We all know money doesn’t grow on them, but for one of our accountants trees offer something much more valuable.
As a bonsai enthusiast, Alison Mortimer sees in every tree the potential to create a fascinating mini version of itself.
And not only does she enjoy nurturing her extensive collection of bonsai trees but she’s also pretty good at it.
She recently won several awards from the Yorkshire Bonsai Society at the Harrogate Flower Show, including Best in Show.
She said: “You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out! The trees are judged on a range of criteria and I got 98% for the Best in Show bonsai, which is amazing!”
Alison’s tree, a cork bark maple, won the first prize for the ‘Deciduous tree over 18”’ class and was named Best in Show. It triumphed over 102 other bonsai shown on the Yorkshire Bonsai Society stand across 13 classes.
Alison was also awarded first prize in the Shohin class for deciduous trees up to 10 inches with a cotoneaster, while her horse chestnut came third in the native tree class.
Bonsai means ‘small tree in a pot’ and is the traditional Japanese art of creating a living miniature version of a full-sized mature tree. It is achieved through a variety of techniques that manipulate the tree’s growth.
Alison said: “In theory, any tree can be turned into a bonsai. The aim is to make the miniature version look just like the full size tree. The hardest ones are species such as magnolia as they have large flowers or the horse chestnut as they have very large leaves so don’t miniaturise as well. It’s best to pick trees that will miniaturise quite well such as beech, Chinese elms, cotoneasters or azaleas.”
Alison’s interest was piqued at the age of 19 when she came across a book about bonsai in a charity shop. At the time, her father had an azalea that wasn’t doing too well, so she decided to see if she could miniaturise it.
She said: “I decided to bonsai it and it just started from there. I find it fulfilling – it’s quite therapeutic and meditative, too.”
Alison is a member and treasurer of the York Bonsai Society and goes to workshops across Yorkshire to expand her knowledge. She grew bonsai as a hobby for a long time but started showing with the Yorkshire Bonsai Society about ten years ago.
She added: “I currently have 57 trees in my garden, all in pots, including maple, pyracantha, oak, quince, hawthorns, beech, azalea’s, blackthorn and many others. I am a bit obsessed, although I do have other hobbies too!”
As a semi-senior accountant who has worked at Lithgow Perkins for 22 years, Alison helps our clients look after their finances as expertly as she nurtures her bonsai trees. Why not get in touch to find out how she can help by calling 01423 564 446.
And if you enjoyed reading about Alison’s hobby outside of her day job, why not find out what some of the other members of our team get up to when they’re not at work. Discover how one of our partners, Tom Rhodes, swaps numbers for words in his spare time, or read about office manager Phillip Robinson’s prowess at the pool table.