Marcela Ferreira does not like traditional forest plantings which are usually very formulaic. She finds them ‘anally retentive’ and boring. They don’t evoke anything in her mind. Marcela stressed that the bonsai artist needs to find their own voice in bonsai.

With natives, suckering is desirable. More of an effort is needed to create an Australian native habitat rather than emulating Japanese and Western planting styles. Marcela’s aim is to try to develop native species the way they grow in the wild, to exploit their inherent potential. Don’t try to make a forest of one species in the natural style of another species. Know what you are working with. Look around you for natural planting styles and get inspiration from them.

When replanting into a bonsai container, Marcela doesn’t bare root because she wants to keep the microbe activity (often essential for healthy growth) so she leaves some of the original soil around the roots, as well as adding some of the original soil to the potting mix she is using. Don’t leave big roots or the tap root directly under the tree, cut them back to prevent them from thickening.

If you are mixing species in a forest or saikei (planted landscape) try to choose species that like the same growing conditions.

This arrangement immediately brings to mind the way many of our natives naturally develop in the wild. It has a definite form, yet a wildness that is uniquely attractive and definitely not boring. The pot mimics nature and blends perfectly with the setting.