Archive for Bonsai
March 31, 2009 at 4:04 pm · Filed under Bonsai
Say ‘art’ and most will think of painting or sculpture. There is a kind of sculpture, though, that takes as its raw material not stone or wood but a living tree. That is the art of bonsai.
From the Japanese word for ‘tree in a tray’, Bonsai is the art and product of shaping trees by careful pruning to produce a miniature tree or bush. Not produced from genetic dwarfs, bonsai are the result of years of patient shaping of ordinary species by master artists.
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March 31, 2009 at 4:03 pm · Filed under Bonsai
The craft of shaping miniature trees in a small pot first arose over a thousand years ago in China, where it was known as pun-sai.
Even then the variety of individual bonsai was astonishing, as known from ancient drawings. Gnarled, faux-windswept trunks, with sparse leaves to full-flowering miniature blossoming trees dot the historic record.
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March 25, 2009 at 10:03 am · Filed under Bonsai
Bonsai - How To Care For: Maple
Maples come in a variety of sub-species, but all of them make beautiful bonsai trees. Slightly more difficult to care for, they are nonetheless greatly in demand by bonsai enthusiasts. Their leafy appearance is attractive, particularly in the fall when they turn to yellow and red, just as do the full-sized maples.
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March 25, 2009 at 10:02 am · Filed under Bonsai
Bonsai - How To Care For: Blue Junipers
Junipers are, along with pine, another of the common species sought by beginning bonsai enthusiasts. And for good reason: it’s a beautiful species that tolerates a wide variety of conditions well.
Junipers make an especially good species for the kengai (cascade) style in which the trunk and branches grow out over the pot and below the horizontal surface.
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March 8, 2009 at 8:59 pm · Filed under Bonsai
The goal of most bonsai artists is to emulate nature, while at the same time stylizing it. This effort extends beyond the caring and shaping of the tree itself to every element of the display. That includes ground cover.
In far too many bonsai simple moss or rocks are used to complement the tree or plant. But with little effort the bonsai enthusiast can expand the choices to include deadwood, ground cover plants, or even entirely artificial miniature sculpture. These, too, occur in natural settings in Japanese gardens.
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March 8, 2009 at 8:58 pm · Filed under Bonsai
Since bonsai are grown from ordinary, not dwarf, species, their small size is primarily the result of pruning, both branches and roots.
Though much learning and experience is required for proper soil preparation, watering and other needed skills, no other aspect is so critical for making the bonsai more than just a small tree. It’s the key to making it a fine work of art.
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March 8, 2009 at 8:57 pm · Filed under Bonsai
Adding moss or other living ground cover to your bonsai design can result in a beautiful complement to your tree. Or, it can be a distraction. The goal is to keep the tree at the center of the viewers attention. But that needn’t mean it must be the only thing the audience looks at every moment. You can add pictorial elements that provide balance and interest without overwhelming the scene.
One means of achieving that goal is to add sculptural items around the ground beneath the tree branches. Some are cheesy - miniature Buddha have been way over done. But some are elegant, tasteful and even beautiful in their own right.
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March 6, 2009 at 5:59 pm · Filed under Bonsai
Bonsai is in a way like photography - it is possible to buy dozens of expensive ‘add-ons’ to the basic equipment. Some of these are helpful, others merely give you the feeling that ‘Gee, I’m really an artist’. Tools do not make the artist - the artist uses tools.
But there are tools which are essential to creating the work of art that is each individual tree. Shears, cutters, tweezers, rakes and others will help you shape the bonsai tree. They can help you make the difference between a small, scraggly plant and a beautifully sculpted bonsai tree.
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