Bonsai are the topic this week for two reasons. First – I saw someone selling some for a Valentine’s Day, but also because the Asian New Year is about to begin, and bonsai are a Japanese tradition that spread throughout many parts of Asia.

What is a Bonsai?

Bonsai is a Japanese name that translates as “plant in a shallow pot.”      It is not simply a shallow pot that makes it a bonsai, but also its artistic quality.    Bonsai refers both to the plant itself and to the art of creating a miniature plant that appears to be a full sized plant growing in the wild.   

The plant is kept small and compact by limiting its normal growth.    This is done by careful annual trimming of branches and roots, and repotting, often back into the same pot.    In addition to this annual care, tips must be nipped back on a regular basis (often monthly), or the plant will get too large for its small pot.   

Word Nerd Shares

Since bonsai refers to both the plant and the act of making of the plant, the word is both a noun and a verb. Gardening is (confusingly) full of words like this. We plant a plant. And we rake with a rake. We compost compost. ‘Nuff said.

Bonsai are Lovely 

Bonsai have a long and honored history in the Orient.    And there are so many.  I have seen dwarfed fruit trees barely two feet tall that produce fruit.    Ancient azaleas scarcely twelve inches tall that bloom every year.    Roots of venerable evergreens clamber over tiny boulders to capture the essence of a tree clinging to the side of a cliff.   

Bonsai are often sold in stores at this time of year.  People are enchanted by them and succumb to temptation.    Unfortunately, many of these bonsai are mass produced, and often already dying when sold.    The other drawback is that most of these mass produced bonsai are outdoor plants.    Indoors, in low light conditions, they become stressed and die.

So before you plunk down your money for a plant that most likely will not make it, why not experiment a little and make your own bonsai.    It is fun and easy to start this venerable hobby.   

How to Create a Bonsai

To begin your bonsai, you need to select a plant from the list at the end of this article.  You can start from seed, but it is easier to start with a healthy plant from a nursery. Starting seeds is one thing. Growing plants is another. Some people are not good at both. 

Container Choice

Find a shallow container that will harmonize with the shape, color and texture of the plant you wish to bonsai. Generally you want the plant itself to take center stage, so a neutrally colored pot is best.   

Be sure it is a plant container – with holes in the bottom for drainage.

Growing Location

Indoors or outdoors – that is the question. Or both of course. You may have to move them back and forth with the seasons. Read on.

Air

Temperature. Since these plants are in small shallow pots – it is best to bring them into shelter in icy weather so the roots do not freeze. Also, since these plants are in shallow pots – it is best to bring them into shelter in the heat so the roots do not bake.

Fire

Sunlight. Sun is strong, but the plants on the list are mostly outdoor plants, so 6 hours of full sun a day in winter. Morning sun in summer.

Water

Plants in shallow pots. Daily water. Maybe not the caudiciform succulents (see below), but most types of bonsai are traditionally watered daily.

Earth

Soil for bonsai should drain well. Since the dish is shallow and bonsai will generally need water every day. But you do not want the soil to become waterlogged.    Ideally use a cactus potting soil.

Schools of Bonsai

There are different schools of bonsai. Some schools use wires wrapped to bend branches to the desired shape.  Some schools frown harshly upon such practice. Since this is you bonsai in you home – you get to decide!

Ideas? Look Locally

Sure you can look things up on YouTube – but don’t forget that bonsai are incredibly popular. There may be a bonsai group in your local community that can cheer you on and give you guidance. At one point in recent time, there were 4 different bonsai groups in Tucson alone.

Try it out! Most plant people friendly and encouraging, but every so often you will run into a posterior superior. If anybody is rude or snobby to you, just thank them and walk away. Those behaviors say more about the person engaging in them than they do about you. Somehow, (and sadly) in the age of social media, trolling and rudeness has become more normal. Again, most plant people are not like that.

Learn Something New

Patience is required for shaping your new bonsai as it grows.  Pruning must be done gradually to help the plant find the shape you envision for it.  Patience is a great virtue to cultivate, and cultivating bonsai can help you cultivate patience as well.   

Plants for Bonsai in the Southwest

For our area, select plants tolerant of low humidity.  That still leaves many different types of plants to choose from!

Evergreens are traditional bonsai.

You could try one of these.  Don’t see it on the list?  One example would be alligator bark juniper (Juniperus deppeana).  It’s a tad difficult to grow, and also hard to find in nurseries.  I want to help you succeed with your gardening goals – so it’s not on this list.  Not just throwing names out there – some thought has gone into this!

     Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)
     red or Texas cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
     mugo or mountain pine (Pinus mugo)
     Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergiana) 
     single-leaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla) 
     pinyon nut pine (Pinus edulis)

If you want a challenge, try one of the oaks I wrote about during “Oaktober.” They are evergreen, and our native oaks have small leaves, so they will not look out of proportion as a bonsai.

Non Native Plants for Bonsai.

If evergreens or oaks don’t excite you, try plants with smaller leaves that can tolerate low humidity.

     pyracantha (Pyracantha sp.)
     dwarf pomegranate (Punica granitum var. nana) 
     little leaf cotoneaster (Cotoneaster microphylla)

Herbs

For fun, try some of the woody herbs like rosemary, germander, or myrtle.  Not sure if Mexican oregano (Aloysia species) would bonsai. Might have to try one. Desert lavender (Condea emoryi) would be lovely – and fragrant with its lovely tiny blooms.

Succulents

Caudiciform (swollen-trunk) succulents make excellent bonasi.    They have an ancient look even when barely six months old.  There are even some clubs that specialize in bonsai succulents, with shows and prizes. There are well over 500 more succulents for bonsai, but that’s another topic. Here are some species that are easier to find in our area nurseries.

     Adenium, also called desert rose or Karoo rose (Adenium obesum). 
     Baja and Sonoran fig (Ficus palmerii and Ficus petiolaris)
     bursera (Bursera microphylla, B. linheimerii, and B. hindsiana)

Thanks for Visiting Today

– Jacqueline

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