The centuries-old art of bonsai is enjoying a modern-day renaissance, with the global market for the tiny trees predicted to nearly double to $15.8 billion by 2028.
Roberto Jose Coquis, SIS/BA ’93, president of the Northern Virginia Bonsai Society, began cultivating his green thumb 10 years ago as a new dad. “I was looking for a hobby I could do at home,” says Coquis, deputy director of human resources for Barbaricum. The parallels were unmistakable: “You feed them, nurture them, help them develop.” And as with parenting, “you’ll never master bonsai,” laughs Coquis, who has about 40 plants in all stages, from cuttings in paper cups to trees in pots. “You’re always learning—that’s the joy of it.”
The mentorship that comes with being in a club like his helps, however. “You can watch YouTube videos, but you’re still going to ask yourself: Should I cut this branch? Should I wire this one up or down? Or should I cut everything off? Having those conversations with someone with years of experience is a great way to grow.”
Illustration by Jaylene Arnold
Snips in a snap—a beginner’s guide to what to trim:
- Limbs growing close to the ground
- Hanging branches
- Crossing branches
- Branches returning to the center of the tree or growing upward
- Branches with unnatural twists and turns
- Branches growing parallel to each other
- Branches growing from the same height on the trunk
- Branches that compete with the trunkline
- Disproportionately thick branches at the top