Feb 12
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Bonsai trees have long been a way to bring a piece of nature inside so that you can enjoy a garden in miniature. No matter what form of bonsai you choose to grow or how you cultivate it though there are dozens of different aesthetics and styles you should keep in mind when pruning and growing your miniature trees.
Bonsai Tree Style
There are many different styles of bonsai tree. The tree’s “style” refers to the shape that you give it, how you prune it and what direction the tree grows in. For instance, traditional bonsai trees that you often see, with the angled curve off to one side, fall into the Shakan, or slanting form, style. There are dozens of others, and if you don’t want to pick a style there’s nothing that says you have to. You can always free form your bonsai.
Parent Tree
Bonsai is taken from a larger tree, and the part of that larger tree is planted in a pot to grow on its own. One portion of your aesthetics is in deciding just what that parent tree is, and which portion of it you take. The original “seed” of your bonsai can make a lot of difference, especially if it’s already growing in a given direction of if you can see it will develop a certain shape. Make your job easier and keep an idea of what you want to do with your bonsai before you even plant it.
Bonsai Pots
As referenced in http://www.bonsaitreegardener.net, the pot can add or detract from your bonsai tree’s overall aesthetic appeal. For instance, a plain pot that you get when you’re just starting out might be a good place to cultivate your bonsai tree, but it may also look cheap or boring next to the beautiful plant that’s growing up out of it. You need to be sure and pick a pot that complements both your living and working space as well as the bonsai tree that you’re growing. Try and change bonsai pots only when necessary so that your tree isn’t adversely affected by transplanting.
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Pruning
You should prune your bonsai trees regularly throughout the growing season. If you have a deciduous bonsai tree, then you need to use scissors in order to neatly trim up the plant and maintain its form. For coniferous, or evergreen, bonsai you need to grip the branches in your fingers and snap them at the weakest place. This helps avoid brown spots and dead patches in your bonsai that would otherwise show up if you were to use scissors.
Bed Arrangement
While a bonsai standing alone can be a statement all its own, as well as a great artistic look, you can also create an interesting and aesthetically pleasing look by planting other, small accents in the soil. As such you could create an entire miniature garden. However you need to be sure to keep everything trimmed and in proportion to everything else in order to maintain the illusion. Also keep enough water/nutrients in the soil.
Bonsai Tree Gardener is the The Best Blog For Japanese Bonsai Trees for beginners and experienced enthusiasts. If you want to learn more about how to the art of bonsai trees, visit their blog and subscribe to their RSS Feed for weekly blog posts and tips.
Related Reading:
London Gardens Walk - design & history tourThis eBook provides a guide to (1) gardens, parks and landscapes in Central London (2) garden-related exhibits in the British Museum (3) the history of Western garden design from prehistoric times to the present day. The list of London gardens to visit is linked to garden descriptions on the Gardenvisit.com website, which Tom Turner edits. He is also the author of books on Asian gardens (2010), European gardens (2011) and British gardens (December 2012). Table of Contents for London gardens walk: 1. Introduction and Travel Information; 2. Garden History Guide (style diagrams and illustrations guide the reader through 4000 years of western garden design); 3. London Landscape Design History (design ideas, often from gardens, have influenced London’s urban design and landscape architecture since Roman times); 4. British Museum Garden History Tour (a plan of the Museum shows how to find 21 objects which illuminate the history of garden and landscape design since antiquity); 5. London Gardens Walk (a map and guide take the visitor through examples representing the last 700 years of English garden design). 6. Timeline of Objects and Places (drawn from 4000 years of western garden history); 7. Further Information: books, websites, etc). The eBook has approximately 100 images, 7,000 words and two walking maps. ISBN 9780954230616
