Bonsai gardening is an ancient past time that started in Asia. Literally, the words bonsai means tray and growing. It is not specific to trees but you can also make other plants bonsai as well. Bonsai gardening is actually an art where the gardener has to continually take care of the tree or plant that has been transformed into a bonsai plant. Bonsai plants require to be repotted every few years and at the same time their roots are pruned as well as their foliage.

Choosing The Right Kind Of Tree For Bonsai Gardening

Although, practically all kinds of plants and trees can be made into bonsai plants there are some trees that are more favored than others because they look more attractive and can be easily manipulated. Bonsai gardening requires the gardener to frequently prune and shape the tree or plant. Most trees that are chosen for bonsai gardening are coniferous trees but other species are also acceptable even shrub species like bamboo.

Usually, bonsai gardeners choose trees for bonsai gardening that can be easily manipulated and trimmed to make into various shapes and designs. There are not a lot of fruit bearing trees that are made into bonsai but these can also be done along with other different kinds of trees. In fact, some people like to make fruit bearing trees into bonsai. This is due mainly because they also bear miniature fruits as well.

The Art Of Bonsai Gardening

Bonsai gardening is actually achieved by constantly pruning the crown and roots and pot confinement. Constant cutting and trimming of both the roots and crown of the bonsai is one of the ways of maintaining the size of the bonsai. There is a time period for some bonsai trees where they must be dormant and left alone without any pruning. This is usually during winter time when the trees hibernate in their natural states and environment. Pot confinement also discourages rapid growth of the plant.

There are several different ways of achieving bonsai gardening; these include growing the plant from a seed, cutting, grafting and air layering. Bonsai gardening comes in many different styles which are so called because of the way they are designed or manipulated. These styles have been around for centuries and many bonsai trees in China and Japan are made in these styles. Many of the bonsai plants in China and Japan are old and have been maintained well thanks to bonsai gardening techniques.