Bonsai
The Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees
A bonsai is created beginning with a specimen of source material. This
may be a
cutting,
seedling, a
tree from the wild (known as
Yamadori) or
small tree of a species suitable for
bonsai development.
Bonsai can be created from nearly any perennial
woody-stemmed tree or shrub species that produces true branches and can
be cultivated to remain small through pot confinement with crown and
root pruning. Some species are popular as bonsai material because they
have characteristics, such as small leaves or needles, that make them
appropriate for the compact visual scope of bonsai. The source specimen
is shaped to be relatively small and to meet the aesthetic standards of
bonsai, which emphasizes not the entirety of grand sceneries but rather,
only the tree itself. When the candidate bonsai nears its planned final
size, it is planted in a display pot, usually one designed for bonsai
display in one of a few accepted shapes and proportions. From that point
forward, its growth is restricted by the pot environment. Throughout the
year, the bonsai is shaped to limit growth, redistribute foliar vigor to
areas requiring further development, and meet the artist's detailed
design.