Out
On A Limb / December 2006
Tree's Company
 Gionseng Ficus
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A Powder Puff, Black Olive or Hawaiian Umbrella would make an interesting and different present this year. Or, maybe there’s a friend who would really appreciate a Brazilian Rain Tree. Like the traditional favorites of juniper and jade, bonsai of all shapes and species make engaging, perennially pleasing additions the home or garden. Called ‘heaven and earth in one container’, bonsai have a magic and mystique that has engaged enthusiasts around the world. Not just the plants are held in esteem. Tradition holds that three basic virtues are necessary to create a bonsai; truth, goodness and beauty.
Bonsai is a unique living art form enjoyed and practiced by diverse cultures. The literal translation of bonsai is ‘tray planting, but over centuries, bonsai gardeners have developed their pastime and passion into something far beyond a plant in a pan. More art than horticulture, bonsai is the practice of dwarfing trees or plants and developing them into an aesthetically appealing shape by growing, pruning and training them in containers according to prescribed techniques and principles.
Few plants have not been recruited as potential bonsai. Dwarf versions of boxwood, azalea, crepe myrtle, pyracantha, and mugo pine have proved themselves worthy of the bonsai art. Developed from seeds or cuttings, from young trees or from naturally occurring stunted trees transplanted into containers, most bonsai range from two inches three feet tall. They are kept small and trained by pruning branches and roots, by periodic repotting, by pinching off new growth, and by wiring the branches and trunk so that they grow into a desired shape.
 Pyracantha Bonsai
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To begin with, the tree and the pot form a single harmonious unit with their shape, texture and color complementing each other. Then the tree must be shaped. It is not bonsai just to plant a tree in a pot and let nature take its course. Each branch and twig of a bonsai is shaped or eliminated until the chosen image is achieved. From then on, the image is maintained and improved by a constant regimen of pruning and trimming. A bonsai tree is always be positioned off-center in its container, not only for visual effect, but because the center point is symbolically where heaven and earth meet, and nothing should occupy that space. Another principle is the triangular pattern, considered necessary for visual balance and essential as an expression of the relationship shared by life-giving energy, the artist and the tree itself.
With proper care, bonsai can live for hundreds of years, with prized specimens passed from generation to generation, cherished for their age. Still, it is the artistic effect and the relationship with nature that keep bonsai garnering new followers.
Bonsai are ordinary trees or plants, not special hybrids or dwarfs. Small leafed varieties are most suitable, but essentially any plant can be used. A bonsai Trident Maple make small, perfectly formed, gloriously colored leaves. A bonsai Clamondin Mandarin Orange tree produces perfectly small oranges.
 Rock Juniper
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There is classic bonsai and informal bonsai with basic bonsai styles that are upright, slanting or windswept, or cascading. In addition to the tree, the bonsai gardener considers the use of moss, ground covers, rocks and accent plants. Grown in special containers, in a special, coarse soil, with a few exceptions, bonsai are kept outdoors. They generally are lost to dehydration, either from lack of watering or from being kept indoors in a low humidity environment for too long.
Like all special interests, bonsai can be as expensive or as inexpensive as desired. Although ten year old specimens can be purchased for $100-$200 dollars, most new bonsai gardeners begin small. Small to medium varieties of boxwood, juniper, plum and pines are readily available for $25-$50 dollars from bonsai suppliers. The general appeal and popularity of bonsai has spread so much, major chain and retail garden stores have pony-tail palm, azalea and Dracena bonsai for sale during the holidays, often for $20 or less. Black Olives and a variety of other bonsai favorites are even available from amazon.com for very affordable prices.
Many new bonsai gardeners start with a single plant, but soon discover that growing bonsai is a lot like eating potato chips-it’s hard to just have one and great satisfaction in having a handful. PL
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