Jonas Dupuich - The Little Book of Bonsai: An Easy Guide to Caring for Your Bonsai Tree

Japanese black pine

Its easy to recognize a bonsai when you see one. A bonsai (pronounced bone-sigh) is a small tree in a pot ( bonsai means tray planting in Japanese). If youre interested in creating one of your own, a good first step is understanding what goes into bonsai design. To help you get started, Ill describe where bonsai come from and what makes a bonsai look like a bonsai. Ill also introduce basic bonsai styles and help you identify the most attractive features of your tree.

Where Bonsai Come From

Almost any plant that produces woody growth in the form of trunks and branches can become a bonsai. Trees, shrubs, and some vines can be trained as bonsai by pruning, wiring, and repottingthe fundamental bonsai techniques.

Some bonsai are trained from the time they are cuttings or seedlings. Others are dug up from the mountains (like the Sierra juniper pictured on ) or from garden landscapes as mature trees. Whether a tree started its life in a nursery or in the mountains, bonsai training techniques are largely the same.

Bonsai reflect their relationship with the people who care for them, as bonsai growers leave their mark on the trees under their care. Over time, the evidence of these interactions give bonsai their unique and unmistakable character.

What Makes a Bonsai Look like a Bonsai?

The defining characteristic of bonsai is their size. Bonsai are small trees, no more than three to four feet tall, which are trained in the form of much larger trees growing in nature.

Although bonsai resemble full-size trees, they are not exact copies in miniature. Bonsai resemble idealized versions of mature trees with lots of character.

Old trees grow slowly and produce fine branches, thick bark, and prominent roots that are visible at the base of the trunk. The crown of the tree is rounded, as in the Korean hornbeam on , unlike the pointy tops of younger trees.

Like mature trees in nature, bonsai are roughly triangular in shape. This is a result of lower branches extending further from the trunk than the upper branches in order to capture sunlight.

How one interprets the idea of a mature tree differs from person to person and provides a wonderful diversity of bonsai forms around the world.

Basic Bonsai Styles

Trees with similar characteristics can be grouped into bonsai styles that are based on the shape or character of the trunk, roots, and branches. Some of the most basic styles are defined by the shape of the trunk.

In a formal upright bonsai, the trunk grows straight up (see ). This is the predominant shape of forest trees such as redwoods, firs, larches, and cryptomeria.

In an informal upright bonsai (see photos, ), the trunk rises upward with gentle curves. This is one of the most common forms used in bonsai. Maples, junipers, and pines are frequently grown in this style.

In a slant style bonsai, the trunk is relatively straight but grows at an angle (see ). This style evokes trees in nature that grow under the influence of strong winds or reach to one side to seek out sunlight. Almost any species of tree can be styled as a slant style bonsai.

In a semi-cascade bonsai, the trunk grows out to one side and begins to curve downward, resembling a tree that grows on a steep slope or mountainside (see ).

In a cascade bonsai, the trunk follows a similar pattern but grows further downward (see photo, ).

The two cascading styles differ by how far down the trunk grows. The trunks on semi-cascade bonsai bend slightly downward but grow primarily out to the side. The trunks of cascade bonsai grow primarily downward beyond the bottom of the pot.

Coast redwood

Spruce

Japanese maple

Bonsai can be styled in many other forms, some of which have more than one trunk:

Twin-trunk bonsai have two trunks (see ).

Triple-trunk bonsai have three trunks.

Bonsai with more than five trunks are called multitrunk or clump style bonsai (see ).

Other styles are defined by the general character of the tree:

Literati or bunjin (literary person) style bonsai have slender trunks with subtle but interesting movement and sparse branches (see ). These bonsai evoke slow-growing trees with great age.