photo credit: bein_korean

With the arrival of Zen Buddhism in Japan during the Kamakura period between 1185 and 1333, bonsai was introduced to the Japanese aristocracy as a symbol of prestige and honor. The Japanese quickly became masters of growing these twisted and dwarfed trees in containers, and bonsai became a highly developed art form, especially during the 17th and 18th century. The tradition soon trickled down to the general population.

In the mid-19th century, travelers to Japan brought bonsai to the rest of the world. The third Paris World’s Fair in 1878, along with additional exhibitions London, Vienna, and Paris increased western interest in bonsai. And by the end of World War II, the art of bonsai grew even more popular. Soldiers returned to the U.S. with bonsai trees, and the Japanese-American population at the time helped teach bonsai cultivation to Americans.

Bonsai exhibitions in Japan also increased international interest in the tradition. In 1943, the first Kokufu-Ten bonsai display was held. This annual eight-day event is held every February at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and is the oldest ongoing public bonsai exhibition in Japan. The Kokufu-Ten is the most prestigious exhibition in the world, sponsored by the Nippon Bonsai Association (NBA). During World War II the display did not take place for four years.

During the 1950s, books on bonsai art began to be published in English and other languages. In 1952, Yuji Yoshimura, the son of an expert in the Japanese bonsai community, collaborated with German author and diplomat, Alfred Koehn, to give demonstrations and offer the first formal bonsai courses in Tokyo. Yoshimura’s 1937 book, Japanese Tray Landscapes, was published in English, and in 1957 he wrote The Art of Bonsai in English with one of his students. This book, which discusses both bonsai cultivation and propagation, came to be known as the “classic Japanese bonsai bible for westerners.” More books in English, Japanese, and eventually other languages, were also published over the next several decades.

Bonsai nurseries and clubs also became more common outside Japan. Individuals and groups went to Japan to study at Japanese bonsai nurseries, and brought back their newfound expertise to local clubs. In 1967 the American Bonsai Association was founded, and in 1970 a World’s Fair-Expo ’70-was held in Osaka. A large bonsai display was part of this event. As the 1970s continued, three monthly bonsai magazines were founded: Bonsai Sekai, Satsuki Kenkyu, and Shizen to Bonsai. In 1980, the first World Bonsai Convention was held in Osaka during the World Bonsai and Suiseki Exhibition. Suiseki is the Japanese art of stone appreciation; these stones often resemble animal or human figures or landscapes.

Today, bonsai conventions are held around the world. Bonsai trees, pots, tools, and gardening supplies are available not just from Japan, but also at specialty nurseries worldwide. There are more than 1,000 books on bonsai and related arts, dozens of magazines, and clubs that celebrate the art of bonsai.

By Andrew Kozlowski

Want to learn more about the history of bonsai? Visit my website at http://www.bonsaitreeanswers.com to learn all about how to buy, grow, and care for beautiful, healthy bonsai trees.

In essence, bonsai reflects nature in miniature. It is enjoyed by its owner much like a piece of sculpture. It might be a twisted old pine, a grove of white birches, a windswept juniper at the seashore or even a distant landscape of spruce.

Many books and articles on bonsai have appeared since the late 1950’s. Some of the literature, although excellent, is difficult to understand because it was written by Japanese bonsai growers or their students who made little attempt to translate the information and techniques into American terms and conditions.

Several factors may overwhelm a person starting in bonsai, beginning with the name itself. The Japanese “bonsai” is derived from two Chinese symbols, bon meaning a tray or pot, and sai meaning to plant. It is a three-dimensional art form unique in sculpture because it uses living plants, woody or semiwoody. Each tree, like a sculpture, is trained in a meaningful form. Each is grown in a specially chosen container.

A facet of the art that frightens beginners is the appearance of a finished bonsai. It seems very old, as if it must have taken years to bring to such a point. This is not true and should not make a beginner shy away. Yes, bonsai must be artistically pleasing, and should appear to be old, but there are quickly mastered ways of achieving this result.

Inspiration for bonsai comes from nature. Look at mature trees for their basic shapes; observe the outline of trees on a distant hill or the distinct shape of a gnarled apple in a pasture. Notice the three dimensional forms of trees-some rounded, some pyramidal, some tall, others short and thick. These are characteristics you will want to reproduce.

Only five requirements are basic for beginners in bonsai. If you understand them, you can get satisfactory results with your first tree:

First, select proper material. Second, prune for style and design. Third, wire for shape. Fourth, select a complementary container. Fifth, constantly refine the tree.

