Things that drive me crazy about bonsai people

[Shibui]

“Crepe” is a fabric or a paper. “Crape” is a myrtle.

Interesting observation but it seems to be Crape Myrtle only in the US? The rest of the world recognises Lagerstroemia as Crepe Myrtle. The origin of the name appears to be because the flowers look a little like crepe paper which would make Crepe myrtle correct would it not?

Or people who insist on using Japanese words to show how hip they are….like sashi-eda, when they could just use feature branch. We could also short-cut to simpler expressions like ‘slanting’, or ‘informal upright’.

I'm with you on this one!

I'll add:
Bonsai 'experts' insisting that the way they do it is the one and only way.

 

[Joe Dupre']

I know it’s pronounced ‘bone-sigh’ but as a Southerner from America I can’t bring myself to shift into a Japanese accent mid conversation.
Those who look down on people like me don’t realize we think the same when we hear their last samurai impression.

It does put me off when someone emphasizes the "bOne" a bit too much......with a really long O sound. Ryan Neil tends to do this.

 

[Cajunrider]

Nothing drives me crazy cuz I am already there.

Yesterday I went to work wearing a nice dress suit. After a full day of meeting I decided to drive to the preserve to unwind. There I saw a swampy creek being dammed by the beavers. Near the middle of the creek I saw a BC chopped down by beavers. Next to it were the twin twisted BCs. So I put on my boots, grabbed the root slayer, and took the twin home before the beavers could kill them.

PS: I should have taken a video of me doing that.

 

[rockm]

Interesting observation but it seems to be Crape Myrtle only in the US? The rest of the world recognises Lagerstroemia as Crepe Myrtle. The origin of the name appears to be because the flowers look a little like crepe paper which would make Crepe myrtle correct would it not?


I'm with you on this one!

I'll add:
Bonsai 'experts' insisting that the way they do it is the one and only way.

It's actually both--crape or crepe. Like "colour" and "color" there is no "correct" way to spell it. There's no need to slight us Americans for using a different spelling than "the rest of the world" (which isn't really true.) And no, the name's attribution is varied, some say it's derived from what the flowers look like, others say "crape" is from the old French word for "crimson" the COLOR of the flowers, or "crepe" from the Greek word for Mulberry--which Crape Myrtle is related to.

More generally, some minor annoyances the insistence on using "yamadori" to apply only to trees that adhere to the literal translation of the word (when even the Japanese really don't do that) and then holding a grudge against those the word use the word for general collected trees. the absolute bullheadedness in refusing to get a decent (doesn't have to be expensive) pot for their trees. Then there's the "what kind of tree is this" or "what do I do now" questions AFTER they've dug it up...

 

[yashu]

…people who get crazy about stuff other people do?‍

…man that drives me nuts!

 

[Cajunrider]

Nothing drives me crazy cuz I am already there.

Yesterday I went to work wearing a nice dress suit. After a full day of meeting I decided to drive to the preserve to unwind. There I saw a swampy creek being dammed by the beavers. Near the middle of the creek I saw a BC chopped down by beavers. Next to it were the twin twisted BCs. So I put on my boots, grabbed the root slayer, and took the twin home before the beavers could kill them.

PS: I should have taken a video of me doing that.

I just realized I did that on April fools’ day.

It's actually both--crape or crepe. Like "colour" and "color" there is no "correct" way to spell it. There's no need to slight us Americans for using a different spelling than "the rest of the world" (which isn't really true.) And no, the name's attribution is varied, some say it's derived from what the flowers look like, others say "crape" is from the old French word for "crimson" the COLOR of the flowers, or "crepe" from the Greek word for Mulberry--which Crape Myrtle is related to.

More generally, some minor annoyances the insistence on using "yamadori" to apply only to trees that adhere to the literal translation of the word (when even the Japanese really don't do that) and then holding a grudge against those the word use the word for general collected trees. the absolute bullheadedness in refusing to get a decent (doesn't have to be expensive) pot for their trees. Then there's the "what kind of tree is this" or "what do I do now" questions AFTER they've dug it up...

I am guilty on a few occasions for the “what kind of tree is this” after I’ve dug them up. So far they are the trash trees that we want to take out anyway. Most recent one was a tallow with a nice trunk that I dug up in the winter. As soon as the buds break, it went into the trash can. No guilt on that one.

 

[ShadyStump]

It drives me nuts when people spend more time arguing semantics over terminology than actually doing the damned thing.
Seriously, people, get a hobby.


On the pronunciation thing, it's as simple as this: I'm an American who speaks with a Midwest American accent, and will pronounce any word in that fashion. I'd expect anyone from anywhere speaking any language to pronounce foreign words in their own accent, perhaps making efforts or adjustments for the sake of bridging communication barriers. You should expect the same from me.
The English language especially, but really any language, has adopted and/or adapted countless foreign words for their own cultural purposes, including saying them in their own native way.

 

[Srt8madness]

My wife will tell you she get annoyed when I pronounce bonsai properly instead of “bonzai”. Most the time I just say it wrong so people know what I’m talking about.

I'm on your wife's side. I'll never pronounce it "correctly"

 

[Bob Hunter]

But they do not do it that way in Japan!

 

[penumbra]

Half the people here drive me nuts, but I'll get over it.

 

[Cajunrider]

Half the people here drive me nuts, but I'll get over it.

But but but we are ALL BNutters! You are discriminating half of us.

 

[Gabler]

For some reason the plural "bonsais" drives me nuts. I've always used "bonsai" as an adjective to describe the type of tree; i.e. "I have three bonsai trees," not "I have three bonsais."

 

[namnhi]

Nothing drives me crazy cuz I am already there.

Yesterday I went to work wearing a nice dress suit. After a full day of meeting I decided to drive to the preserve to unwind. There I saw a swampy creek being dammed by the beavers. Near the middle of the creek I saw a BC chopped down by beavers. Next to it were the twin twisted BCs. So I put on my boots, grabbed the root slayer, and took the twin home before the beavers could kill them.

PS: I should have taken a video of me doing that.

Uncle, that would be a good episode of Swamp People but a bonsai version.

 

[Cajunrider]

Uncle, that would be a good episode of Swamp People but a bonsai version.

My lady mumbled sumting about dry cleaning and buying washable dress suits.

 

[BrianBay9]

People who don't bother to do any research on their own before asking for help. This site has dammed near everything you could ask for. If not there's a whole internet universe. Put in a little effort.

 

[cheap_walmart_art]

Pretty sure either spelling for the myrtle is acceptable.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Every day I don't drive someone crazy is a plus.

 

[Cruiser]

As someone who measures trees professionally..
Using circumference to describe trunk width is misleading. It makes a tree seem bigger than it really is.

Just use diameter. It’s easier to comprehend a distance from one side to another rather than around an object. Side A to side B.

 

[Juanmi]

People exaggerating the spiritual thing saying things about bonsai like "it's so zen" or "it gives me peace".

 

[MiniSempervirens]

The little mushrooms or toy cars or figurines (other than some really classy looking ones) that people stick in their pots like they are a diorama. I'm a total newbie, have no room to judge, and would never say anything to them or tell them I think it looks dumb. If it makes them happy, I'm very glad for them. But every time I see it I can't help but think how silly it looks.