About | Bonsai Southwest Plymouth Devon UK

About Bonsai Southwest

Quality Bonsai Trees, Supplies and Services. Bonsai Design & Consultation.
Suiseki, Viewing Stones & Custom Made Daiza.Growing Pre-Bonsai Material for Mame & Shohin Bonsai lovers. Other services include Holiday Care, Repotting & Pruning Service, Tuition.

The Team

Growing bonsai since the age of 14, Fred brings 40 years of experience and good reputation with growing bonsai and making suiseki.

Mainly self-taught he was also fortunate to learn the trade from some of the best bonsai artists in the world among them is Harry Tomlinson & his wife Petra Engelke who became a great friends.

In 2018 Fred had to sell his entire collection of over 200 trees due to serious ill health which meant he was unable to care for them. After recovering from that and adapting to his new life in a wheelchair, he has started again from scratch with Bonsai Southwest and is looking forward to continuing helping others get started in this marvellous way of life. The aim is to create a small nursery that sells starter material for mame and shohin size bonsai although there will of course be some larger trees among them.

Fred is constantly updating his knowledge database with contemporary techniques and bonsai philosophy and is currently a member of the UK Bonsai Association.

To promote the art to newcomers and teach advanced techniques to the more experienced he did public demonstrations at many events and bonsai, koi and gardening clubs as well as teaching bonsai for Devon County Council.

When the opportunity arose he started a bonsai society in Plymouth which flourished under his guidance. (Shohin Bonsai Society, named after Petra Engelke's pony not the bonsai size.)

For ten years he was head chef and caterer for the well-known ‘Camp Bonsai’ events at Greenwood Bonsai Studio in Nottingham that were run by his friend and mentor Harry Tomlinson. This gave Fred the unique opportunity to expand his knowledge with intense learning from dozens of world-famous bonsai artists from all over the world many of which he is still in contact with.

Fred has exhibited his work and won many awards in bonsai shows at both local and national level. He has helped out on several displays at RHS Rosemoor in Devon to assist with their promotion of Japanese gardening and horticulture. In 1998, Hirozumi Ichihara, the president of the Japanese Satsuki Azalea Association awarded him a special certificate of merit at the “National Bonsai and Satsuki Azalea Exhibition” for his excellent work with the specialist azalea variety.

A Little History

Working on a Lilac with Harry Tomlinson.

Having fun with Petra Engelke & Harry Tomlinson.

In the garden with his azaleas.

Teaching at Greenwood Gardens 'Camp Bonsai Event'

With Marc Noelanders.

With Peter Chan, Dunstable.

With Hotsumi Terakawa.

With Randy Clark. USA.

With Dan Barton. UK

Having fun with some great bonsai artists at Greenwood Gardens 'Camp Bonsai'.

Bill Valevanis. USA

The Vision

The goal is to produce material for all levels of bonsai enthusiast. From beginner to the more advanced bonsai grower.

Using the best traditional and contemporary techniques and materials aiming to supply pre-bonsai material with plenty of potential for making a high quality finished tree.

From materials to workshops and lessons keeping things as simple and as reasonably priced as possible.