Anyone entering Boon Manakitivipart's garden will be overwhelmed by beautiful bonsai with aged bark and highly ramified branching. It is easy to recognize that these trees have been growing as bonsai for many years, healthy and well cared for, both horticulturally and technically.

In an area covered with shade cloth, recently repotted trees sit alongside many collected California junipers with numerous root and foliage grafts. In this garden, Boon creates new or improved bonsai by grafting a new root system on a tree and then removing the unwanted section once new roots are established. He also replaces coarse original foliage by grafting on finer foliage and then completely removing the original foliage.

For Boon, the basis of his work begins with healthy trees, and the base of healthy bonsai is in the soil. Boon advocates a mix of Japanese akadama, pumice and lava rock with small amounts of charcoal and decomposed granite as soil amendments. (Note: I switched some of my bonsai to this mix and noticed an improvement in their vigor.)

Boon's skills will be available to TBS members and others at one, possibly two, workshops and a demonstration on Saturday April 30, 2005.

The Toronto Bonsai Society invited Boon to Toronto after receiving firm commitments from ten members to participate in a "bring your own tree" workshop. There is one person on a waiting list. If interest grows, perhaps another ten-person workshop can be arranged on the same Saturday. Ten silent observers at the workshop will be allowed at $15 per person per workshop. Sign up and pay now to reserve your spot as a workshop participant ($75) or a silent observer ($15). The demonstration will be open to all TBS and interested local bonsai club members at no charge.

For the workshop, participants can bring one or two trees for Boon to help with design and care ideas and even some hands on work. Participants must bring their own tools. Boon will spend time with each participant and then start another round as often as time permits. The silent observers should act accordingly (as the name implies) and defer to the workshop participants.

The Saturday April 30, 2005 event will be an important opportunity for all club members to develop their bonsai skills by learning from a Japan trained professional bonsai artist.

For more information please check out Boon's website at boon@bonsaiboon.com.