with the agreement that I cared for the trees. I could hear the sadness in her voice, and how deeply these trees meant to her and her brother. I agreed without seeing them, but knew there would have been some neglect because of not being under the care of a bonsai hobbiest.
Ficus Nerafolia in need of pruning
Surface roots in too shallow of a pot
This is one of the trees that I was given to look after. It is leggy, and the roots were in poor condition. I know these trees are very forgiving though and knew after being repotted that it would be fine.
Of course this got me to thinking about my own collection, and what my trees mean to me. Not to mention what will happen to them after my time on Earth comes to pass. I often think that if I am able I will simply take the trees out into a nicely wooded area where I could plant them and allow them to grow into their full sized relatives. I guess only time will tell
