The History of Bonsai|

Two Japanese words, bon and sai make up bonsai or planting in a pot. Bonsai is an ancient oriental horticultural art form. Bonsai is in excess of ten centuries old and began in China. The move from China to Japan occurred when Buddhist monks brought it over, tending the miniature trees with true compassion. The technique of bonsai improved and gained popularity with the Japanese. Bonsai is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees by raising living, miniature trees, often over a period of several years.

Recently the tradition that the bonsai was an outdoor plant has been lost. With modern design there is a move to incorporate indoor bonsai.

Bonsai is an ever changing piece of art with the growth of the plant and the work of the practitioner. Further changes will occur to bonsai with the normal changes inherent as the seasons pass. A large number of gardens in Japan incorporate bonsai to add to the beauty and to distinguish them. It is a blending of artistic ability with horticultural expertise.

Bonsai should embody all that is so wonderful about trees that grow naturally in such a variety of shapes and sizes. Bonsai is such that with the right care and attention most trees can form the starting point. It must be said some specific species are more sought after for use as bonsai material. Some trees are better in respect of their ability to reflect the elegant artistic work carried out by practitioners. Maples, junipers, elms and hawthorns are good examples of trees selected for any bonsai that is to be situated outside.

To allow bonsai to be healthy and to live as long as they would in nature you must feed and water them regularly and repot them every four or so years. Bonsai need repotted about every four years as gradually they will use all the goodness from the soil in the pot. Bonsai soil is a mix of ingredients, say gravel or shale and some organic matter, to give feed and fast draining qualities. Bonsai should be checked often for signs of pests and diseases. Regular watering of the soil is required as bonsai can become dry very quickly in certain weathers, sunny and windy. The foliage of some plants cultivated for bonsai, including the common Juniper, do not display signs of drying and damage until long after the damage is done. With certain plants the leaves will still look in good health and green without the roots being alive.

Various techniques can be used to shape the tree one of the stronger ones is bonsai wiring. Bonsai are kept small by careful control of the plant's growing conditions. Each twig of the bonsai may require to be shaped to achieve the wanted overall effect.

Article Source: Main Articles

By Mary Bowles who writes prolifically on the subject of bonsai Further articles are available at onlinebonsailovers.com/bonsai-trees

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