Grow Bonsai

MAKING BONSAI - INTRODUCTION

The "New Bonsai Art" web site is devoted to the art of making and growing bonsai trees.

Bonsai is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees.

This doesn't say all my trees are considered pieces of art.

Far from that...

The transition of nursery stock, collected trees or even seeds into a bonsai is a slow process.

Bonsai is the art of dwarfing trees and developing them into an appealing shape.

This is done by growing, pruning and wiring trees and growing them in a bonsai pot.

The interesting part of bonsai as a hobby is the process of making and growing a bonsai tree.

Not necessarily the final result.

Good results will come with good horticultural care and nursing.

Thanks for you visit...hope you enjoy below pages and come back soon to New Bonsai Art.

Click for my location, local climate and hardiness zone

BONSAI COLLECTION

-- click below small pictures for the full images AND this tree project--

Acer buergerianum

The Trident Maple, this tree is excellent material for bonsai culture. Pay attention when frost below -5°C. Ideal stand is sun in the morning and shadow in the afternoon. Tridents have strong root growth, so re-pot every year in early spring.
Style: Formal Upright or Chokkan.

Acer Palmatum

This is probably the most popular broadleaved bonsai tree! This is due to their ability to respond to most bonsai techniques, beautiful foliage and graceful branch structure. Place the tree out the wind and in a mostly shady place to avoid leaf burn.
Style: Growing on a rock Bonsai style or Seki-joju.

Spiraea Japonica goldmound

For a number of reasons my favourite tree. It got nice light green foliage. Delicate rose flowers. And most of all, like many of my bonsai, I made this one myself from scratch. Bonsai is not supposed to be an expensive hobby. Great trees can be made with a minimum of financial input.
Style: Formal broom

Ligustrum obtusifolium

Korean Privet. Easy tree, less vigorous than the common privet. Click the small picture on the left and you can see that I have tried to find the smallest tree within the original tree.
Privet makes beautiful bonzai trees
Style: Formal Upright or Chokkan.

Satsuki

Azalea is not as difficult as many think. It hates lime! So it needs lime free soil and give only rain water. Satsuki Azalea (Rhododendron indicum) is quite a popular species for bonsai, admired for its variety, hardiness and spectacular colorful flowers.
Style: Semi-cascade-style or Han Kengai.

Potentilla

A Cinquefoil in broom style. Potentilla bonsai need to have a moist root environment. Watering more frequently, planting the tree in a deeper pot or adding more organic material to the soil mixture is needed. This bonsai originated from nursery stock.
Style: Broom or Hokidachi.

Acer Palmatum Katsura

Japanese Maple with splendid spring and autumn color leafs. The colors start in spring as yellow-orange, intensifying into bright orange, softening in summer to yellow-green, then turning in fall to hot red color. Place in the morning sun and shadow in the afternoon. Only feed with higly deluted fertilizer.
Style: Informal upright style, or Moyogi.

Acer Palmatum Dissectum

More than other maples, dissectum absolutely hates windy and too sunny conditions. Placement of this tree must be shady and out of the wind. This is one of the reasons why there are not many good "Dissectum-bonsai" around. Cut-leaf Japanese maple bonsai is however worth trying.
Style: slanting or Shakkan style.

Acer Kyohime

A bonsai broom from an Acer Kyohime is a classic...It has very brittle branches, be very careful when trying to wire. Bonsai is a horticulture art. Click and you will see that the horticultural skills are as important as the artistic side to bonsai. You need pruning, re potting, knowledge of the soil, guy wires, defoliation...
Style: Broom or Hokidachi.

Zelkova Serrata

I bought this Japanese Zelkova in spring 2003. Click the photo to see it's evolution. For pruning, shoots should be cut back, leaving just one to two leaves. This one of the best species for bonsai, no problem with diseases. In summer, the Zelkova needs a lot of water and sun.
Style: Formal Upright or Chokkan.

Potentilla

Cinquefoil are vigorous and require fortnightly maintenance pruning. Always keep soil moist, especially in summer. Position in full sun to semi shade. There are many species, all perfectly suitable for use as bonsai.
Style: Semi-cascade or Han-kengai style.

Chaenomeles

Chaenomeles is a genus of spiny shrubs from mountain woodland in Japan and China. Quinces bonsai show their beautiful flowers early in January. Best practice is to remove faded flowers to ensure energy is not lost on fruit production. You can leaf a few if fruit is desired.
Style: Windswept or Fukinagash.

