Any other noobs in the Netherlands?

[Healey guy]

Hi all,

I'm delighted to find bonsainut, as I start this tree journey. I probably have the same questions that have been answered many times before here so will refrain from asking for now, and spend some time reading.
My family gifted me a couple of indoor trees (Fukien Tea and a Chinese Pepper), after hearing my enthusiasm to start, which will serve as my training subjects. I do want to get a couple of outdoor trees too.

I'm really looking forward to a whole new world of learning.

Ken

 

[Carol 83]

Welcome to the forum and to the hobby. There is a wealth of knowledge here and great people as well. Don't hesitate to ask questions even if they have been asked before but starting out reading is a great idea.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

There are several members on this forum from the Netherlands (and the rest of Europe).

If you want to really want to dive into bonsai I can recommend you to visit the Trophy Bonsai 2024 in Februari in Belgium.
See this topic for more info.

Another tip would be to visit the open days of Lodder Bonsai (9th of March), Bonsai Plaza (23rd of March) and Nobilis (no date available at the moment).

 

[Healey guy]

There are several members on this forum from the Netherlands (and the rest of Europe).

If you want to really want to dive into bonsai I can recommend you to visit the Trophy Bonsai 2024 in Februari in Belgium.
See this topic for more info.

Another tip would be to visit the open days of Lodder Bonsai (9th of March), Bonsai Plaza (23rd of March) and Nobilis (no date available at the moment).

Thanks! I live quite close to Lodder, and plan to do a course with them . Trophy Bonsai sounds great.

 

[BonsaiBonsai]

I have never visited Nobilis, is it worth the trip compared to Lodder or BonsaiPlaza?

 

[Thatguy85]

Another n00b from NL here! Welcome to the forums! Living near Lodder seams great lol, although I'm mostly hunting for free-to-dig garden trees atm.

 

[Danonito]

Non-dutchie here living in NL (Zuid Holland) Technically not a noobie (I'm almost 3y working on my bonsai projects with books and online learning material) but I would love to find a club in Zuid Holland where there are more internationals so courses can be held in English, hopefully

As far as bonsai places, Lodder has very big variety , Nobilis looks to have really great prices but its a bit far north, havent been able to visit yet. Bonsai Plaza I will check very soon. Open days at any location is a great way to meet local artists and potters and you can find great stuff & inspiration. And as that @Thatguy85 mentioned , garden trees for other ppl can yield AMAZING potential (my biggest score is a JM that someone wanted to get rid of from their garden)

 

[Tentakelaertje]

I'm also from the NL. I grew up two and a half villages over from Nobilis but live down south now. Nobilis has improved a lot over the past years, I like it a lot.
It's different from Lodder and BonsaiPlaza, in size, in offer and in time they've been at it. The latter two are relying more on import, procentually. Nobilis's sources are more varied. Very well worth checking out. Unless you live jn Kampen it's a bitch to reach through public transport though, but that counts for all three of them.

@Danonito if you're close to Rotterdam you're close to Deshima Bonsai. TJ knows English well. I'm not aware of any English language bonsai courses in the region but most people can definitely hold a conversation in English.

And to all— DEFINITELY go the Trophy! It will melt your brain in the good way.

 

[BonsaiBonsai]

Demischa is definitely recommended, very nice people there and also a nice collection of pots in al kinds of price ranges. Planning to make an appointment to get a design recommendation for one of my bonsais where the route forward is not so obvious.

 

[Danonito]

@Danonito if you're close to Rotterdam you're close to Deshima Bonsai.

Thanks a lot! I've actually been there to buy pots recently but it didnt strike me to ask about courses etc, will definitely do so next time!

 

[Tentakelaertje]

Np bro, defo ask for the courses, TJ has won numerous prizes. The last one (I think) was last Trophy with that huge beech raft of his. He knows what he's doing for sure!

Any one near Tilburg btw?

 

[JadedEvan]

Hoi allemaal! Jumping in on the thread as I'm also living here in The Netherlands (Haarlem).

@Healey guy - I'd recommend you check out this event Bonsai van het Westen which happens June 8th and June 9th in Delft. It's a really nice, intimate event. Not only do they have a show with great trees, but LOTS of vendors with excellent material for a good price. Vendors selling beginning trees, intermediate and more developed/yamadori material.

