Bonsai is such an evocative, and manicured art, that lay people with no experience in bonsai often wonder why it seems such an obsession for some. Why does bonsai have the “following” that it has? The answers may surprise you. Alright, let’s look at the benefits of growing bonsai.
Growing bonsai is both therapeutic for the mind, and a great hobby for developing creativity, patience, and discipline. It helps us city slickers to actually appreciate nature, and cultivate an affinity with the earth and soil. Let’s face it, most of us urbanites don’t want to be spending heaps of time out sweating in hot sun, hoeing the soil, or trimming the bushes. Neither do us apartment dwellers have the space to actually do gardening. But we can, with bonsai. Bonsai does not take up a lot of space, in fact all the space it needs, is a small container or pot. What could be a better way to garden?
When you actually spend the time to feed, water and train your bonsai tree, you develop a kind of relationship with it. You learn how to be patient, while waiting for that trunk to bend the way you want it to. When you learn how to style your bonsai tree in exotic styles, you are exercising your creativity. Plus, you learn a whole lot more about stuff you would otherwise not have known.
It’s clear growing bonsai has some good benefits both mentally and physically. Gazing at your bonsai trees is relaxing and a great stress buster. In today’s rat race world, you couldn’t ask for a better hobby!