Give credit where it is due. That’s always a good idea. Take bonsai, for example. This isn’t Japanese even though many people may think so.
It actually started in China thousands of years ago. Some time later Buddhist monks took this knowledge to Japan. There it prospered, and was introduced to America after World War II.
Bonsai means a plant growing in a container. The idea is to have a plant that looks old. This is often done by creating a gnarled, leaning trunk.
Like Japanese gardens and anything that smacks of Zen, bonsai is becoming increasingly popular. Apparently bonsai collectors in Los Angeles can arrange for emergency house calls by renowned bonsai expert Roy Nagatoshi. He has a nursery in the San Fernando Valley and is president of the California Bonsai Society. If demand for bonsai continues to increase, prices are sure to increase as well.
A surprising number of fruits can be trained as bonsai. In fact they’re grown more for their beauty than for the small number of fruits they produce.
First there are hardy ones like blueberry bushes and some varieties of grape vines. Several of the dogwoods with edible fruits are grown as bonsai. These include the Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) and the Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas).
Even the dwarf persimmon (Diospyros kaki) and the Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) are trained to create bonsai. Among the top ten most popular bonsai is the dwarf pomegranate (Punica granatum nana). Others with edible fruits would include the ginkgo and the dwarf European olive.
Several varieties of crabapples are routinely made into bonsai. These include the Sargent crabapple, Indian Magic, David, and Donald Wyman, as well as the weeping candied apple.
Several of the fruits grown as bonsai would only be hardy in certain areas of the U.S. These include several kinds of citrus, the fig, jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) and Barbados cherry (Malpighia glabra).
In colder regions the non-hardy ones will need winter protection. For example, citrus will require warm, well-lit indoor spots.
Be aware hardy bonsai must have exposure to cold temperatures over the winter. They shouldn’t spend this time indoors. Bring them indoors long enough to enjoy the blooms, but otherwise keep them outdoors.
Bonsai of all sorts require very special care. They will need watering a couple times a day when the summer temperatures are extremely high. The small pots contain very little potting soil, letting the roots dry out very quickly.
In other respects bonsai fruits are high maintenance. They require pruning--both the roots and the tops--on a regular basis, so they don’t overgrow their pots.
During the initial training process the plants are wired to achieve the desired effect. The training varies according to the style you choose. Styles include cascading, semi-cascading, and the like.
All the tools and supplies used for bonsai are special--from the potting soil and pots to the pruning shears.
Creating and training bonsai is a combination of art and gardening techniques. It isn’t for everyone. Some may wish to buy the pre-trained plants. Genuine bonsai are going to be expensive, so don’t expect to find them at a fabulous bargain price. What you’ll end up with is an inferior product.
Gardeners wishing to train their own bonsai fruit can begin with ones called prebonsai. These are young seedlings, rooted cuttings, and other young plants. In other words, select the plant, and determine the style you want. Then get going on the training phase.
Training and growing bonsai is by no means easy. But the exquisite beauty of the plants is reward enough.