WATCH: Bonsai art and science nurtured

China and Japan may have started the ancient discipline of bonsai, but when it comes to the skilful technique of growing miniature trees in pots, the Philippines has made giant steps to be a world class force.

 

Through the years, the Philippines has carefully cultivated a talented and passionate scene of bonsai enthusiasts. 

 

This 2015, the Philippine Bonsai Society hosts a showcase of their best works in the Hardin ng mga Halaman in the Quezon City Memorial Circle until the 23rd of May. Upon visiting, it is easy to imagine that one has been transported inside a miniature forest.

 

And last year, the first bonsai school opened in the Mariano Marcos State University in Batac, Ilocos Norte. This school recognizes the potential of bonsai to become an industry in the Philippines, one that can provide jobs to many Filipinos even in the provinces.

 

What makes our country special as a hotbed for bonsai is the abundance of the bantigue tree (Pemphis acidula bonsai), a plant variety that has a rugged bark and small leaves, making it perfect for bonsai. 

 

Filipinos have devoted a separate bonsai category for the bantigue because of the variety of miniature trees one can create from this plant. 

 

Creating a bonsai requires the precision of a scientific approach.

There are various factors to consider when choosing plant specimens, fertilizers and pots. One must also study how to put wires in the bantigue's little stems to guide the plant's growth. Care is also needed to ascertain the perfect time to trim the leaves and the roots.

 

There is intricacy in cultivating something beautiful.

As with any artwork, there is no single way of judging its aesthetics. Some say a bonsai is more appealing if its trunk is old or if its twigs have grown in a complicated manner. 

 

There may be a variety of ways to tell but what people can easily assess is the amount of time and dedication you have passionately given in growing a bonsai.

 

To know more about bonsais, here is the report on GMA News'  State of the Nation with Jessica Soho.



— ELR, GMA News