Bonsai gardening is certainly one of the most unique and beautiful forms of art in existence. Since its early beginning in ancient China to present day, it has developed into many striking individual styles. Once miniaturized, however, maintaining the look and well-being of the bonsai requires a bit of care and attention on the part of the gardener.

Brief History of Bonsai

Bonsai gardening is the ancient art form of literally miniaturizing trees. The practice itself is over 2000 years old, and began during China’s Han dynasty. The Chinese word for bonsai gardening, pen’jing, means “tray scenery” or “tree or shrub planted in a shallow tray”. It was given the name bonsai by the Japanese, who adopted the practice in the ninth century.

Styles of Bonsai

There are several styles that are common to the art form of bonsai gardening. Among these are: the formal upright style, the slant style, the cascade style, the literati style, the forest style, the root-over-rock style.

Bonsai done in the formal upright style have upright trunks that are straight and tapering. Slant style bonsai are aptly named. Their trunks are straight, like those of the formal upright style, but lean at a slant from the surface of the soil.

Cascade style bonsai are intentionally groomed to resemble trees that can be found on the sides of mountains. Literati bonsai were inspired by ancient brush paintings of trees that grew in inhospitable climates. They therefore have few branches. What branches they do have are generally clustered at the top of the trunk, which is usually contorted.

Forest style bonsai are relatively self explanatory. They are comprised of several trees planted together in odd numbers. This type of bonsai gardening is intended to mimic the diversity of age and height that you would find in nature. In the root-over-rock style, the roots of the bonsai are wrapped around a rock at the base of the tree.

Caring for Bonsai

An important part of bonsai gardening is knowing how to care for your bonsai.

Watering is not done as you would typically water your average houseplant. Bonsai trees require immersing the entire pot or tray in water for several minutes. Once taken out of the water, allow the bonsai to drain. During the summer, bonsai need to be watered daily, and every other day during the cooler months.

Bonsai require a warm location with lots of light in order to thrive. Avoid placing them near window sills, due to the varying temperatures that can be present as a result of drafts.

Bonsai also require a lot of fertilizer. Fertilizer should be given to the bonsai only after it has been watered. A typical feeding schedule would be once every two weeks during the summer months, cutting that back to once a month for the rest of year.

Bonsai are living trees, and therefore will grow and sprout new branches and limbs over time. When it comes time to prune this new growth, follow the original pattern of your bonsai. Remember, you just want to preserve the look of your bonsai, so don’t trim too much – just enough to remove the new sprouts and shoots.