Page 35 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2015Q1

The first step was to find the material suitable for order to make the assembly as natural as possible. The
the styling. The plants were provided by a friend who canopy was pruned as observed in the wild forest and
paid attention to every detail of my request, choos- the planting was finished, ready to evolve as a whole.
ing the Carpinus orientalis, well matched for size and Slow and progressive evolution with the passing of
quantity. the seasons and the years, combined with the neces-
To add a natural feeling to the forest composition, sary refinements that are required until the forest is
I decided not to use a pot but a stone slab that would stabilized, will in a natural way, lessen the need for
fit well with this species of tree. After a long search, human intervention over time.
I found a slab of sandstone suitable for the material After a few years the forest was mature enough to
and size, (120 cm x 55 cm). However, some adjust- be seen by the public and convey, at least in part, my
ments were needed to the profile of the slab. With a experience in the little forest in the Marche hills.
technique learned from friends—stonemasons who Maturing over time, the forest will express more and
work stones used in roofs—and two hammers, I made more that naturalness and show less and less the hand
the necessary corrections, visible in the photo as the of man, a necessary characteristic for every bonsai to
lighter parts of the stone. be credible and, hopefully, will give the observers a
The material for the construction, suitable soil: aka- moment of intense multi-sensory dialogue that imme-
dama, professional potting soil, Keto (or marsh mud) diately connects us to nature and reminds us clearly
and moss, were ready at this point. that we are part of it.
It was then time to focus on the idea and imple-
ment it practically, assembling the sets of trees in ac- A few seasons later, the
cordance with the vision of the forest that inspired me. Carpinus orientalis forest in fall
After removing trees from growing pots I arranged color and in winter silhouette.
and rearranged them over and over again on the slab,
until I saw the solution that was close to what I had
in mind.
Next, I placed some soil on the slab corresponding
to where the trees were to be planted, carefully po-
sitioned the trees and then covered them with more
moist soil mixed with wet “Keto” that helps “glue”
them to the slab until the roots start growing. The
undergrowth was covered with moss and stones in

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