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Place in a sunny spot and it will reward you with stunning fall colors. Prune back hard in the autumn after leaf-drop. Virginia creeper or Boston Ivy originate from the forests of the Himalayas, so they are fully hardy. They make great bonsai in cascade, root over rock and clump style.
Style: Informal.

-- click above small pictures and see the full images and the TREE STORY --

BONSAI PROJECTS

-- Click on below photo, and find the details of the tree projects --

Prunus Glandulosa /Flowering Almond

This small mame bonsai was started from a nusery plant in 2003. It produces nice litlle pink flowers. The pot is Tokomame.
Style: literati Bonsai.

Sumo Privet

! New ! Sumo Ligustrum. In the beginning, 6 years ago it was a 4meter tall tree. I gradually pruned it down to 25cm! All the original branches are replaced by new ones.
Style: Sumo style - Informal.

Prunus Padus

Bird cherry, the small, purple-black, bitter fruit of this cherry follows spikes of white, fragrant flowers. They Grow litterally like weed. This one is really started from scratch.
Style: Informal upright Bonsai or Moyogi.

Taxus baccata

Taxus bonsai come in all sizes, this is only a small one. It originates from a seedling I potted up. Yews can reach very old age, so this one has a long future ahead of him.
Style: Formal Upright or Chokkan.

spiraea arguta

This forest is started from a container plant. Spiraeas produce long arching shoots from old wood in spring and these need to be pruned back hard or removed to keep shape.
Style: forest or Yose Ue

Potentilla

Cinquefoil is a trouble free plant. Put it Sunny and give lots of water. You cannot afford to let the soil dry out for one hour, the tree will not survive. A detailed history of the bonsai can be found when you click on the picture on the right.
Style: Broom or Hokidachi.

Ilex Crenata

Holly responds well to trimming, but branch setting with wire takes a very long time. Even after years of wire the branches tend to take back their original position. Overall Japanese evergreen Holly is difficult to form into a convincing bonsai.
Style: multi-trunk style or Ikadabuki.

Acer Campestre

A "mame" Field Maple. It's still small and young, but every tree once was. Acer campestre is the only native maple in Europe. Click the picture on the left and see that starting bonsai from a seedling is very much possible.
Style: slanting or Shakkan

Viburnum Opulus

Unusual bonsai species. I am trying it anyway. I have good hopes for this one.
Style: formal upright style or Chokkan.

Euonymus Europeaus

Burning bush or European spindle tree is popular as an ornamental shrub for its brilliant red autumn coloration. As branches are brittle they are not easy to form into bonsai. Also it's slow growing. But the scarlet seed capsules and pinkish-orange fall color makes it worth trying.
Style: multi-trunk style or Ikadabuki.

Juniper Chinensis

Junipers is one of most frequently used trees for bonsai. It is not enough just to put a tree in a pot and see what happens. The result would not look like a tree. Every branch of a bonsai must be shaped until the ultimate image is achieved. This process can take long or short depending on the plant you started with.
Style: Formal Upright or Chokkan.

Symphoricarpos

This is an urban yamadori snowberry. Unusual tree and unusual style. Click on right picture and check it out.
Style: Windswept or Fukinagashi

Metasequoia

Dawn redwood, Thought to be extinct. Only recently it was discovered alive and well in China. In the fall the light green leaves turn yellow, then bronze, and fall off. These species need a lot of water, they accualy like wet feet.
Style: Formal Upright or Chokkan.

Cotoneaster

The Cotoneaster is very tolerant of heavy pruning. It has very small leaves and tiny white flowers. On top of that there is the red berries in autumn. A fine candidate for bonsai I must say.
Style: Informal upright Bonsai or Moyogi.

Salix Purpurea nana

This willow is a special dwarf species. Many Salix are vigorous growers and therefore not so suitable for bonsai, this Pururea nana grows a little bit slower and that's better.
Style: multi-trunk style or Ikadabuki.

ligustrum - Privet

This is a yamadori common privet. For obvious reasons I call it my Dino.
Style: exposed root.

-- Click on above bonsai-tumb, and find the details of the project --

-- Coming soon now : Other ongoing bonsai projects. Check out my site regularly ! --

HOW TO GROW BONSAI INFORMATION

(click below)

HOW TO GET STARTED Making choices : Indoor or outdoor Do I need special tools Buy or make a tree myselve What about soil

-- Coming later... even more information on how to grow bonsai --

This page was last modified January,21th 2010