Bonsai group inspires younger generation to take up a new hobby

Keeping plants, a hobby focused on keeping something green and beautiful alive, has long been a way for people to connect to nature. For some, like the Wag-‘n-Bietjie Bonsai Kai group, which regularly meets in Potchefstroom, it is also a form of art.

As part of its annual exhibition, the group recently displayed the bonsai trees of its members in the North-West University Botanical Garden Gallery.

Many people showed up at the exhibition to gawk at the plants – some of them as old as 40 years. The display motivated some younger people who attended the exhibition to become apart of the group themselves.

One of them, Isany Niemand, a student at the university, said that bonsai seemed to give one a chance to bring the nature inside one’s home and that she wanted to take the chance to learn how to do just that.

Another student, Zané van Zyl, agreed, saying that bonsai, as a style of plant growing, allowed one to bring something large from outside to the inside – and turn it into an art form.

When asked what made bonsai cultivation worth it, Piet Terblanche, a long-standing member of the group said it allowed one to become captivated with something outside oneself and taught one to become a part of something bigger than oneself.

Founding member, Jaco Kruger, also said that bonsai gave one the opportunity to blend nature and active art, as certain conventions had to be followed in bonsai growing. He said many enthusiasts instilled principles from traditional art forms, as well as graphic design, to plan their plants’ forms, while patiently cultivating them into their final designs.

If you are interested in bonsai, you can contact Wag-‘n-Bietjie bonsai kai on their Facebook page, Wag-‘n-Bietjie Bonsai Kai (WBBK).