In ancient times, the Chinese began to shape trees in ways they felt improved on nature, and gradually learned to keep a normally full-size tree small enough to fit into a garden pot or even a shallow bowl on a table. The practice spread to Japan, where it was formalized, the plants were called bonsai trees, and the art became a traditional part of national life. At the end of World War II, the dwarfed trees became known in the western world as well, and today millions of enthusiasts around the world enjoy owning and creating these carefully crafted plants.
Any woody plant can be used, since the ides is to mimic a full-grown tree in miniature. Species of pine are used in Japan, as are fruit trees of different kinds, while varieties of western juniper are commonly used in the United States. California redwoods, the largest of trees, are sometimes trained to live in a pot that one man can move.
The whole idea is to create an impression of a healthy but tiny tree, one either flourishing in a friendly environment and showing perfection of shape and density of foliage, or one enduring harsh conditions but struggling along year after year. For this reason, artists choose species with either small leaves, or those that can be made to grow smaller than usual ones, or evergreens with fine and small needles.
Nurseries and online sites offer either finished bonsai plants or guidance to suitable varieties. Plants can be grown from seed, but it is easier to start with a more mature plant, with a sturdy trunk that is still pliable enough to be shaped. For a straight, flourishing tree, it is necessary to have a tapering trunk with regular branches, although perfect symmetry is not an objective. For the twisted effect of the familiar crooked examples often assumed to be the norm, training with wires or even strong clamps is done, to a preconceived design.
Other styles show a tree shaped by the struggle for life. The effect may be achieved by removing or scarring the bark, twisting and bending the trunk as if shaped by strong, prevailing winds, or having the tree grow over or out of a rock. Some artists train the trunk to lie horizontally, with the branches growing up to simulate many small trees. Others cause many sprouts to grow from one root mass, giving the final impression of a close grouping of trees on a hilltop.
Before trying to create a bonsai tree of your own, you will want to read up on the subject. There are traditional ways, or categories, in which the plants are trained. Some are upright, some slanted, some drooping down over the sides of the shallow containers that are preferred. Some trees are even trained horizontally, while others are contorted as if by long years spent growing in a prevailing and too strong wind.
There are many tools, training guides, exhibitions, and gardens where bonsai may be seen. Nurseries often sell them and they can be ordered online. The real fans of the dwarfed plants will want to create their own, seeing if they can achieve what their inner eye sees, and then hoping to keep the tree alive and conformed to the original vision year after year. There is a bonsai tree over 500 years old, revered as one of Japan’s great treasures.
Bonsai trees require dedication and commitment, since the tree is stressed and must be carefully watered, fertilized, and trimmed on a regular schedule. The rewards are great, however, both in beauty and in inner satisfaction.
Doc Number: 38573026583
If you’re curious about a bonsai, then visit Gabriel Meriwether’s site and learn about the ficus bonsai.