One day, back in 1987, Erika Kohler made her way to a Shibui Bonsai Kai Exhibition and though she may entered the event none the wiser about the plant, she left there knowing it would be part of her life from then on.
The paper met Kohler at Roosevelt Park Recreation Centre where bonsai club, Shibui Bonsai Kai, held its monthly meeting. Growing up she had always had a keen interest in gardening and bonsai seemed to just be a natural extension of that interest. By 1988, this interest grew into her being an official member of the club.
Through the years, the bonsai community has held many small competitions which she would enter. There, her bonsai would either place in the top five or top 10 categories in the Transvaal region.
For her, what makes growing bonsai enjoyable is the level of peace and calmness it brings to her. Some of her favourite types of bonsai to care for have been deciduous trees (like maples), swamp cypress, elms and wild olives. Usually though, her favourite is whichever one you may find her tending to. Kohler did explain that growing a bonsai never finishes, as one starts by doing the basic style and thereafter, you refine it forever.
She now she has more than 50 trees which are all in various stages – some in their formative years while others are at exhibition quality. Kohler shared how in Japan, the trees there are much older as they have been passed down from generation to generation.
Through this skill, she loves that she now has something to do after her children leave home. “It is just a hobby and a great one too.”
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