The nice thing and one of the advantages of being a senior is that you have all the time in your hand to pursue whatever activity you plan to undertake. Most seniors enjoy chatting with friends and doing activities with them such as playing cards, Bingo, or word puzzles. For seniors who are more active, they go out and take brisk walks, go swimming in a pool or in the beach; go sightseeing; go malling; and some watch movies with friends or go to karaoke bars.
If you happen to be someone who is artistically inclined, here’s a suggestion of one activity you might find very interesting and rewarding: it’s called Bonsai Tree Gardening!
What is Bonsai Tree Gardening?
It is a well known Japanese tradition that has been done for hundreds of years. It involves cultivating a tree placed or planted in a tray or small flower pot, and then shaping it slowly until it becomes a dwarfed artistic version of itself. Bonsai Tree Gardening is an art that requires patience and persistence, as well as love for beauty.
How Is It Done?
The ideal place to work on Bonsai Tree Gardening is in a patio or a small garden at the back or side of your house. You don’t really need a big space; just enough for you to walk around and place all your bonsai tree plants.
If you are curious how to start, here’s an overview of Bonsai Tree cultivation. Bonsai trees can either be grown from seeds or from cuttings of trees. The normal height of a Bonsai tree is from 2 inches to 3 feet. So for your first ever Bonsai Tree, you can plant a seed of a tree of your choice and wait for it to grow, or you may start with a cut branch from a tree; plant it; and wait for it to grow.
How do you keep them small? By simply pruning the branches and roots of the Bonsai tree. Periodically, they are repotted and new growth is pinched off.
Since Bonsai Tree cultivation is an art, the gardener has to make sure that the Bonsai trees are not only kept small; they are also turned into pieces of art through a series of shaping processes. This is done through pruning and also with the use of wires. The trunk and the branches are wrapped with wire and the Bonsai tree is shaped according to the design of the gardener. Then, the ensemble is made complete with the use of a nice flower pot that compliments the Bonsai Tree.
Bonsai Tree cultivation or gardening is a beautiful art that can be pursued by seniors. It’s an activity that does not need so much physical strength. It is true that it may be a little costly since Bonsai Trees needs fertilizers and other horticulture products, but the process, the gardening activity, and seeing the Bonsai Trees turn into works of art, it will all be worth it!
