Having Bonsai Gardens is one of the best ways of staying close to nature without having to venture out into the wilderness.
Having a garden would generally mean that you would need large open spaces for the trees to grow, but the beauty with a bonsai garden is that you don’t need very large space.
Bonsai being the art of growing miniature trees gives you the option of having your most loved trees grown in your own drawing room, there by keeping you close to nature.
Sculpting your own bonsai garden with the trees you want, in the shape you want, gives you the freedom to express your creativity and imagination in your own unique way.
Bonsai which is the art reproducing trees in a miniature form is an intricate art form which demands a lot of patience, dedication and perseverance on the part of the practitioner.
There is a general misconception that garden consists of houseplants but it is wrong. Bonsai, as mentioned earlier, is the art of miniaturizing outdoor plants, you could even train plants like bamboo, which generally grow to very great heights in the outdoors, to grow into miniature forms.
The main skills that you would need to master to have your own Garden are
Pruning This is how you ensure that your bonsai trees remain in proper shape and size and always stay beautiful.
Watering
It is very essential to understand the amount of water that the trees in your garden would need, amount and frequency of watering would depend upon the type of tree and the season of the year.
Repotting Bonsai plants need to be repotted every one or tow years, based on the plant variety. It is very essential as it ensures proper growth and health of the plant.
Sunlight
Every bonsai tree, depending species require have their own specific requirement for sunlight, so it is of paramount importance to have a basic understanding of this necessities.
Wiring One of the most beautiful aspects of growing bonsai is that it gives you the liberty to grow your trees in your own unique style and design. So essentially you can grow the same tree in different styles, and have a plethora of designs in your garden. This can be achieved by mastering thee art of wiring. In this procedure the branches and the trunk of the bonsai tree need to be wired into specific shape. There are special wires available for this purpose. Having said this it is also important to bear in mind that the process of wiring is a very delicate task, and if not done properly it might have detrimental effect on the bonsai tree.
Apart form this you would also need to safeguard the bonsai trees in your garden against pests and diseases, and also need to have the knowledge of fertilizers which could be used to ensure that your bonsai trees stay in health.
You could grow bonsai trees in many different styles. The most common and widely followed styles could be listed as below.
Formal Upright Style
Informal Upright Style
Slanting Style
Broom Style bonsai
Semi Cascade style bonsai
Forest style bonsai
Root over rock style bonsai
Having this list does not mean that your creativity and imagination is to be curbed by these boundaries, you could very well go ahead and give your own shape to the trees of your bonsai garden.
The most commonly used bonsai trees for bonsai gardens could be listed as below.
