What Is A Bonsai Tree?!

I'd always wondered who came up with the bright idea of not just keeping a plant in a pot, but miniaturizing the thing. Apparently, there are sketches in Egyptian tombs of mini-trees in pots that are thought to date back 4,000 years! It is suspected that medicinal plants were grown this way and carried with caravans trading in Asia in case travellers fell ill.

More recently, the 2000 year old Chinese art of penjing ("potted scenery") was brought to Japan between the 7th and 9th Centuries. The Chinese tradition is more freestyle, with the trees being more lightly pruned and meant for outdoor display. Japanese bonsai are much more heavily groomed and pruned to produce works of art meant for indoor display.

"Bonsai" is a Japanese term that simply means "potted plant".

Go Here to find out More About Bonsais

In general, it seems that just about any tree can be grown as a bonsai -- the "trick" is to know how to prune the leaves and roots so you can shape the tree's growth. Here are some of the more popular and easy to grow species of Bonsai Trees:

• Satsuki Azalea
This one is quite hardy and flowers in late spring. Depending on species, the seven-petaled flowers can be all one color or multi-colored.


• Cotoneaster
This one is also very hardy and comes in many styles and varieties. It has small leaves and white flowers and little red berries that bloom in spring.


• Crabapple
This is easy to grow and has little white flowers in spring, followed by little fruits that resemble mini-apples. The "apples" ripen in the fall and have a variety of colors.


• Dwarf Pomegranate
In the spring, this one produces orange-red trumpet shaped flowers that are followed by little ornamental fruits. The trunk is often twisted and gnarled to give it a dramatic appearance.


• Maple (Japanese or Trident)
These don't flower much, but their main draw is in the deep red or gold color the leaves become in the fall.

For a lot more information on types of Bonsai Trees and how to decide which one is best for you, take a look at either of these books:

Bonsai Mastery Secrets
Bonsai Gardening Secrets

Wow... not only do you need to prune and trim a Bonsai Tree, but there are different *ways* to grow and shape them. On top of that, some people even grow more than one bonsai in the same pot. That's a little beyond me; I'll stick to one plant in a pot (and just one pot) until I get a better grasp of how to snip-snip. Here are four of the main single-trunk styles:

• Formal Upright (Chokkan)
This has a straight, upright trunk with many specific rules (there are *rules*?!) for branch placement. Basically, it looks like a mini-Christmas tree. There are also sub-categories, including broom style (informal upright), split trunk, exposed trunk, root-over-rock, and exposed root.


• Slanting (Shakan)
This is one of the more common styles, with a straight trunk that grows out of the soil at an angle.


• Cascade (Kengai)
This is where the tip of the tree is lower than the lip of the pot (semi-cascade) or the bottom of the pot (full cascade).


• Twisted (Bankan)
One of the more exotic styles that is probably most similar to what was introduced from China, a Twisted bonsai's trunk coils around itself like a Chinese Dragon.

To find out how to create these (or many other) styles of Bonsai Trees, get one (or both!) of these books:

Bonsai Mastery Secrets
Bonsai Gardening Secrets

There are soooo many different things to consider in the care of a bonsai! I can't believe I was so lucky that I only messed up the watering and location of the plant. Those are the ones that make the most immediate difference in how well the bonsai grows, but there are many other factors, including:

• Fertilizer
• Light
• Pruning
• Roots
• Soil

I go into a little more detail about these in my Who Cares About a Bonsai?! and Who *Really* Cares About a Bonsai?! lenses, but you can get much more comprehensive care instructions for Bonsai here:

Bonsai Mastery Secrets
Bonsai Gardening Secrets