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If you ever thought it was too hard to grow Bonsai tree masterpieces, then take a look at some of these magnificent examples.
Some are from Easy Bonsai Garden members and some from shows, it proves that if you follow a simple proven system for Bonsai Care and bonsai growing then the results can be astounding.
Every bonsai enthusiast needs a complete set of tools to care for their bonsai tree. Costing somewhere from a few dollars to even a few hundred dollars, choosing the best basic tools to complete your bonsai tree kit is an essential for anyone interested in growing and shaping their tree.
If you’re in the process of completing your bonsai tree kit, here are 3 must haves every bonsai lover needs:
- A pair of bonsai shears for trimming your bonsai. Investing in a good pair bonsai shears customised for bonsai trees is a must-have for every bonsai tree kit. Their razor-sharp blades, which produce clean cuts, are perfect for trimming roots, twigs, and branches off your trees since they will not crush your bonsai unlike regular scissors. However, since bonsai shears can be quite expensive, you can begin your bonsai gardening with a pair of pruning shears, provided they are sharp enough to prevent damaging your trees and small enough to perform detailed work on smaller trees and twiggy growths.
- Concave cutters to leave concave wounds in your tree branches. Concave cutters are essential to cut branches that are close to the trunk, and style bonsai trees and nursery stock. Unlike regular cutters that leaves a straight cut in your trees, concave cutters leave a smoother surface that will not only heal faster, but will also look aesthetically pleasing after the wound heals. A good pair of concave cutters is therefore an essential part of your bonsai tree kit.
- Wire cutters to remove the wires you put on. You will also need a special pair of cutters in your bonsai tree kit to remove the wires you used to shape your bonsai tree. Unlike hardware cutters that might damage your trees, bonsai wire cutters have rounded heads and shorter blades, which let you cut right up to the tree’s bark without hurting or damaging your bonsai.
Remember good tools will make a big difference to your ability to maintain your Bonsai properly.
Sometimes it is nice just to sit back and enjoy the artistry of Bonsai and what you can create with a little love and attention…not to mention the right tools and techniques!
There are a few examples here from www.easybonsaigarden.com students who have used the Bonsai Mastery Course to literally transform themselves into Bonsai Masters, and create stunning award winning Bonsai!
Enjoy:-)
Increasing numbers of people are moving into urban areas, because of the revitalization projects making such areas attractive in America and around the world. Outdoor bonsai tree growth in urban areas can be hindered because of the dearth of space — There is less lawn to attend, but nowhere for bonsai trees. There may also be pollution and vandalism in some urban areas, to the detriment of outdoor bonsai plants.
Urban apartment and condo dwellers can grow bonsai trees easily on an inside window sill or beneath fluorescent lighting on a table. An indoor bonsai garden is available to these individuals in the winter months as well, when outdoor bonsai trees are in a chill period of “downtime.” Additionally, in your own home, you can venture to use innovative types of bonsai tree containers, experimenting with new bonsai tree tableaus. For an urban dwelling, choose a bonsai tree that will thrive in dimmer light, drier atmosphere than outdoors, and the absence of a yearly cold period indoors.
As you view a bonsai tree, notice three aspects: the tree itself, an accent item like a stone, and the stand or dish. These form a triangle, with the highest point at the top of the bonsai tree. The accent item will be either left or right, to form the farthest point. The bonsai tree will seem to be a single triangle or set of triangle features. The apex of the bonsai tree triangle is the apex of the bonsai tree and the right and left points are the first and second branches, closest to the ground.
Other features to notice are visible, sturdy roots, gentle movement and tapering of the trunk, a visible apex, and good branches/foliage. Branches are larger at the bottom, decreasing in size as they near the top, in many styles. The distance between the branches should also become smaller as they reach the top and there should be open spaces between the branches. A bonsai tree may even have areas of dead wood, implying age.
