At 13 I saw my first bonsai next to a koi pond during a pond tour in Dallas (one of my other hobbies) and I was hooked. That is when I started my bonsai journey.By the time I left for college my bonsai collection had grown quite large, but with my four year absence, many did not survive. The year I graduated with my environmental studies and business degree my parents decided to buy a farm for their future retirement. I saw this as an opportunity to become a farmer, growing truck vegetables and starting a blueberry and blackberry u-pick. At the same time I started expanding my bonsai collection, knowledge and skill. The great thing with a 110 acre farm is that I had plenty of extra to start experimenting.  I would pop a few trees in for the future, trying various growing techniques as I planted. I tried grow bags, planting in containers and letting roots escape, planting directly in the ground, planting in bog pots, and planting over tiles with various species. After many years I have found great techniques for growing guilty material which I hope to constantly improve.