The name ViBel is a simple derivation of the French wording "vie belle": It aims to capture that feeling of beauty in a presentation layer that suits the purpose.
That "says it all".
Starting With Bonsai at 65
Is it worth the while to start with bonsai after the age of 65 when you are on a budget? This website will hopefully prove that it certainly is.
Confessing to the lie, I admit that I have one Crab Apple that I'm taking care of since 2010 and a Tigerbark Ficus, that I've always considered to be a house plant . But then again these hardly fall under the definition of bonsai care taking as we understand it. On top of that, in 2014, I premeditatively planted an Acer palmatum Kiyohime in my front garden, hoping that it would be ready for bonsaification by the time I would retire.
Ikeda Bonsai
In 2025 I joined a bonsaiclub, called Ikeda Bonsai Wommelgem under guidance of Gonda De Smedt and Ronny Vannuten (bonsaidesigner.be), both experienced pupils of Danny Use and Marc Noelanders alike, as they teach us the way to care for our miniature trees and uniquely shape them. As a first and perhaps the most important tip I can't stress enough that joining a club brings you the knowledge, the connections and the resources to build out a good bonsai collection at a fraction of the cost of trees at commercial nurseries and at a quality level that most nurseries don't even have on offer. "Caveat Emptor. No voodoo either, thank you anyway".
So here we are. At ViBel you might find a few answers on how to achieve a high level collection with some valuable tips & tricks. Take your time to inform and re-inform yourself. It pays off many times over.
Do check out my findings. Let me know if and what you like about this approach and what you are missing. Don't hesitate to contact me with any question or suggestion on the subject. .
Why this website is in mainly in English and only partly in Dutch
ViBel.be's articles are available in English and Dutch. The progression part & commented pictures remain English only. The reasoning behind this is to keep web posting efforts as low as possible, writing in the most popular language in my sphere of interest and focus on information value rather than on Babel.
Roland
