Dad is addicted to growing Diospyros cathayensis bonsai, and whenever he sees a beautiful one he wants to add it to his collection - what should we do?

Dad is addicted to growing Diospyros cathayensis bonsai, and whenever he sees a beautiful one he wants to add it to his collection - what on earth should we do!

Dad doesn't smoke or drink, but he has one habit the whole family can't stand: buying bonsai! Every time he sees a nice-looking bonsai, he doesn't even think twice before hauling it home, and he's had quite a few arguments with Mom over it. By now it's clear that getting him to give up this hobby is very hard, and in the end she compromised. Over the years, Dad has taken his share of losses buying bonsai, and he's much more sensible now.

Recently he picked up two more Diospyros cathayensis bonsai. Sigh! The old habit has struck again. Truly, once you get into bonsai, you're in deep as the sea. Over these years he's spent nearly 100,000 yuan on bonsai alone. He'd agreed to buy just one, but Dad said good things come in pairs, and he liked both of them so much it was hard to choose. Still, after all these years of looking at bonsai with Dad, I have to say these two Diospyros cathayensis are quite ornamental.

What's more, these two Diospyros cathayensis have already set fruit. In fact, in the earlier years when Dad didn't understand bonsai so well, he raised one for three to five years without ever seeing it fruit. It turns out Diospyros cathayensis comes in male and female, and if you want to grow a beautiful bonsai yourself, you really can't do it without some genuine skill. Dad is especially fond of Diospyros cathayensis, and by now he's half an expert. There's a saying, "one takes on the color of one's company" - gradually I've come to feel that growing bonsai is a profound art.

If you also like Diospyros cathayensis, you can dig one up yourself to grow. Pot it and it's easy to keep for a few years. Generally, after several years of careful cultivation, plus pruning and shaping, it can take form. As a tree species that combines the merits of flowers, fruit, trunk and scenery for viewing, Diospyros cathayensis is truly worth growing. Still, with bonsai, just having enough to enjoy is fine - don't be greedy for more.