Bonsai

Bonsai (pronounced bone-sigh) is an ancient oriental horticultural art form.
The word Bonsai literally means, in both the Chinese and Japanese language, potted tree.
Originally developed in the Orient almost 2000 years ago, today the sublime art of bonsai is practiced throughout the world.
Bonsai information
Shape, harmony, proportion & scale are all weighed carefully as art, and the human hand combines this in a common cause with nature.
A tree planted in a small pot is not a bonsai until it has been pruned, shaped, and trained into the desired shape.
Bonsai are kept small by careful feeding and control of the plant's growing conditions.
Only branches important to the overall design of the bonsai are allowed to remain and unwanted growth is pruned away.
Roots are confined to a pot and are periodically clipped in order to produce a root ball of fine feeder roots.
Bonsai may have a stylized or an exaggerated form ... but, as found in nature.
The appearance of old age is much prized and bonsai may live to be hundreds of years old.

The bonsai will change from season to season and from year to year requiring pruning and training throughout it's lifetime ... and as time goes on it will become more and more beautiful and valuble.
It is impossible to write a simple set of care rules as every species of plant has it's own special needs, each location and environment is different too, and have to be considered.
Therefore it is important when starting in bonsai to read all you can on the art.
Take advantage of your local bonsai club.

Bonsai History

Bonsai Tree Styles

Information and pictures of bonsai tree styles in english & japanese terms.

There are many different styles of bonsai, but some are more common than others. These include formal upright, informal upright, cascade, semi-cascade, raft, literati, and group / forest.

The formal upright is just as the name suggests, and is characterized by a tapering trunk and balanced branches. The informal upright is much like the formal, but may bend and curve slightly, although for aesthetic quality the tree should never lean away from the viewer.

Cascade and semi-cascade are modeled after trees that grow over water or on the sides of mountains. Semi-cascades lean just over the rim of the pot where as cascades fall below the base of the pot.

Raft style bonsai are bonsai which mimic a natural phenomenon where a tree that has been toppled (typically due to erosion or another natural force) begins to grow a new root system out of the part of the trunk that is in contact with the ground. Raft bonsai are typically planted with the original root system still intact and in contact with the soil. The bark on the underside of the trunk is trimmed off until the smooth wood underneath is visible; this wood is then placed in contact with the soil and, typically, the trunk is buried either immediately or over time. This group of bonsai can include many other styles such as sinuous, straight-line, and group planting styles. These all give the illusion of a group of trees, but are actually the branches of a tree planted on its side.

The literati style is the hardest to define, but is seen often. The word literati is used in place of the Japanese bunjin which is a translation of the Chinese word wenren meaning "scholars practiced in the arts". The literati style is usually characterized by a small number of branches typically placed higher up on a long, contorted trunk. Literati bonsai often have the base of the crown beginning at a height lower than an S-shaped trunk bend, and the primary branch growing from below the S-bend, leading down and outwards with graceful sweeping lines. Their style is inspired by the Chinese paintings of pine trees that grew in harsh climates, struggling to reach the light of the sun.

A group or forest bonsai display is, as the name suggests, a number of bonsai (typically an odd number if there are three or more trees) placed together in a pot. Typically the number of trees in a forest style display is fifty or less, though there is no formal limit to this number. The trees are often the same species and are styled accordingly; although group or forest bonsai tend to contain smaller trees (which would be classified as mame style bonsai if they were planted alone), larger trees may be used.

Additionally, bonsai are classed by size. There are a number of specific techniques and styles associated with mame and shito sizes, the smallest of bonsai. These are often small enough to be grown in thimble-sized pots, and due to their minuscule size require special care and adhere to different design conventions.

Bonsai Tree Styles

Formal Upright Chokkan

Informal Upright Moyogi

Slanting / Leaning Shakkan

Cascade Kengai

Semi Cascade Han-Kengai

Forest / Group Yose-Ue

Root Over Rock Seki-Joju

Double Trunk Sokan

Split Trunk Sabamiki

Triple Trunk Sankan

Raft Ikadabuki

Wind Swept Fukinnagashi

Literati Bujingi

Broom style Hokidachi

Multi Trunk Kabudachi

Growing in a Rock Ishisuki

Driftwood Style Sharimiki

Weeping Shidare-Zukuri

Exposed Root Negari

Root Connected Netsunagari