The Beauty of Bonsai Styles • Hacker News Board

Re: The Beauty of Bonsai Styles

#41

Post by gus_massa » Wed, Apr 22, 2026, 5:38 PM UTC

jamiecurle wrote: post #16

As well as a software person I'm an arborist as a side hustle. I love bonsai and I have started a few off myself in my garden (technically this makes them 'niwaki' - in garden, rather than 'bonsai' - in a pot. I went with scots pine (Pinus sylvestris, Wych Elm - Ulnus glabra and Quercus robur - english oak) as they're all native to where I live. But I am somewhat conflicted because as awesome as they look, all that a…

Photos? If you have a few photos and can write a short blog post about that with your personal experience (no cheating, no AI), it may be a nice submission. I don't expect a million upvotes for it, but it may have a nice discussion. Not all post in HN have to be about technology, they only must be interesting.

What is the most weird/interesting anecdote about your bonsai farm? Bonus imaginary points if it's a good anecdote to tell to a technical frined.

Re: The Beauty of Bonsai Styles

#42

Post by jamiecurle » Wed, Apr 22, 2026, 9:09 PM UTC

gus_massa wrote: post #41

jamiecurle wrote: post #16

As well as a software person I'm an arborist as a side hustle. I love bonsai and I have started a few off myself in my garden (technically this makes them 'niwaki' - in garden, rather than 'bonsai' - in a pot. I went with scots pine (Pinus sylvestris, Wych Elm - Ulnus glabra and Quercus robur - english oak) as they're all native to where I live. But I am somewhat conflicted because as awesome as they look, all that a…

Photos? If you have a few photos and can write a short blog post about that with your personal experience (no cheating, no AI), it may be a nice submission. I don't expect a million upvotes for it, but it may have a nice discussion. Not all post in HN have to be about technology, they only must be interesting. What is the most weird/interesting anecdote about your bonsai farm? Bonus imaginary points if it's a good an…

I'll add that to my list of posts to write : )

My collection so far is less than three years old and they're all from nursery stock. It's going to be at least another three years before I can start training them. Niwaki (in the ground) is less harsh on wounding than bonsai (in pots) and tends to focus more on the pruning rather than the overall aesthetic of creating a weathered yet, aesthetic tree. I'm aiming for somewhere in between.

The cool thing about the Elms is that they came from the seeds of a wych elm in a local park about four years ago which finally succumbed to dutch elm disease and was removed last year. I found the seeds in a drawer after being forgotten about for a two years, then germinated the seeds in 2024 they sprouted. I started six, but four have died.

Re: The Beauty of Bonsai Styles

#43

Post by gus_massa » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 4:18 PM UTC

jamiecurle wrote: post #42

gus_massa wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Photos? If you have a few photos and can write a short blog post about that with your personal experience (no cheating, no AI), it may be a nice submission. I don't expect a million upvotes for it, but it may have a nice discussion. Not all post in HN have to be about technology, they only must be interesting. What is the most weird/interesting anecdote about your bonsai farm? Bonus imaginary points if it's a good an…

I'll add that to my list of posts to write : ) My collection so far is less than three years old and they're all from nursery stock. It's going to be at least another three years before I can start training them. Niwaki (in the ground) is less harsh on wounding than bonsai (in pots) and tends to focus more on the pruning rather than the overall aesthetic of creating a weathered yet, aesthetic tree. I'm aiming for som…

Remember to take some photos, so you can write a nice post in 2029! :)