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Dear
Bonsai Enthusiast,
Through these pages we hope to share with you some of the pleasure
and knowledge of many great bonsai masters. Most of all, we hope
to inform and inspire those with an interest in the challenges
of working with living plants and the ultimate pleasure when nature
and man work together to achieve a work of art. Whether as a hobbyist,
a collector, or a professional we have something for everyone.
Welcome
to Dallas Bonsai Garden!
Best
Regards,
Fred
and Elizabeth Meyer
An
Introduction to Bonsai
The main definition of bonsai as an
outlet for both art and horticulture is quite wide. There
are many myths which are associated with bonsai. These
not only provide confusion for budding enthusiasts, but
gives the pastime a bad name for anyone not majorly experienced
in the area. A bonsai is not a genetically dwarfed plant
and is not kept small by cruelty in any way. In fact, given
an adequate supply of water, air, light and nutrients,
a properly maintained bonsai should outlive a full size
tree of the same species. The techniques of Bonsai are
no more cruel than that of any other horticultural endeavour.
It is also common belief that bonsai are only a few centimetres
tall. This is untrue, although bonsai are small in comparison
to their huge life-sized brothers, most are over 25 centimetres
tall and up to 1 metre in height.
To
the Japanese, there is a link to many of the ideals
that their society is based on. Zen Buddhism - where
the pastime originated, man, nature, elements and
change all are intertwined into this unique method
of meditation and expression. To our world now, bonsai
is viewed as a hobby that allows a greater understanding
and being with nature and also a way to enhance our
gardens.
Bonsai
can be developed from seeds or cuttings, from young
trees or from naturally occurring stunted trees transplanted
into containers. Most bonsai range in height from
5 centimetres (2 in) to 1 metre (3.33 ft). Bonsai
are kept small and trained by pruning branches and
roots, by periodic repotting, by pinching off new
growth, and by wiring the branches and trunk so that
they grow into the desired shape.
The
bonsai with its container and soil, physically independent
of the earth since its roots are not planted in it,
is a separate entity, complete in itself, yet part
of nature. This is what is meant by the expression "heaven
and earth in one container". A bonsai tree should
always be positioned off-center in its container,
for not only is asymmetry vital to the visual effect,
but the center point is symbolically where heaven
and earth meet, and nothing should occupy this place.
Another aesthetic principle is the triangular pattern
necessary for visual balance and for expression of
the relationship shared by a universal principle
(life-giving energy or deity), the artist and the
tree itself. Tradition holds that three basic virtues
are necessary to create a bonsai: shin-zen-bi standing
for truth, goodness and beauty.
Given
proper care, bonsai can live for hundreds of years,
with prized specimens being passed from generation
to generation, admired for their age, and revered
as a reminder of those who have cared for them over
the centuries. Although these bonsai are extremely
beautiful - meticulously cared for over the years
and containing such a wealth of knowledge, age is
not essential. It is more important that the tree
produce the artistic effect desired, that it be in
proper proportion to the appropriate container, and
that it be in good health.
Bonsai
are ordinary trees or plants, not special hybrid
dwarfs. Small leafed varieties are most suitable,
but essentially any plant can be used, regardless
of the size it grows to in the wild. In Japan, varieties
of pine, azalea, camellia, bamboo and plum are most
often used. The artist never duplicates nature but
rather expresses a personal aesthetic philosophy
by manipulating it. The bonsai may suggest many things,
but in all cases must look natural and never show
the intervention of human hands (with the exception
of Chinese bonsai which in many cases depicts images
of dragons and other influential symbols of the culture
at the time of origination). Grown in special containers,
bonsai are primarily kept outdoors (with the exception
of some plants suited, trained and grown indoors),
although they are often displayed on special occasions
in the tokonoma, the alcove in the traditional Japanese
rooms designed for the display of artistic objects
or on a polished stand.
Overall,
bonsai are something that are quite personalised
and there are no strict rules to abide by if you
undertake it merely as a hobby which to gain enjoyment
out of. It does not have to be an expensive commitment,
but it is a commitment that requires a great amount
of time, patience, skill and endurance. Although
things may not go to plan, don't give up. Remember
that the Japanese bonsai masters were once beginners
too and they have surely had their share of trial
and error.
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