Bonsai

Watching bonsai develop and forming them into beautiful sculptures is an absorbing and very rewarding pastime. Growing bonsai isn’t an expensive hobby with few specialist tools being required, but a beautiful bonsai can be much more of a centrepiece in your home than many ornaments can. A bonsai is a living sculpture.

Bonsai are pot planted trees that are grown to be small versions of its natural size tree. Bonsai can be created from almost any perennial wood stemmed trees or shrubs that produce branches and can develop small through container confinement with the help from crown and root trimming.

Bonsai can be grown from seeds, from young shoots taken from the wild, (please comply with any laws in respect of taking wild plants or trees in your area), or can be purchased as mature planted bonsai. Obviously growing bonsai trees from seed is the slowest route, but you do have total control over how your bonsai will grow.

Bonsai are grown in special pots that not only restrict root growth, but also further enhance the look of your bonsai tree. Special soil mixtures are available that give you the perfect conditions for your bonsai to develop.

Many specialist techniques are used to sculpt and give unique character to your bonsai including trimming leaves, wiring, grafting on other plants, short term dwarfing and deadwood, (aging and adding character to bark). Only a few specialist tools are required to shape bonsai, and these can easily be bought cheaply. Everything you require to get started can easily be purchased from a bonsai nursery.

Bonsai can be had as indoor and outdoor types, some bonsai trees are improved if left outdoors during summer and brought inside during the winter.

For anyone that likes the idea, but doesn’t want to keep bonsai, you can purchase artificial bonsai trees.

If you are considering if developing bonsai is for you, I would say give it a try, bonsai are simple to grow, take a small amount of your spare time, every bonsai is individual, and who cannot help but to admire a bonsai whenever they see one.