
And there is Nacho Salar. With all the characteristics from above, and then some: his passion is not quiet, but loud as Nacho is truly in love with Bonsai art.
And when you are in love you only think about the subject of your dreams, you find yourself looking for more occasions to be around it, to talk about it with anyone who has ears and the will to listen. Or so it is for me, anyway…
This is an honor by it self, an sign of recognision by his peers, but Nacho was also a jury and ateacher with a very cute assistant, his daughter Nara, who made a quick demo in the kids zone.
I also found out that the prize for the best tree of the exhibitions went to one of his old olives, in the present part of somebody else’s bonsai collection.
To my surprise Nacho recognized me in Telford (we have met only once at a workshop in Romania) and presented me to all of his friends around him. And he is always surrounded by many interesting people!
I also was happy to meet his wife Susana and daughter Nara, bought of them „contaminated” with the Bonsai bug.
I decided to stay close and watch Nacho’s workshop and I was surprised to see that the places filled quickly, and the public stayed with the demonstrators until the end of their work.
The tree was in my collection for about seven years and I was very proud to have it but very frustrated for the lack of time to properly work on it. Luis Aragon is one of my very good friends and the director of the International School of Bonsai. He gave me the opportunity to start on a new mission, a new adventure outside Spain so I was happy to offer him this tree three years ago. He took good care of it and he presented it this year at The Bonsai Show Live in Telford.



The subject of the demo in Telford was a yamadori collected in Spain, a Scott Pine and the public was invited since the beginning to take part in the decision-making process. As Nacho said, each tree can be a multiple type of bonsai, depending on the viewer. He began by presenting three possible fronts, each with pros and cons and the public voted for the best one.
Precaution, patience, seeing the tree as the one who dictate the next move and the human as a humble but skilled instrument… all these are lessons that can not be truly learned just by looking at a demonstration, but it was great to witness the emerge of a nice piece of art Nacho and his team created.
It was a great lecture, with a very inspired and confident tutor, always open to the public, with a lot of questioning that made the spectators part of the show, fun and charming.
You seem to have endless energy and passion for the art and craft of bonsai. And it is contagious, I must say! What is the common characteristic of all your student beside the love for bonsai.
People are looking for new sensations and I think that one of my missions is to help them learn how to come in touch with nature, with bonsai as a medium.
All my students are looking for deep knowledge about bonsai, about how a tree grow and develop, about the esthetic principles, how to give shape and how to maintain the system. Once all of these are truly grasped they can enjoy and benefit from this spiritual quest trough nature, the special way to connect to themselves that bonsai creation offers.
Who is/was your mentor and where do you find your inspiration?
I have been passionate about the world of Bonsai for more than 25 years. I visited Japan for the first time in 2005, an experience that fueled my passion even further.
In 2008 and 2015 I have returned there for learning in Taisho-en, a working nursery in Shizuoka (the foot of Mt. Fuji), under the supervision of Mr. Nobuichi Urushibata, my mentor.
In my times, when I started to be interest in bonsai there weren’t many sources of information, all the knowledge was shared between the few enthusiasts from Europe. Now it is somehow easier to find a professional willing to teach. I have students that came to me five years ago with no experience and were starting from scratch. Now they can help me on international workshops.
At the beginning I was looking for inspiration in nature. I remember I was walking often on the high mountains to study the trees shape. Now I see bonsai as a spiritual way, and I am finding inspiration in myself. When you control very well all the technics involved in developing bonsai only your imagination can limit the results.
Please talk a little about the International School of Bonsai.
The school is not really a business, but to me is rather a mission. When I arrived in UK I felt that I can offer the students relevant knowledge and a feeling of trust in the bonsai technics and that I can help them build an autonomy in rising and representing nature trough bonsai. I feel ready to expand the school to other countries and my feeling is that in Romania are already many people who want to learn more.
You have a beautiful family, and both your wife and daughter are involved in your business, but how do you think that pursuing bonsai has changed you, personally.
Five years ago, I was away very often to delivers workshops and classes around Europe and in Spain. I used to spend little time with my family and that forced me to find a balance between my passion and my need to be with my wife and daughter. So, we blended family with our shared love for bonsai and this is how Bonsai Nara Garden appeared. Bonsai Nara is not a business, it is a way of life because I think that living is not about collecting money, but experiences.
Do you have a favorite tree on your collection, one that you would never sell for any amount of money?
Yes, I have couple of bonsai in my garden that maybe I could of sell easily, but for me these trees are representing my own sensations, ideas, moments from my life. I have collected trees from 20 years ago that I feel that represents my family and it is impossible to me to put a price tag on them. When I go out in the garden early in the morning with a cup of coffee, I enjoy being surrounded by these personal trees that makes me live my life more aware of everything. When you can see in front of you the past and the present you feel more prepared for the future.
In the image bellow is me and my daughter, Nara, when she was 3 years old. I just arrived home after a long time away, in Japan and the picture shows a very special moment for me. And the bonsai next to that image is helping me feel again that emotion.


