Many Americans are turning to bonsai to reduce stress. So said the headline I saw this morning. For those of you whose bonsai knowledge begins and ends with Mr. Miyagi, bonsai is the traditional Asian art of growing trees in shallow containers. In fact, the word bonsai means “tray planting.” The grower starts with a normal plant and, by careful pruning and training, shapes the plant into a miniature replica of the full-grown tree.

Bonsai has experienced its recent growth due to its seeming ability to calm and relieve stress. The focus, imagination, and attention to detail needed for bonsai, even if it is for just a few minutes a day, is a great way to lower cortisol levels, and the trees, some able to live one hundred years or more, picture the resiliency that many people have been identifying with, especially after the pandemic.

“The focus, imagination, and attention to detail needed for bonsai, even if it is for just a few minutes a day, is a great way to lower cortisol levels”

Honestly, just thinking about the care of a bonsai tree gives me stress, but my husband has always wanted to try it and perhaps it sounds intriguing to you or someone you know as well. So where do you begin?

Well, like almost everything else you need information about, you can turn to the internet. There are hundreds of YouTube videos. You can find everything from how to pick the right tree or seedling for you to step-by-step instructions for the beginner bonsai grower and special projects for the more experienced. The internet also offers free and not-free classes. I found a Facebook page for Bonsai Dayton for some local information and hundreds of bonsai blogs dedicated to educating you and helping you make the most of your plant.

Mature bonsai plants can be quite expensive—they can live for many, many years—but if you don’t want to make a big investment before you try it out, I saw some very reasonably priced bonsai trees on the local Facebook Marketplace page, or you can always start small.

But if you would like a little more human interaction and help, a short drive away is the Cincinnati Bonsai Society, one of the oldest bonsai societies in the US. The society offers monthly meetings and beginner bonsai classes for the public and workshops and forums for members. They also host a bonsai show at the Krohn Conservatory in the fall. A short drive in the other direction will take you to the meetings of the Columbus Bonsai Society. They have a public Facebook group where you can seek and provide tips and information and even buy and sell bonsai plants and supplies. The Columbus Society’s big annual bonsai show is coming up July 29-30.  Maybe put it on your calendar and go check it out to see if bonsai is for you. Even if the care of one doesn’t interest you, they are both beautiful and fascinating.

For more thought-provoking topics, tune in to Hope 100.7. 
God bless you. Stay hopeful! ❤️

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