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bonsai
(redirected from Bonsai tree)

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bonsai (bōn`sī), art of cultivating dwarf trees dwarf tree, in horticultural practice, a tree artificially kept to a smaller size than is normal for average members of the species. This is usually accomplished either by limiting its root space and food and by careful pruning or by grafting it on the rootstock of a
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. Bonsai, developed by the Japanese more than a thousand years ago, is derived from the Chinese practice of growing miniature plants. In bonsai cultivation, woody plants are kept small and in true proportion to their natural models by growing them in small containers, feeding and watering them only enough for healthy growth, pruning, and training branches in the desired shape by the application of wire coils; the term bonsai also refers to the plants dwarfed by this method. Weathered trees in harsh climates serve as natural models for aged-looking, gnarled, bent, and overhanging miniature trees. The selection of containers, the position of the plant in the container, and the choice of single plants or plant groupings are important aesthetic considerations. In Japan, various native evergreens, i.e., junipers, spruces, and pines, as well as many flowering deciduous trees, are cultivated; in America many native species have been found suitable. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City houses an extensive bonsai collection.

Bibliography

See Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Handbook on Dwarfed Potted Trees: The Bonsai of Japan (1974).


bonsai

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Bonsai pine.
(credit: Judith Groffman)
(Japanese: “tray planting”) Living dwarf tree or trees; also, the art of training and growing them in containers. Bonsai specimens are ordinary trees and shrubs, not hereditary dwarfs; they are dwarfed by a system of pruning roots and branches and training branches by tying them with wire. The art originated in China but has been pursued and developed primarily by the Japanese. The direct inspiration for bonsai is found in nature, in trees that grow in harsh, rocky places and are dwarfed and gnarled throughout their existence. Prized characteristics are an aged-looking trunk and branches and weathered-looking exposed upper roots. Bonsai may live for a century or more and are handed down from one generation to another as valued family possessions. Bonsai pots, usually earthenware and of variable shape, are carefully chosen to harmonize in colour and proportion with the tree. A sizable bonsai industry exists as part of the nursery industry in Japan; California is home to a small-scale bonsai industry.


bonsai
the art of growing dwarfed ornamental varieties of trees or shrubs in small shallow pots or trays by selective pruning, etc
www.bonsai4me.com
www.bonsaiweb.com
http://geocities.com/bonsai_enthusiasts/index.html
www.saba.org.za

bonsai [bōn′sī]
(botany)
The production of a mature, very dwarfed tree in a relatively small container.


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Byline: Sandish Shoker A COVENTRY Paralympian who spent years showing people the therapeutic benefits of growing bonsai trees has died aged 76.
Bonsai trees work well with this kind of landscaping.
Winding steps and pathways wandered through rhododendron bushes and mature trees and bonsai trees were dotted everywhere.
 
 
 
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