An Introduction To Bonsai - The Living Art

Many people think of art as a sculpture or painting but art can take many forms. The art of bonsai is the art of sculpting a tree, a living thing as opposed to working with raw materials such as stone or clay.

Bonsai is traditionally a Japanese art and the word literally means “tree in a tray“. Bonsai trees are shaped by carefully pruning them to produce a miniature bushes in a shapely form. These are not genetic dwarf trees but are created through years of patiently shaping the ordinary species of the tree.

Bonsai’s are produced from ordinary trees and bushes like pine and maple and many others as well. They are kept in a small pot and have particular care needs due to the constant shaping and grooming they receive.

They require controlled soil conditions and a perfect temperature to be healthy. The bonsai artist must learn how to pot and repot the plants as well as how to prune them properly.

Watering Is extremely important - over water them and the tree will rot and die. Don’t water them enough and the tree will wilt and die. The perfect amount of water is necessary for your bonsai to be healthy and lush.

Drainage is critical to the bonsai tree and therefore the soil you use and potting techniques are very important. Your pruning ability will also be affected by the soil quality and water.

All of these added concerns - the watering, the soil, the re-potting combined to make bonsai one of the most difficult art forms around. Not only does the artists need to shape a beautiful piece, he also needs to keep it alive!

Not only does the bonsai artist need to be a gardener and no how to properly care for the different species of trees he also needs to know how to prune them properly in the different styles of pruning. There are five basic styles cascade, semi-cascade, slanting, informal upright informal upright and then from those there are dozens of advanced permutations and styles.

As you can see, it takes a bonsai artist many years to become a master. In fact, craftsmen can work for several years to make one tree which will then live for over a hundred years. Many times these trees are passed from generation to generation with each generation pruning it in their own style.

Horticulture itself is not an easy craft and growing miniature works of art out of trees is a skill that takes a lot of training and experience. A great bonsai artist needs a lifetime of learning but is well worth the effort as bonsai is an art admired around the world for it’s beauty and unique style.

In this day and age it’s nice to know that the old art of creating individually handcrafted miniature trees is still revered.

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