Nothing here is in a hurry.
A bonsai nursery in Kent. Every tree is grown on for years before it is allowed to be sold, and most of them are not.
Book a visitA cut is a decision.
Wood does not grow back where it was taken. Everything on the tree is the record of somebody deciding.
- Cut in leaf, never in bud
- One structural branch a season
- Nothing is ever put back
The oldest one is older than the nursery.
It came from a garden in Sevenoaks in 1971 and had already been in a pot for thirty years.
86 yearsIn training, the oldest tree here
You will not finish it either.
I am the fourth person to cut this tree. None of us owned it.
Tom Rayner, who runs the nursery
Book a visitA houseplant is bought. A tree is taken on.
If that sounds like a lot, it is meant to. Most people who visit leave without one and come back a year later.
What is actually done to a tree.
In the order they happen, over a season, and then again the season after that.
- 01
Wire
Copper is wound along a branch and the branch is bent to where it should have grown. It stays on for a year, and it is watched, because wire that bites leaves a scar that never goes.
- 02
Cut
Only in leaf, so the tree can answer. One structural branch a season at the most, and the smaller work done with the tree at eye level.
- 03
Wait
Nothing happens for months. This is the part people find hardest and it is the part that does the work.
- 04
Repot
Every two to four years, in early spring, with a third of the roots taken off and the same soil the tree has always had.
The four things a judge looks for.
None of them are the leaves. Move over a number to see what it is called.
- 01Apex
- 02Pad
- 03Nebari
- 04Pot
Nine trees are for sale.
The rest are not, and asking does not change it. Point at a row to see the tree.
- 01Chinese elm
- 02Japanese maple
- 03Trident maple
- 04Hawthorn, collected
- 05Cotoneaster
Before you take one home.
Does it live indoors?
Almost certainly not. Nearly everything here is an outdoor tree that needs a cold winter to work properly. Indoor bonsai is a much shorter list and we will tell you which is which.
What happens if I kill it?
Bring it back. If it died in the first year from something we could have warned you about, we replace it once. If it died because it spent the winter on a radiator, we will tell you that too.
How often does it need watering?
In July, twice a day. In January, sometimes not for a fortnight. There is no schedule, which is the honest answer and the reason people struggle.
Can I visit without buying?
Yes, and most people do. Saturdays are open from nine, and there is no appointment needed unless you want somebody to walk round with you.
Do you take trees in?
For pruning and repotting, yes, and for boarding while you are away. We do not buy trees, but we will tell you honestly what one is worth.
Come and stand in front of one.
Say roughly when, and whether you want somebody to walk round with you. We answer on the same day.