The Cascade Bonsai tree style is one of the most artistic styles of Bonsai there are. It's a very impressionist style of Bonsai and is my favourite kind of Bonsai to display. They look stunning.

The definition of a Bonsai cascade is that the top of the tree is below the bottom of the pot/roots. The tree goes up, makes a u-turn and heads back down, flowing gently down past the edge of the pot, down the table or wherever it needs to go.

Making them though, is not quite as simple. Here's some direction on how to make a cascade Bonsai tree.

Choosing a Tree This area of decision is vital for an effective tree. You cannot choose anything too 'proud', aka trees that like to grow upright. Think pine, cedar etc. These are not good trees to use as cascading Bonsai due to the fact they just don't like it! Take a good look at some of the Oriental trees for your selection. If the tree can grow gnarled and doesn't need to grow straight up, then it's probably a perfect candidate for a cascading Bonsai.

Potting Instead of the wide shallow pots which are used to make a tree grow straight up, a good pot for this style is a deep pot. This means that the roots will get a good firm grasp into the dirt and won't pull out as it goes over the side. Remember that the center of gravity will be a bit off with this tree, so if you plan on making your tree quite large, use a nice large ceramic pot to make the base nice and heavy.

Wiring This is the part that you will need to learn to send the tree over the side (as it were). Beginners are best with aluminum wire, but you can go straight to copper if you're feeling bold. The idea is that you will need thickish wire, wire that is probably 1/4rd-1/3rd the diameter of the tree trunks and branches. Coiling it from the base of the tree, come up it and when you want the u-turn, gently force the tree the way you want it. You might not be able to send it all the way over the first time, so keep going. What wiring does is break the tree in little fissures or parts. These parts heal up, and the shape of the tree is formed.

Wiring can take a bit of practice, so if you want to know how to make a cascade Bonsai, learning how first will make a big difference to the end result.

Inspiration Before you begin your quest of creating beautiful cascading Bonsai trees, please do a bit of a sketch with pencil as to what you want your tree to look like. Go out into nature to have a look at some living examples, or download my Bonsai Picture Book for free Bonsai inspiration. Whatever you do, having a clear image of what you want your Bonsai will look like will make things a lot easier for you in the end. And try not to fiddle too much!

The Bonsai Cascade style is a great one to try out. It will take work, but as an art tree, you can't do better.