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The word bonsai simply means planted in a pot. Bon means pot and Sai
means to plant. So then we might think that anything growing in a pot is
indeed bonsai, but there is more. Bonsai also means a dwarfed, trained
plant that has been grown in a shallow pot. Bonsai is a true picture of
nature in miniature. Unless a bonsai has the charm of a tree that nature
has developed, it misses the boat. I have seen lots of plants in my
travels that were called bonsai, but some of them didn't deserve a hoot
in my eyes. The reason is that some of them were twisted, wired, and
deformed, without the slightest idea of what the end result would be.
Bonsai is a living art form and with any art form, the end result should
be considered before the first effort is made. In order to develop an
eye for what is right for the end result you desire, you will need to
study the trees you would like to duplicate, in miniature, and try to
find a plant that will meet your need.
True bonsai is any bonsai that indeed has charm, and has captured a
picture of nature in miniature. Mother nature gives us trees, wind,
lightning, drought and all her other forces. This causes trees to grow
differently in various locations and makes it possible for us to have
most any kind of tree or growth habit we would like to copy, meaning, we
do not have to follow the rules and lines of oriental culture to have a
true bonsai.
The art of growing dwarfed trees in containers dates back to the
twelfth century in China. The Japanese admired and liked the idea and
started practicing the art years later. Some say they actually perfected
the art. I do not know who perfected the art but I am happy they brought
it to us to enjoy. I do know that every tree that I have seen that was
really a Japanese bonsai was perfectly beautiful. The rest of the world
have been actively engaged in growing bonsai for many years. As usual,
we have tried to find short-cuts for achieving perfection in the art.
The original bonsai trees were dug from the woodlands by the Chinese or
Japanese and trained by pruning and wiring to complete the picture of a
mature tree. In doing this, several styles were developed. The style
they used was the style that most suited the plant they had found, but
they were very definite about following these styles. The plants that
were developed from years of training were passed along to their
children when they were no longer able to look after them. As a result,
they have trees where perfection in copying nature has been achieved
that are hundreds of years old.
As a short-cut to this art, most of us go to a nursery, select a
plant and go home to start training. When we have had it for a year, we
expect a perfect bonsai specimen that is loaded with charm. There is no
way, my friends, that we can have the same sort of Japanese perfection
in a year. We can have a great looking bonsai, but don't compare it to
one of the beautiful Japanese specimens and expect to come out smelling
like a rose. |
