Our Bonsai Nursery

Most of the trees we sell are grown on site, while some of the very ancient specimens are imported from Japan - grown on and then further refined at Herons.

Peter has been visiting Japan since the early 1980's to source and choose the rare bonsai material himself. Our range includes young starter trees which are very cheap to buy to major specimens which are sought after by connoiseurs and collectors. In between the two extremes, you will find the widest possible selection of bonsai in every size, species, price and style. No other nursery in the UK has the range and quality of trees that we have.

The picture below shows the range and variety of Outdoor Bonsai that we've had at Herons.
Our Satsuki Azaleas in bloom in June
Another view of our Satsuki area
Just some of the high quality specimen bonsai that we grow on the nursery. We are famous for our Maples but we have a massive range of Junipers, Pines and other evergreens too.
Not all our bonsai are expensive. This is a view of the budget section.
More budget trees - Deshojos and other Japanese maples in Spring.
A view of the entrance to our nursery- picture taken in early July
Bonsai in all shapes and sizes in another part of our vast nursery.
Peter Repotting a large Specimen Multi-Trunk White Pine.
We provide a repotting service for customers who are not confident to do it themselves. This takes place in February & March. 
You can also learn how to do it yourself on one of our workshops.
We have a massive selection of Indoor bonsai - the picture above shows our Greenhouse for Indoor trees.
Herons has always been famous for our high quality specimens.
This is Peter's famous "Split Trunk Maple' at a Chelsea Flower Show
Some of our medium size Japanese Maples or Acers which can be used for bonsai or as garden trees.
We have fields of them which we propagate ourselves from seed, cuttings and air-layerings.
We stock a huge range of large Japanese Garden Trees such as Pines and Maples.
Most of these are home grown at our nursery.
Very large Japanese White Pine garden tree.
More garden pines for landscaping. This is part of our landscaped Japanese 'Stroll garden'.
Our stock area where we develop and refine our bonsai.
Our retail display area in Autumn
Major Specimen Maples for which we are famous for. These two maples have been repotted and styled for one of our customers.
A very large Chinese Juniper bonsai with masses of driftwood.

This is a view of just part of our shop where you will find pots, tools and accessories of every shape and size. We stock everything to do with bonsai. You will not find a wider choice of pots in the UK. Bring your bonsai with you when you want to buy a pot - we can advise you on the size, style, shape and colour.

What is a Bonsai

In his book "Bonsai Secrets" which Peter wrote for the Readers Digest in 2006, he describes bonsai as 'a perfect miniature of a fully grown tree in its native habitat'. A real bonsai 'is a work of art. If it has not artistic merit, it is just an ordinary plant in a pot'. Many people buy bonsai as presents for their friends and relatives, but if you grow bonsai as a hobby, it is much more than that. Bonsai has an aristic and almost spiritual dimension to it. It is a medium of expression and a means of communicating with Nature.
Bonsai does not have to be expensive to be nice. It can be as cheap or as expensive as you wish it to be. It is not, as many people imagine, a special type of plant. A bonsai can be made from any tree or shrub: its shape is achieved by skillful manipulation and training of the trunk and branches so that it resembles a real tree in nature but on a much smaller scale.

The aim of bonsai is to keep the subject small and beautiful through regular watering, feeding, pruning, wiring and re-potting. All these skills can be learnt and the fascination of the hobby is to master this art. Bonsai teaches you patience and gives immense pleasure and peace of mind.
This is a major Trident Maple specimen over a hundred years old which has been in Peter's collection since 1989. A very rare and valuable bonsai.

This picture on the left here shows what can be created from ordinary home grown material.

Japanses Gardens

At Herons you will also find many examples of Japanese gardens and all the artefacts and accessories such as lanterns, water-basins, bamboo poles, fences and garden trees.
Our range of garden trees, lanterns and water basins are quite unique as most of them have been specially made for us. We have a huge range of Lanterns and other granite ornaments on the Nursery. Picture below show some of the lanterns we stock.



Over the years we have designed and constructed scores of Japanese Gardens in the UK and abroad.
The picture below is a courtyard garden we made for a customer in May 2017.

We provide a design, construction and maintenance service, Please contact  us if you are interested.

Workshops & Classes 

Much of the enjoyment of Bonsai comes from knowing how to grow and care for your trees and how to create your own Bonsai.

We hold workshops regularly at our Nursery to help you master the art of bonsai. The class dates are posted on the website here

 

Indoor Bonsai

Indoor bonsai can be great fun and make lovely gifts. To meet the growing demand for indoor trees we sell varieties which are easy to keep. These are mainly tropical and sub-tropical species. Again, we have more indoor bonsai than most other bonsai shops or nurseries. 
Make sure you buy the right type of bonsai. Outdoor should not be grown indoors and Indoor bonsai should be kept indoors in Winter and can be kept outdoors in Summer. All a bit confusing, but it is important to understand what care and conditions different types of bonsai require in order to grow well. Many shops and stores do not know the difference.
At Herons, we will give you the right advice.

Pots, Tools & Sundries

We stock a very extensive range of Bonsai tools and accessories.



At Herons you will find thousands of pots in all sizes, colours and shapes. Many comes from the famous kilns of Tokoname and Yixing and of course pots by British potters too. We stock both the high quality Japanese tools and the cheaper budget tools from China.
We also stock a selection of our own composts as well as Japanese soils such as Akadama, Kanuma, Hyuga and Fuji Sand.
Aluminium training wire, both clear and anodised is available in sizes from 1mm to 7mm.