Bonsai trees are the centerpiece of the 30th Anniversary Mid-America Bonsai Exhibit & Sale of the Midwest Bonsai Society, Aug. 17 – 19, 2007. This yearly bonsai tree show is the top Midwest exhibit and one of the top three in America. Well over 200 specimens of bonsai trees will be shown and Bonsai Master Susumu Nakamura of Yokohama, Japan, will be the keynoter and main judge of the exhibits. Bonsai tree workshops will be presented at all levels for enthusiasts and even children.
The Midwest Bonsai Society was founded in 1967 and has 250 members, most from Northern Illinois. The Mid-America Bonsai Exhibit & Sale is part of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s American Flower Show Series, including 25 major floral events throughout 2007. The Malott Japanese Garden Festival will be held at the bonsai tree exhibit and sale on Aug. 18 and 19.
Friends of the Westerville Tea House and Shrine, a Central Ohio group, is working to preserve one of the bonsai related buildings at 99 S. State St. The structures are to be demolished. However, the Friends intend to protect over 300,000 inch-square tiles lining the walls to portray murals of Mount Fuji, waterfalls, and Japanese and bonsai tree gardens. The Friends plan to research and prepare a book or documentary about the site. Parts of a Shinto shrine built next to it by Okinawan craftsmen are in storage for the Franklin Park Conservatory (of gardens), which is considering the shrine as a centerpiece for a Japanese lake and garden to included bonsai gardens and bonsai tree care in Westerville by 2010. The Conservatory already conducts periodic classes in bonsai tree growth and bonsai gardens.
This Top Hat dwarf blueberry bonsai tree offers good-tasting blueberries as well as an attractive bonsai tree. The berries have a very sweet flavor and a crisp texture good for eating, jams, and baking. The Top Hat dwarf blueberry as a bonsai tree requires minimal maintenance. It produces delicate white flowers in the middle of spring and glossy bluish-green foliage during the summer. Autumn brings a beautiful red foliage, with red branches in the winter. This is a year-round bonsai tree for your outdoor enjoyment, on patios and in an ornamental landscape. These bonsai trees can be set around the perimeter of a patio or porch for elegance and beauty, as well as fresh fruit. These fruit bonsai trees are inexpensive, as well as easy to grow and enjoy during all four seasons of the year.
Never water bonsai trees by a strict schedule, because bonsai trees are really outdoors plants. Outdoors, rain is not so predictable. Bonsai trees may need water even twice daily in hot weather. However, routine daily watering can result in permanent wet compost that grows harmful molds, fungus, and bacteria.
Bonsai trees should be checked daily and watered when needed. The surface of bonsai composts changes color when it dries, becoming lighter. This can take 12 hours to over a week, depending on a many factors, so inspect daily.
Do not assume that when it has rained on your outdoor bonsai tree, that it has had enough water. Many times, rains wet only the upper layers of compost, which is not enough – it will evaporate before it gets to the roots. Provide water when the top half inch of compost has started to dry, and this will vary according to bonsai trees’ individual differences..
There are traditionally two fundamental styles of bonsai tree cultivation and care: the classic koten style and the informal, “comic” bunjin style, which is more whimsical. In koten, the trunk of the bonsai tree is wider at the base and tapers towards the top. The bunjin is wider at the top and tapers toward the base, so they are opposites.
Today there are 5 basic bonsai tree styles recognized by certain bonsai masters. These include the following categories and bonsai trees:
Formal Upright: Larches, junipers, pines, spruces, and maples;
Informal Upright: Japanese maple, trident maple, beech, most conifers, and ornamental trees like crab apple and pomegranate;
Windswept (Slanting): Conifers are extraordinary in this style and many other trees that can be adapted to it well. It is graceful and interesting;
Semi-Cascade: Any tree that does not stand strongly upright works well in this style;
Cascade: Flowering cherry, cedars, and junipers are very good for this style, and other bonsai trees that do not stand too upright can be trained nicely for this.
