Bonsai Trees

2006-05-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

Bonsai Trees

When I look at Bonsai trees, I see serenity, simplicity, beauty, history and the flowing rhythm of life. Is that what you get too?

Growing something, anything, is a soothing, healing experience and the growing of bonsai trees is a serious form of art and meditation and very, very therapeutic. Simple and yet complex, growing bonsai trees allows you to exercise your creativity absolutely and at the same time requires you to dedicate time, effort and a great deal of patience.

There’s a lot of information available on how to go about growing bonsai trees and most of it is very good. The book that I found absolutely indispensable is “Bonsai Gardening Secrets” by Erik A. Olsen. It’s written in a simple, easy to understand style and goes into detail about things that most others tend to gloss over. For anyone who wants to seriously pursue growing bonsai trees, this book is an absolute treasure.

Bonsai Trees

Bonsai Trees

2006-04-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

Bonsai Trees

Growing Bonsai trees is an ancient art form that originated in

China

and was then adopted and developed by the Japanese. While for many it is a serious hobby, it has evolved into a form of meditation and artistic expression for most bonsai lovers. Growing bonsai trees can be a very viable profession too.

Bonsai in Japanese literally means “tray planting” and involves creating a work of living art by harmonizing the size, color and texture of the tree, its leaves, fruits/flowers, the surface of the soil and the container. Everything must be in proportion and should complement each other. The essence of growing bonsai trees lies in bringing together the three forces - shin-zen-bi or truth, essence and beauty.

A blend of art and horticulture, creating bonsai trees calls for a great deal of dedication and patience. The branches and roots constantly need to be pruned, trimmed and trained to achieve the desired image.

The final outcome can be quite fabulous and is well worth all the effort put into it.

While not expensive, growing your own bonsai trees definitely calls for a lot of commitment. You need to learn up on horticultural practices and the different bonsai styles and you are ready to start. Ideally one should get hold of as much information as they can about growing bonsai trees – ideal plants, methods, styles, soil mediums and more. And then it’s a matter of trial and error. Remember, no one becomes a master overnight. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that rearing and fashioning bonsai trees is a very soothing and calming experience and at the same time creates a deep sense of responsibility and discipline. It puts one in sync with the rhythm of nature since the trees in the containers go through the same cycles that the ones planted in the earth do.

As a hobby or expression of creativity, growing bonsai trees is a very personal affair and does not require you to adhere to any hard and fast rules. It is a matter of personal satisfaction and if the tree looks good to you, then it is a good bonsai tree.

Bonsai Trees

2006-04-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

Bonsai Trees

Looking for more info on bonsai trees? We're here to tell you everything you need to know about bonsai trees gardening.

Bonsai Trees