If it was for you to choose just one tree to recommend to a beginner to start learning which one would it be?
It is really about the area they are living in. In general, the deciduous trees are more suitable for beginners. The conifers are more complicated trees, with primitive root system.
In UK the preferred specie seems to be the hawthorn, in Romania I think is Carpinus, and in Spain is the olive. So, my recommendation is to start with a local specie, adapted to the local clime.
What is more difficult: to practice or to teach bonsai? What brings you more joy?
These are very different things: when you practice you work for yourself, using your own ideas and imagination. When you teach you help other people to find and apply their own vision, inoculating trust in the notions and technics you deliver. Each person has an artist inside: maybe is closer to the skin or hidden deep inside his conscience. When I teach, my purpose is to connect the student with his artistic, spiritual side trough the art of bonsai.
What tree is waiting for you at home to have its first styling?
When you work on other people’s tree you have to follow their vision, but you remain an artist that put everything on the stage. It happened often everywhere I go to find and buy raw material that inspires me, and I cannot wait for the chance to work on them. Bonsai is like an addiction and to feel happy one need a periodic doze, by working freely, designing new bonsai.
You travel a lot and see many bonsai enthusiasts all over Europe. How are they different (if they are) from country to country, from culture to culture?
I am so happy about this question because I have traveled a lot in Europe and despite the geographic distances, I have seen many similarities between bonsai enthusiasts. What brings them all together is passion and curiosity. Only after you learn very well the basic notions about plant physiology, about how the tree grows and develop, about the design process and special technics you get to truly enjoy and appreciate a bonsai.
Why are there more men than women in the bonsai industry?
People seems to believe that bonsai art involve mostly hard work, manual and very solicitating, that only strong powerful men can do. Therefore, mostly men use the bonsai art as a medium to express artistically without the “danger” to be considered soft, vulnerable. Meanwhile women feel comfortable to enjoy and express themselves trough many other art forms.
From the ecological point of view what is the most important positive thing that pursuing bonsai brings in the benefit of the world.
This is an important question for me: next to my house is a natural park and years ago I was a guide there. Once I have tried to explain at my daughter’s school about the importance of the trees in nature and I had the idea to do a small bonsai exhibition for the kids. It was a success. It is obvious that people respect what they know and understand, so it is very important to educate, and I think that bonsai is a very good ambassador for ecology.

Do you think that spreading the culture of bonsai will eventually influence the consumerist behavior of this modern society?
Sadly no, I do not think that consumerism will be influenced by the bonsai culture anytime soon. In fact, it is happening just the other way: people collect TREES IN POTS, not BONSAI with meanings. For now, it seems to matter the number and the size of the trees, not the quality.
One advice for any beginner that enter the bonsai world.
The best advice is to start learning about the plants physiology as it applies to every tree. Next step is to learn how to grow healthy trees planted in pots. I have extensive classes with my students with very detailed information about this.
What are your plans for the next year?
I have no other plans than to put myself at the disposition of those who need me. I am feeling useful to my students in UK who feel comfortable to learn and work with me.
I have noticed that in Romania is emerging a new interest for the art of bonsai as I have met there many curious and passionate people. I was also in Fagaras Mountains, and I have admired that beautiful wild nature; there is plenty raw material to grow some of the most exquisite bonsai from Europe. I would love to have some of those trees in my garden!
So next year I will continue to put myself at the disposition of those who want to learn from me, the students from UK, Spain and Romania.
We surely hope that Nacho will visit us in Romania soon and that he will continue to inspire more and more people to find and embrace the artist inside them! The world needs the art of bonsai, the way of thinking that cultivating bonsai implies and the passion Nacho brings everywhere he goes.
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BIBLIOTECA
Despre bonsai în România din 1931
Deși bonsaii sunt doar “împrumutați” de la japonezi, se pare ca românii știu despre această artă de aproape 100 de ani.
Am păstrat ortografia acelor timpuri pentru a va lăsa să vă delectați cu adevărat de spiritul în care a fost scris articolul în 1931.
Mituri despre bonsai
Nu am dorit neaparat sa fie asa, dar am obtinut unul dintre cele mai lungi articole de pe Bonsai de Romania si asta pentru ca am dedicat extrem de mult timp pentru documentare. Dupa ce petreci o perioada destul de lunga pe diverse grupuri nationale si internationale...
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CALENDAR EXPOZITIONAL 2023
Calendarul expozitional pentru anul 2023 este destul de bogat pentru UK. Cu siguranta si in restul Europei se vor organiza expozitii si licitatii cu bonsai, dar deocamdata sunt confirmate doar cele din aceasta lista.
APA- viata din fiecare strop
L-am auzit de zeci de ori pe Ryan Neil in demonstratiile sale ca din sase ani de ucenicie in Japonia, trei au fost despre udarea bonsailor. Si dupa ce am dedicat acestui subiect cateva ore bune de studiu si teoretic am impresia ca inteleg, stiu ca la capitolul...
The Bonsai Show Live- I-a editie – 1/2 octombrie 2022
Am asteptat luna octombrie cu mare nerabdare din momentul in care am aflat ca in UK se va organiza un nou eveniment dedicat iubitorilor de bonsai. Si a meritat sa astept aceasta prima editie!
TOTALLY BONSAI- Craig Coussins
Prin 2017 cand "m-a lovit" in plin arta bonsai nu aveam nici un copac in colectie, dar destul de multe carti.Aveam impresia la inceput ca e usor sa ingrijesti un bonsai, apoi, dupa ceva documentare mi-am zis ca e foarte complicat, dar mereu am vazut cultivarea...
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Chiar in timp ce scriu trec printr-o răceală din aceea "strămoșească": cu nasul infundat, cearcane si ochi inrositi si o buza umflată din cauza febrei. Nu e covid de data asta, doar a venit si la mine...toamna.Din fericire pentru copaci lucrurile nu stau deloc atat...
ORGANIC/ ANORGANIC- problema cu mai multe solutii
Stii deja care sunt caracteristicile principale ale solurilor dedicate cresterii bonsailor?
Foarte bine, acum avem cateva detalii despre cele doua tipuri de substrat folosit: organic si cel anorganic.
CARACTERISTICILE SOLURILOR
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