Page 25 - Tài liệu Ebook cây cảnh Bonsai Basics

OBTAINING YOUR BONSAI 27

COLLECTING

We have seen that collecting - finding
bonsai in nature - featured strongly in
the philosophy of this highly intellectual
exercise. To the Buddhist monk or
Samurai it was inconceivable that bonsai
could be created in the same way as a
common vegetable. Crucial to the phil-
osophy was a return to nature, a sym-
bolic quest for 'setr.
In Japanese, the quest for a tree in its
natural surroundings is called Yamadori
and bonsai obtained in this way are
Yamadori Shitate. This has the advan-
tage of allowing you to choose the shape
you want, as well as a tree which is
already several years, or even decades,
old. Conversely, it is rare to find a tree
which conforms to the established styles.
It is often harder to correct the defects
inherent in an established tree than to
shape a young tree produced from seed, Dense undergrowth of this type provides perfect
cuttings or layering. But the satisfaction cover for young trees suitable for training as bonsai.
of finding a superb tree, even if it does
not conform to the established styles,
can be profound.
Before describing the methods of col-
lecting, it is as well to define the limita-
tions of this practice.

Legal restrictions
The scope for collecting from nature is,
in fact, very limited. Removing plants
from land owned by the state is strictly
prohibited. There are, justifiably, severe
penalties for removing any type of plant
from forests which are set in protected
natural parkland.
Where land is privately owned, you
should always, of course, ask the owner's
permission to dig up plants. Even then,
plants can only be lifted if the land is not
set in protected parkland, and the plant
itself is not protected by law. Clearly the
legal restrictions are numerous, severely
Conifers reproduce easily in the wild. Suitable
limiting the possibility of collecting
seedlings could well be coUected from the under-
many trees from the wild. growth beneath pines.