Lego story #020: The only houseplant you'll ever need: the Lego Bonsai

Make Valentine's last forever!

I tried growing flowers once. 

It was in undergrad, when I had an unbelievable amount of free time. Those were days when I'd hop into my borrowed car, turn the music up LOUD, and drive around town or beyond just for fun.

How did I get the idea of planting sweet peas then? No clue. Anyway, there was a small patch of earth by the front door of the house I rented with five other girls. 

I cleared it, planted 16 seeds. Erected a green trellis I made from Walmart-bought sticks that looked like thin versions of faux bamboo.

What came of it? Two flowers, in fact!!

I'm quite proud of it now, though back then I was disappointed by the poor showing (2 out of 16 seeds) and short-lived happiness (killed by Texan sun). Maybe I shouldn't have pulled out all the earthworms?

No matter. Now I have a plant that never dies: the Lego Bonsai (10281). 

"Sure," you say, "it's never died 'cos it's never lived!"

Oh, but I beg to differ. 

Even thoroughly man-made creations have a life of their own. Think of the characters in your favorite TV show or movie. Harry Potter? Hermione? (When the Harry Potter movies ended I was a bit depressed, because it felt like saying goodbye to friends.)

So what more the Lego Bonsai—which can shed leaves in the winter, sprout again in spring, blossom pink in March, and turn yellow in autumn.

While the set does not come with autumn leaves, you could purchase your own on Bricklink or elsewhere. 

It does come with cherry blossom flowers and leaves (some of the blossoms are Lego frogs, if you look closely), which gives the Bonsai set really good value.

Here's what building the Bonsai looks like:

First, the bonsai pot.

It's got short, stable legs made of Lego tires with a nice rubbery feel. Non-slip!

Next, the trunk. I realized later that I'd angled the branches wrongly (above) and fixed it (below). Indeed, you can rotate the branches to point in different directions.

A little tree frog.

Below are foliage pieces.

You attach small leaves and green flowers to a large leaf (below).

Attach three large leaves to one of these connectors below:

The connected leaves will look like so:

Finally, a sleek stand that makes your display more classy.

And not forgetting the "pebbles" in the pot, made of four pastel-like colors.

I was lucky to receive the Bonsai for Valentine's Day as an extra-special gift this year. All in good time for sakura (cherry blossom) season in March.

This year's March was incredibly rainy. "There goes sakura season," I thought. "Ruined." So I enjoyed it in plastic form instead. 

Fortunately, the sun came out eventually and we enjoyed two days outdoors under the blooms. Funnily, though, I got more joy out my Lego bonsai than the real thing...

If you don't know your Mandalorians, the enigmatic fellow on the right is Din Djarin. He's the titular character of the Star Wars Mandalorian TV series. 

His fellow picnicker is a green-caped version of Boba Fett, who wears Mandalorian armor but isn't a proper Mandalorian (that's another story).

This particular Boba Fett isn't a standard Lego minifigure but a keychain minifigure. 

Keychain minifigures can be as cheap as USD 6. But they have no handheld accessories and are secured to a key ring by a sort of metal pin that runs through their head and torso. Removing the pin can be done, as I learned from YouTube, with a metal fork and some force. You may need pliers too. Just be careful not to pop that metal in someone's face!

Also, you might not be able to remove a keychain minifigure's legs. Or, the legs are removable but can't be attached to regular minifigures.

Most significantly, the removal process leaves a hole in the top of your minifig's head.

But if you don't mind these "flaws," keychains are a cheap way to get a character you want without buying an entire set.

Anyway, when autumn comes round I hope to post a fall-version Bonsai. Meanwhile, cheers!