After hooking up with some members of the Bonsai Society of Western Australia at a workshop, I was kindly invited to visit the collections of a few members. First up was John Di Vincenzo. Joining me at John’s garden was Nigel Atkinson, another club member who I met at the workshop.

We had a great time viewing John’s extensive collection. I was especially interested in the true native species of which John had many. Australia has strict rules about collecting yamadori but I was amazed to see some great Melaleuca that looked as if they were ancient. John was able to show me photos of these trees from previous years and the humble beginnings they had. The potential for this species to make quality bonsai is high. I only wish I could name the other species for you but I’m afraid I was too busy looking at the trees to worry about the names. You’ll also see Ficus, Olives etc which lend themselves well to this climate. Import restrictions mean that imported bonsai are pretty much non-existent in Western Australia. This means that everything you see are locally developed trees which makes it more interesting to explore the benches.

A massive thank you to Nigel for organising the tour and or course to John for his hospitality.