Bonsai Tree

Plantes d'arbres bonsaï merveilleux.

Bonsai means “tray planted” in Japanese. It is the art of miniaturizing plants in containers strictly for aesthetics and it has been practiced for centuries. The true bonsai hobbyist will create a landscaped environment in the container, which adds to the plant’s charm.

Flowering bonsai plants require regular watering, feeding, training and pruning like other ornamental and flowering plants. They’re grown in small containers and are trained with wire coils to induce their desired shape and structure.

The container could be anything whimsical or attractive. However, most bonsai hobbyists select a container with an Asian or Eastern flair. Often, something with a pagoda, colored pebbles, a tiny park bench and other elements that make up a mini landscape is used. The creation of a miniature garden also enhances a bonsai’s allure.

Within the world of bonsai, there are four distinctive sizes: miniature, small, medium and average. The miniatures, usually included in landscaped displays, may reach two inches high at maturity, about five years old. Small plants range from two inches to six inches high and take from five to ten years to mature. The medium sized bonsai will grow to between six and twelve inches in about three years. An average size bonsai can grow as tall as two feet high in about three years.

Bonsai flowering plants consist of two basic varieties:

Koten – Like most trees, Koten are wider at the base, tapering off at the top.

Bunjin – This is referred to as a Comic or Informal variety. It’s wider at the top than at the base.

How To Care For Your Flowering Bonsai

Bonsais require the same concern for the standard elements of plant care, watering, sunlight, soil and pruning. However, because of their size and the intent to keep bonsais stunted, the specifics of those elements are a bit different than regular plants.