Bonsai Trees

The popularity of the bonsai dates back to about 4000 B.C.. During the Song Dynasty,the Chinese experienced a lot of cultural growth,thus developing their own practices. Our Bonsai was then called "the bowls tree". During the Tokugawa period, gardens decorating homes were for the wealthy.Finally,around 1800, Japanese began using the Chinese term penzai for this art form, meaning they could now use shallower pots,or trays,and could now style these small trees.Now known as the

bonsai. In the nineteenth century, bonsai began seeing popularity the world over. Japan opened to the world, and so did their bonsai. The small trees were featured in exhibits in London, Paris, Vienna, and eventually at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900. In Japan today, it is still regarded as a symbol of their families ideals and heritage. Many still use the maple or azalea.

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..."do you think this miniature landscape is big? Do you think it is small? I will blow on the water and raise up billows from the four seas. I will water the peak and send down a torrent from the ninth heaven! The person who waters the stones sets the cosmos in order. The one who changes the water turns the whole sea upside down. Those are the changes in nature which attain a oneness in my mind. Anyway, the relative size of things is an uncertain business. Why, there is a vast plain on a fly's eyelash and whole nations in a snail's horn, a Chinese philosopher has told us. Well what do you think?"...

-Kokan Shiren

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When starting a bonsai, you must envision what the end result will be. Take it in from all sides and remember that this tree mimics the large trees we see every day. It should have a life all its own. The tree doesn't conform to you, it's the other way around. There are five basic styles to a bonsai.

• Formal Upright.In this style, trees grow in perfect conditions in the open. The trunk grows straight, and the branches grow symmetrically. Much like a Christmas tree.
  Recommended:Juniper, pine,maple, and spruces.


• Informal Upright is a style in which the trunk bends slightly, much like you see in nature. Trees grow toward the light or away from wind. When creating a bonsai using this style, the tree's trunk and branches should never be turned toward the viewer.
  Recommended: Beech, japanese maple, and conifers.


• Slanting,when trees slant at an angle, it's due to winds or shade in earlier development. The trunk leans, and the branches and roots work together to support the weight of the bonsai.
  Recommended: conifers are best, but most would work well.


• In Cascade, the branches grow long beyond the base of the pot.
  Recommended: As long as the tree isn't strongly upright, it will do well.


• Semi-Cascade is a style that grows very horizontally.
  Recommended: Cedars,junipers and flowering cherries are best.

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When choosing a container and tray, it is very important that your tray and tree compliment each other. Remember that your stand is a way to bring attention to your bonsai.

The rule of bonsai is there are no rules. This is to be a relationship between you and your bonsai. Sort of a journey. In learning about the tree, you learn more about yourself. So, try to think of it as an experience.