Beauty of Bonsai

About 150 miniature trees, painstakingly twisted and contorted by their dedicated owners, vie for the attention of visitors at the annual Bonsai exhibition, which was opened yesterday by Parliamentary Secretary Jesmond Mugliett at the hall of St Publius parish church, Floriana.

Organised by the Bonsai Culture Group, the exhibition will remain open today between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Entrance is free.

Quite a few of this year's exhibits include local trees such as the tamarisk, fig, carob, plums and the Aleppo pine - all adapted and shaped in the Bonsai fashion.

Group president Paul Debono said that the Bonsai trees were an artistic expression which needed continuous dedication, pruning and caring.

The emphasis of the Bonsai is to prune it using wires and clamps to manipulate the tree and achieve the look that the Bonsai is so renowned for.

The art of Bonsai is thought to have started in China 2,000 years ago and then adopted by the Japanese in about 1133 A.D. Bonsai is a Japanese word meaning a plant (sai) in a shallow container (bon).

In Malta the art was virtually unheard of until Guzeppi Busuttil introduced it 53 years ago.

However, being a shy and reserved man, Mr Busuttil kept the tricks of the trade to himself for a number of years and the culture of Bonsai only kicked off in the early 1990s.

The group was founded in November 1991 with the aim of cultivating and growing Bonsai trees and increasing an awareness on Malta's endemic Maltese and Mediterranean trees.

Today the group has about 80 members who meet once a week to share the secrets of this oriental art and discuss new techniques and practices.