1. Selecting.

Selecting the proper plant is the most important factor. Leaves, twigs, branches, trunk and surface roots should be in scale so the bonsai will look like a mature tree in miniature. Select stock with naturally small leaves or needles. Select material with solid trunks and large leading branches. The trunk line and heavy limbs should have interesting shapes that can be used in the final design. Height is not as important as other factors, since that can readily be decreased by pruning if desired, or increased by turning the tip up with wire. The trunk ‘should taper from base to top, thick at the bottom, and leading from heavy branches to small twigs at the apex.

2. Pruning.

The first pruning for basic shape frightens many beginners, accustomed to outdoor pruning done to induce dense foliage. In bonsai, however, you want the trunk line and the first three bottom branches to be clearly defined. The secondary branches and twigs will provide the outline of the composition as the plant matures. At the beginning radical pruning is absolutely necessary with’ many trees. Excess branches must be eliminated to develop the design and let sun reach the lower or back parts so new buds and branches will develop where needed.

3. Wiring.

Wiring is for shape only. Copper wire is by far the best to use, since it is pliable until bent; then it becomes firm. As growing cells become woody, they set into their final position, and only new green growth needs further shaping and wiring. Wires are usually left on branches six months to a year, or perhaps longer depending upon how fast the plant grows in diameter. If left on a growing tree too long, wires will bite into the bark and leave ugly marks that take years to heal. When a tree is first potted, wiring should start at the lower trunk and extend out to the twig end, so that the basic shape is developed during the first growing season.

4. Container.

After the tree has been pruned and shaped by wiring, the roots should be pruned one third. Then the bonsai is planted in a suitable container. Many sizes and shapes of containers, all with specific traditional uses, are available. The rules about containers are easy to master, and are found with examples in
any good beginner’s text. The container is the receptacle for the tree -its frame. It is part of the composition and should be considered when you are thinking of the tree’s design.

5. Constant refinement.

Continuous refinement as the plant matures is necessary to develop its beauty and artistic form. A practiced grower can develop a good bonsai in a few hours, but he must groom it periodically during every growing season or it soon loses its basic shape and charm. Just as you clip a hedge to keep its shape, or wash and trim a poodle, you must also feed, wire, trim and care for a bonsai during its lifetime. Otherwise it will not mature into a thing of continuous beauty.

The care and training required to develop plants into bonsai are the same for us as they are for the Japanese, but we should use our own native materials to reflect our environment. Thus our bonsai will suggest-in miniature-American elms, apples, maples, pines, firs, junipers and many others. Bonsai can lead into gratifying studies of native trees and shrubs, as well as into artistic satisfactions.

– article edited for GardenArtistics

A juniper bonsai tree is the perfect introduction to bonsai gardening.  Juniper trees are easy to grow and versatile.  Covered in beautiful, evergreen leaves, juniper trees also flower in the spring, producing stunning, creamy white flower clusters.

Why a Juniper Bonsai?

Besides its beauty, a juniper tree is easy to grow.  It can be grown either indoors or outdoors, though it prefers to be outdoors in a container.  This makes the juniper tree the perfect plant for a sunny or partially sunny patio.  Junipers are not picky plants and do not require special soil.  They are easily trained into interesting shapes.  Juniper trees actually prefer to be mildly neglected and will thrive in this state more than if they were over-watered or over-fed.      

How to Get Started

Buy a plant from a reputable dealer.  When a juniper bonsai is transplanted, it is in shock for a period of four to six weeks because its roots have been disturbed.  Ask the dealer when the plant was transplanted and only buy a plant that has been in its pot for about three months.  Likewise, a change in environment is difficult for a juniper bonsai.  So, buying a well-established plant will help it to overcome the change in environment. 

Winter Care for a Juniper Tree 

The juniper bonsai will go into dormancy during the winter months.  Depending on your climate, you may prefer to move your juniper tree indoors for the winter months to protect it from heavy snow.  A juniper tree prefers to be in an unheated room, such as an enclosed back porch or a garage that gets daily natural light.   If your juniper bonsai is an indoor plant, it still needs to go into dormancy in the winter months and should still be placed in a cool room.  Continue to water if the soil feels dry, but do not over water. 

Repotting

While less than five or six years old, a juniper bonsai should be repotted every two years.  Once the plant has aged, it needs to be repotted every three to five years.  The best time to repot a juniper bonsai is in the spring or fall.  Water thoroughly and keep the plant in a shady location for a month or two after repotting to allow for new root growth.   

Complications of Juniper Bonsai Care

Not allowing the juniper bonsai to go into dormancy in the winter months will eventually result in an unhealthy plant.  It is crucial that the plants are moved to a cool location during this period, whether they are indoor or outdoor plants.  Placing the juniper tree in a room, such as a basement, that gets no natural light will kill the plant.  Juniper bonsai trees need some light during the dormancy period.   

- B. Hacker