Successful Bonsai

An essential reference for growing indoor and outdoor bonsai.The popularity of raising exotic miniature trees continues to grow, with bonsai gardeners cultivating tropical and subtropical species. Successful Bonsai is an essential reference, providing a wide range of bonsai styles and shapes, along with step-by-step instructions and illustrations that expertly guide the gardener through the many pruning and wiring techniques.This easy-to-use book explains how to grow bonsai both indoors and outdoors; features an illustrated A-Z list of bonsai species with detailed descriptions of 80 plants, including 15 classic species; and recommends a proven pruning regimen. It includes information on: Choosing appropriate training styles Cultivating and propagating Dealing with diseases and pests Shaping an established plant Sowing seedlings Building a collection.Successful Bonsai is not only an informative and practical guide, but also a superb source of inspiration. It will instill confidence in the beginner and spark the imagination of the experienced bonsai artist.

Introduction Growing bonsai is an all-consuming hobby and one that will enthrall you with its techniques and artistry. Traditional bonsai is the practice of growing miniature hardy trees, shrubs and conifers in containers outdoors in temperate areas according to time-honored Chinese and Japanese customs, whereas indoor bonsai is concerned with growing tropical and subtropical shrubs and trees indoors, again mainly in temperate climates but also in warm and colder areas. Traditional bonsai can be traced back 1,000 or more years to China, while there are claims that a form of growing miniature trees was known much earlier in India. Whatever its true origin, traditional bonsai has come to be associated with religious thoughts and naturalism, as well as with the concept that mountains, trees and rocks have a soul. Some bonsai historians even suggest that the gnarled and contorted shapes of the miniature trees represent the bodies of the immortal in the next world. About 1,200 years ago the Japanese absorbed bonsai into their culture, where it was perfected into an art steeped in beauty and correctness. It is this preciseness of purpose, and desire for perfection in mirroring nature, that has encapsulated the soul of bonsai. Incidentally, the term bonsai is derived from bon-sai; bon being the Japanese word for "tray", while sai translates as "planting". The word "bonsai" is both singular and plural in its usage. The history of bonsai For many centuries, the Japanese refined the techniques of the art of bonsai to a point where an aged specimen was considered to be a prized family heirloom. Bonsai was little known in the West before the beginning of the 20th century. In 1909, however, an exhibition of bonsai was held in London, England, where it caused a sensation. The art of bonsai was, as a result, taken up by many people throughout the world and is today a keenly followed facet of gardening and cultivating plants. Indoor bonsai -- the creation of miniature plants in small containers by using tropical and subtropical plants -- is a relatively new concept and, at first, was not accepted by traditional bonsai enthusiasts as they believed it did not reflect the true spirit of bonsai. Nevertheless, indoor bonsai has advanced, enriched and enlarged the original concept of the art, making it possible for many more people to grow miniaturized plants. Where did indoor bonsai originate? Pinpointing the exact place and time when indoor bonsai originated is not easy. It is certain, however, that many enthusiasts of traditional bonsai sometimes took these plants indoors for limited periods. Indoor bonsai began when someone in a temperate climate pruned and remodelled a tropical or subtropical houseplant, such as the Ficus benjamina (Java fig -- occasionally also known as weeping fig), Malpighia coccigera (Singapore holly) or Schefflera actinophylla (Australian ivy palm). In the mid-1970s, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York state published a book about indoor bonsai following a widely praised and acclaimed display of these plants. City dwellers without gardens were especially enthusiastic about growing bonsai indoors. Unlike traditional bonsai, which in temperate regions are outdoor plants, tropical and subtropical plants are able to survive central heating. Thirty or more years later, enthusiasm for indoor bonsai has spread to many countries and added to the wealth of plants that can be grown indoors. Traditional bonsai enthusiasts were initially scathing of this new concept, but most are now embracing it with the enthusiasm it deserves. How do indoor bonsai differ from outdoor bonsai? The major difference between an indoor bonsai and a traditional bonsai is that the traditional type is hardy outdoors in winter in temperate climates, while the indoor trees are tropical and subtropica