Are beginners confused about what bonsai really are?

 I believe that they are, but of course this is only my opinion. Why do I think that beginners are confused? Well let me explain, first of all I have met many people in the last few years that are just beginning and they always seem to have been mislead some where along the way.

 One of the biggest misconceptions that I have heard voiced is that bonsai are dwarfed or miniaturized. When in point of fact this is simply not true at all and anyone telling you this is wrong.The way bonsai should be perceived is very simple to explain. Bonsai are woody type plants or shrubs that consist mostly of trees and smaller to medium sized ground shrubs and most all can be made into bonsai.

 These trees are then trained into a particular style and shaped into that style by the methods of trimming, clipping, wiring, and repotting, in other words simply keeping the tree or plant within the confines you wish it to grow.

 That would be of course a bonsai pot and you can keep your tree in the pot you choose for many years assuming that you choose the right pot for your plant and of course tend it and nurture it as it grows. Furthermore bonsai are only what the owner is trying to express in there plant or tree more like an art form than anything else.That is to say that the owner will train his or her tree to grow within the confines of a bonsai pot and can even keep it there for many years if they desire.

 They will also be creating in the viewer’s eye what he or she might see in the real forest but only on a much smaller scale but it does not need to be called miniature or dwarfed to be bonsai..

 He or she might create an entire scene, or it could be just one tree in a pot but the whole idea is to try and reproduce on a much smaller scale what you would see in any forest or landscape through out the entire world. And the only reason it would be smaller is that we the caretakers of these plants have decided to create them that way. We simply keep the plant confined to the pot that we have chosen for it to live in for many years.

 Imagine if you will if you buy a fish and put that fish in a small tank do you think that it will grow really huge? No in point of fact that fish will only grow to the absolute confines of the tank you provide for it.

 The same is true of bonsai the plant will only grow till it becomes totally root bound. Then growth would cease and the plant would most likely eventually die all together. The only way it will continue to live and grow is if you do your work. That work consists of watering, feeding, triming, clipping, pinching, and repotting, the plant when it needs it.

 Bonsai plants can be trained to be what ever the artist wants in the way of shape and size there are no real limitations. The limitations would only be in your mind and not what you can really create and grow if you decide you want to grow it.

 I have seen bonsai so big that it would have taken four or five grown men to even lift the pot and plant. And I have seen and also even own bonsai that are so small in size that the entire plant including the pot can easily fit in the palm of your hand. So then what really is bonsai? Well here is my best explanation of bonsai.

 Bonsai is a Japanese expression BON- meaning shallow tray- Sai- meaning plant, and this art form is now used and practiced world wide. It simply is a name given to a very expressive art form that originally was started and practiced in China.

 This art form was the study of trees growing in the wild and bonsai then as well as now were only expressions and re creations of what you would really see in nature but only in a much smaller version and under controled and more idealized conditions.

 The name for bonsai in China is Penjing and is more commonly seen looking more like a forest scene rather than a single bonsai plant. There are often times many plants planted within the same pot to resemble a scene and these recreations can really be awesome in appearance.

 If you would like to see some of the different plant types and styles that I have discussed here then you can do so by checking on the links that I have here in this article. First of all if you want to see the art of Penjing then check out these fine masterpieces.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Penjing+style+bonsai&rlz=1C1ASUM_enUS487US488&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=5kOAUdf2Isv0iwK3yYDYDA&ved=0CDEQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=979

 If you would like to see some very nice pictures of the shohin type small but yet full sized bonsai then check out this site.

 By the way this is also a very good site to add to your favorites if you’re interested in bonsai and learning about them in general, there’s lots of good information here.


http://www.bonsaisite.com/mini.html


 However on the other hand if you would like to check out bonsai that would more resemble what you or I might grow after many years of time patience and training then look at these beauties.


http://www.bonsaihunk.us/pic/nat/nat.html

 If at any time you decide to visit one of these sites and find that they are no longer available or on line please excuse the fact that sites do come and go from time to time and if you do find nothing there please be so kind as to also let me know so that I can update my site so as not to direct anyone to a dead or unused link.

 In conclusion of this short article I would like to say that although many people call bonsai dwarfed, miniaturized, stunted, and by many other names similar to these I personally do not agree with calling or referring to bonsai by any of these names or terms.

 I truly believe that they are exactly what I have tried to describe here and have been for hundreds of years. And this most rewarding pass time and creation will most likely remain just as I have described it here for many more years to come.

 You can see for your self from the many pictures at the sites listed here that it is and will always be a most wonderful and very artistic art form as well as a most rewarding and fantastic pass time hobby.

Thanks for reading and happy bonsai to you, Harold Yearout