Small is beautiful for this bonsai enthusiast

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 28

Growing bonsai trees is an art which requires a lot of patience. Not only is it a fascinating, but it also brings a person close to nature.

“Though I have been an ardent lover of plants since long, I was introduced to the bonsai art of growing trees in containers and pots during a tip to Mumbai, a few years back,” says Ragini Sharma, director Finance Department in Amritsar College of Engineering. An avid nature lover, she has also grown plants through Kokedama technique, a Japanese gardening technique.

At present, she has a collection of around 300 bonsais in her house in Basant Avenue and Bonsai studio which she created in her farm on the Amritsar-Tarn Taran road, near Rajewal village here.

“I got trained in cultivating the bonsai from Delhi. Besides, I also learned this art from Internet,” she said. It is a very satisfying hobby, she added.

She mainly has Jade or elephant bush, Ficus including Pipal, banyan and varieties of pilkan. She also owns fruit trees such as chiku, gauva and pomegranate as bonsai trees. She said forest style of Christmas trees of bonsai is one of her favourites. She also shaped a couple of palms into beautiful bonsai. Adenium or desert rose plants were also planted in the forest style of bonsai.

Like every plant, bonsai also need care, love and your time. “They need re potting and pruning from time to time,” she said.

“There are different styles for creating bonsai. These including Penjing, mame, forest, root over rock, literati etc. We create bonsai by pruning and wiring method. Wire is used for support and giving it desired shape,” Ragini said.

“Creating a bonsai plant needs patience, knowledge and technique. It can be an expensive affair. Collecting raw material for bonsai is problematic. Copper or Aluminium wires are used for wiring and it not easy to get. We procure it from Delhi while it also needs a special type of bonsai pots which are a bit expensive,” she pointed out. “During the recent lockdown, it became difficult to get the pots. Therefore, I am getting it prepared in the farm itself,” Ragini said.