PROSPECTIVE and active hobbyists crowded the 8th National Bonsai Show from Feb.27 to March 2 at the Atrium of CSI the City Mall in barangay Lucao here, all wanting to learn the latest in bonsai culturing for fun and for a living.

Hosted by the Pangasinan Bonsai Society (PBS) headed by Michael Morden, the bonsai show is the 8th of a series done in the same venue, displaying the best and most comprehensive collections of bonsai plants in the country today.

Participated in by exhibitors from Pangasinan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and various parts of the Ilocos Region, Pampanga and Manila, the five-day Bonsai Show had Bobby Gopiao, president of the National Bonsai Society, as main guest.

Morden said different bonsai clubs from north, central Luzon and Manila participated in the exhibit that showcased the collections of big-time bonsai collectors and beginners in various parts of the country.

The bonsai show included film showing and lectures on how to culture the bonsai by well-known practitioners.

Jun Gutierrez, a member of the PBS from Calasiao town, said he became a hobbyist six years ago after learning the craft from his nephew in Manila. He said he attended regular shows conducted by the PBS where he had a chance to exchange notes with other hobbyists.

He said raising a bonsai plant needs a lot of patience that starts from finding the right materials and thru putting the right amount of care to the plant as if it was your own baby.

Gutierrez said there are enough materials for bonsai in Pangasinan. Hobbyists often risk their lives climbing mountains and going down cliffs while hunting for the right plants.

He said one of the best materials for bonsai is bantique that used to teem in Bolinao till it went scarce, prompting the municipal government to ban the gathering and extraction of the plant.

Others, he said, even go to Fuga Island off Cagayan where bantique is reportedly abundant.

A bonsai of bantique costs up to P100,000 or more, saying he has one which he estimates to be 80 years old.

He said another material is cantaromas, which used to teem as a wild vine in the beaches of Dagupan during the pre and post-war years till it also went extinct due to massive extraction.