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To the uninitiated, bonsai, the cultivation of miniature trees, may seem eccentric. A听visit to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens revealed that there is much more to this curious pursuit than meets the eye- and it's good for your health!

Members of Midlands Bonsai Society met for their annual show last weekend at the gardens- home to the National Bonsai Collection- to exhibit their prized trees, swap tips on bonsai care, and share with visitors their passion.

Bonsai trees must be treated with care

For the enthusiasts at the event, a strong attraction to bonsai is its calming influence on their lives. Tending the trees is highly therapeutic, and Peter Toghill is a case in point.

A gentle pursuit

Now Treasurer of Midland Bonsai Society, he once had a rewarding career as a police officer, which was interrupted in 1995 when he was brutally attacked and injured in the course of an arrest. He鈥檚 certain that bonsai was instrumental in his recovery.

鈥淚 had always been interested in martial arts- I taught women's self defence for years, and when I got badly wounded, I needed something to fill my life. There was a bonsai show on, and that's what got me hooked.鈥�

Peter鈥檚 favourite plant is his prize winning 85 year old satsuki azalea, which displays all seven possible colour variations in its pink, white and green hued petals.

A prized specimen

Living artwork

He acquired it from world renowned bonsai expert Peter Chan, whose trees have won him a record breaking 21 Gold Medals at Chelsea Flower Show. Specimens like this are treated with deference and respect. They are living works of art, each delicate bend in their branches the result of long years of careful pruning and wiring. The knowledge and skill of previous owners is held within each tree- a sort of testament to patience.

Many people don't realise that the first roots of bonsai were laid in China over 1,000 years ago, only to be adopted later by the Japanese. One famous painting shows a samurai chopping up his trees in the snow for a fire to welcome his visiting shogun, when no firewood was available.

An expensive hobby

This must have been a heart wrenching exercise for the poor samurai, as good bonsai trees take years of cultivation and maintenance to produce, and become family heirlooms, especially in Japan, where they are passed down from generation to generation.

Avid collectors pay up to 拢100 a month to have their trees cared for in specialist nurseries in Tokyo's bonsai district, Omiya, and two years ago one bonsai pine sold at auction for around 拢300,000. Birmingham's own collection is housed in security cages, in response to several attempts to steal the trees.

拢4,000 satsuki azalea

Nevertheless, bonsai cultivation is not the most fashionable of pastimes. In a world that craves instant satisfaction for little effort, our collective attention span is loathed to hold out for results that may take decades of work to achieve. So why would anyone want to take up such a laborious pursuit?

Slow charm

Dr. Malcolm Hughes, who is Treasurer of the National Bonsai Collection, and cares for the delicate trees along with Peter and other society members, feels that slowness is the key to bonsai鈥檚 charm.

As he admires one of the collection鈥檚 most prized acquisitions- A Chinese juniper, donated by the city of Omiya in 1995, and estimated to be about 200 years old, he sighs, "It puts everything in perspective. Some people think you can create a tree instantaneously.

"Someone who doesn't know what they're dealing with will take it out of the pot, trim the roots, put it in a shallow bonsai pot, style the tree, and that's it. The tree will be traumatised, stressed, shed its leaves or needles, it may not even survive six months."

Vic Yeomans, Chairman of Midlands Bonsai Society, is much more upbeat. He points out that there are environmental benefits to the art. For example, English elm, which was almost wiped out in Britain due to Dutch elm disease, flourishes in bonsai form.

Society Treasurer Dr. Hughes

He also point out, "There's no rushing a bonsai tree-you have to go at its pace, and that's the best part. We've known each other for years at this club, been through a lot together, and all the time, our trees have kept us sane."

If the calm air of contentment that emanates from the bonsai enthusiasts who gather at the National Collection is anything to go by, it's a serene, rewarding art form that has much to offer your average, stressed out city dweller. All you need to start out is a tree sapling of practically any species, a little patience, and some expert advice from someone who knows their elm form their acer.

Midland Bonsai Society meets on the first Thursday of every month at Moseley Cricket Club in Shirley, and they are happy to welcome new members and visitors. For more information, email midlandbonsai@hotmail.co.uk, or click on the links on the right hand side of this page.听听听听听听听听听听听听