In regards to Bonsai Plaza - strong recommendation to visit. They have an exquisite collection of pots (tokoname) which are very nice (but also very expensive). Every year they have an annual sale, you can find quite some nice material for a very good price. I picked up a neglected clump-style trident maple and a nice formal upright japanese maple for 150 EUR (was a no brainer).

In regards to Nobilis - my feedback is mixed. They have a fair amount of materials from private collections which is cool, you can find some really unique stuff. Both of the trees that I purchased came with some problems. One young japanese maple that was potted in very poor soil (it's wet in NL). Had to have an emergency intervention in the fall to repot. My other purchase was a white pine which looked nice at first glance, but ended up having a serious root aphid infection. In addition the previous owner also potted in 100% akadama in a plastic pot, which is a terrible choice for pines in this very, very, very rainy country. I'd inspect the tree(s) thoroughly before I spend more money there.

Bonsai shop Fagus in NL also has some nice starter and intermediate material. I like their prices. Their collection seems to be focused on trees ready for development, great trees to learn on.

 

[Healey guy]

Non-dutchie here living in NL (Zuid Holland) Technically not a noobie (I'm almost 3y working on my bonsai projects with books and online learning material) but I would love to find a club in Zuid Holland where there are more internationals so courses can be held in English, hopefully

As far as bonsai places, Lodder has very big variety , Nobilis looks to have really great prices but its a bit far north, havent been able to visit yet. Bonsai Plaza I will check very soon. Open days at any location is a great way to meet local artists and potters and you can find great stuff & inspiration. And as that @Thatguy85 mentioned , garden trees for other ppl can yield AMAZING potential (my biggest score is a JM that someone wanted to get rid of from their garden)

Hi, I'm also not Dutch, but am pretty well settled here. Lodder is amazing, and I've got my eye on a Crimson Queen Japanese Maple in my garden to convert to a bonsai.

 

[leatherback]

Cool, lots of Dutch influx.
Any of you in the east of the country? Bonsai Vereniging Overijssel would love to have you.
Oddly, yesterday we cancelled our beginners course, due to lack of enrolment. (Guessing it was too expensive).

Trophy is a non-optional event tbh. Will be there Thursday-> Sunday probably

 

[Healey guy]

Hoi allemaal! Jumping in on the thread as I'm also living here in The Netherlands (Haarlem).

@Healey guy - I'd recommend you check out this event Bonsai van het Westen which happens June 8th and June 9th in Delft. It's a really nice, intimate event. Not only do they have a show with great trees, but LOTS of vendors with excellent material for a good price. Vendors selling beginning trees, intermediate and more developed/yamadori material.

In regards to Bonsai Plaza - strong recommendation to visit. They have an exquisite collection of pots (tokoname) which are very nice (but also very expensive). Every year they have an annual sale, you can find quite some nice material for a very good price. I picked up a neglected clump-style trident maple and a nice formal upright japanese maple for 150 EUR (was a no brainer).

In regards to Nobilis - my feedback is mixed. They have a fair amount of materials from private collections which is cool, you can find some really unique stuff. Both of the trees that I purchased came with some problems. One young japanese maple that was potted in very poor soil (it's wet in NL). Had to have an emergency intervention in the fall to repot. My other purchase was a white pine which looked nice at first glance, but ended up having a serious root aphid infection. In addition the previous owner also potted in 100% akadama in a plastic pot, which is a terrible choice for pines in this very, very, very rainy country. I'd inspect the tree(s) thoroughly before I spend more money there.

Bonsai shop Fagus in NL also has some nice starter and intermediate material. I like their prices. Their collection seems to be focused on trees ready for development, great trees to learn on.

Thanks for the good tip on Bonsai van het Westen - looks great!! Bonsai Plaza is on my list to visit too.

 

[Danonito]

Trophy is a non-optional event tbh. Will be there Thursday-> Sunday probably

I saw you'll be moderating, sounds like a big event (im still a noob on this haha) but I'll most likely be there Saturday, way too many people are saying not to miss it! And too bad im not close to the east. We make do with what we have

 

[leatherback]

I saw you'll be moderating, sounds like a big event (im still a noob on this haha) but I'll most likely be there Saturday, way too many people are saying not to miss it! And too bad im not close to the east. We make do with what we have

Yeah, they tricked me into it by free tickets to the event and the gala night Instead of a weekend off, I now get to spend 2 afternoons on stage, trying to explain what a bunch of Koreans are doing to prebonsai. Hope I will not make a bigger fool of myself than normal.

Nobody is in the east