I have never quite understood the appeal of bonsai, so I decided to see for myself what it was all about. I visited Lampies Schoeman who has about 100 trees, surely one of the largest collection of baobab bonsai in the world! He has grown and created most of his bonsai himself over the last 10 years.
I always thought those who grew bonsai were just strange nurserymen/women, but my time with Lampies made me realise they are in fact true artists. The careful shaping of the plant over many years to create a perfect miniature requires a huge amount of patience, vision and talent. Looking at these bonsai with new eyes, I imaginedI was a giant walking in the bush with baobabs dotted around my feet. It was quite a new perspective – for once looking down on a baobab tree! The trees really do look exactly as they do in the wild but 1000 times smaller. They were Little Giants. It made me wonder if this is how God felt when he turned the baobab tree upside down for being so belligerent! 🙂
