Bonsai Apprentice
In California, we do things a little differently than in Japan. We’re fortunate that our days aren’t grueling but enjoyable. The morning duties of a bonsai apprentice.
We arrive early in the morning at the bonsai nursery and begin our set up for the day including laying out bonsai wire, preparing tables and turntables. During a cold morning, we’ll sit around with a nice cup of coffee and discuss bonsai shows and upcoming events. We’ll collaborate on selecting show trees and specific trees that need to be worked on. If our Sensei requires a tree to be worked on, he’ll assign each of the apprentices a tree.
Our work can range from unwiring trees to styling trees from raw material. Depending on the season, we may repot, graft, or do heavy bending. The season will also dictate what type of species of tree we will work on as well. The wonderful part is that there is always something to work on.
With a nice cup of coffee and a great group of friends, working on a tree can be one of the more stress relieving and relaxing ways to spend a morning.
