Growing bonsai is not as difficult as some may think. You can grow from a seed which can require some effort on your part to stratify the seeds (refridgerate them for a month) and or score them to cause germination. Other than that, just water and be patient. An easier method is to start with a somewhat older plant obtained from a nursery and with pictures from Bonsai books recreate the shapes and pot them in a suitable container.

A more efficient way to create a Bonsai that shows old age and character is to cut down a larger tree leaving major branches still low to the ground. Leave one branch low on one side, another on the other side a little higher up and one at the back somewhere. Try to get a small one at the tip of the trunk . Make all your cuts to the back of the tree so they cant be seen by the viewer. Gently cut down around the root base a diamiter as tall as the cut tree and lift it from the ground. Place it in a styrafoam box and water till it shows signs of growth and then place it in a proper bonsai container. This could take one to two years, but, the previous mentioned methods could take up to ten years to achieve the same look, so its relativly fast.

On any method you choose to use to create your Bonsai, you will need to use copper or anodized aluminium wire to shape the branches. To afix the wire so that it does not interfere with the growth of the tree poke it into the soil first and wind it at 45* up to each branch without overlapping it and pass over the top of the limb close to the trunk winding the same way to the tip of the branch. The wire must be one third the diamiter of the branch, or , you may have to use several wires. older trees tend to have their branches drooping downward from the trunk, so, lightly bent each branch down using the strength of the wire, this will create the illusion of age. If the branches are too large for the wire then you can wrap some wire around the branch about two thirds the way out , pull the branch into position and find a place to fix the wire to. Tie it to the pot or the bench or to roots or trunk ,as long as it stays put. Dont pull the tree out of its pot, counter wire it on the opposite side.

After some time and when the tree has shown signs of regrowth, you can feed it with weak fertaliser and start to prune the growing foliage into what looks like a rough triangle. If you see true Bonsai in books or specialist nurseries they all appear like this and indeed most trees in nature have the same look. The larger longer branches are at the bottom and get smaller as they go to the top. Take notice of the wire and remove it when it looks to be biting into the bark.

DONT SNAP THE BRANCH WINDING IT OFF, HOLD THE BRANCH FIRMLY.

This is not the only way to begin a Bonsai and definately not the scientific way, but it can give you a good start. You still need to be careful and you have to take care of the tree it wont do it itself. If the tree fails to survive you can always start another. A good idea is to start a few trees at once in different methods. Take some cuttings as well, the can give fast results in reasonably short period of time.

Good Luck.