Bonsai

Bonsai (pronounced bone-sigh) is an ancient oriental horticultural art form. The word Bonsai literally means, in both Chinese and in the Japanese language, tree-in- a-pot. Originally developed in the Orient almost 2000 years ago, today the sublime art of bonsai is practiced throughout the world. Shape-harmony-proportion-scale are all weighed carefully as art, and the human hand combines this in a common cause with nature.

A tree planted in a small pot is not a bonsai until it has been pruned, shaped, and trained into the desired shape. Bonsai are kept small by careful control of the plant’s growing conditions. Only branches important to the bonsai’s overall design are allowed to remain and unwanted growth is pruned away. Bonsai may have a stylized or an exaggerated form … but, as found in nature. The appearance of old age of a plant is much prized and bonsai may live to be hundreds of years old. The living bonsai will change from season to season and from year to year requiring pruning and training throughout it’s lifetime … and as time goes on it will become more and more beautiful.

Where does Bonsai originate from?The first known mention of a Bonsai was in an 800-year-old picture, discovered in an ancient temple in China. So it’s very likely that the Chinese started growing Bonsai. The Japanese learned the Bonsai-art later on and discovered new ways to grow Bonsai. The first Bonsai trees were brought to Europe in the 20th century. Ever since Bonsai has grown increasingly popular in Europe