Every Bonsai artist whether professional or recreational, creates an image in one’s mind to design and shape the tree in front of them. In most cases this image is of a finished tree in its mature and final state.

What is a Bonsai stand or "dai" to the enthusiast? When a Bonsai artist is going to show a tree, it needs to be presented on a stand.

Besides a pot, there are several attributes that are important to enhance the visual display of a Bonsai tree. Covering the surface of the soil with moss is one of these, a practice very common especially when displaying Bonsai trees at exhibitions.

I am asked many times how to make decent photographs of Bonsai.

Although Bonsai is the art of growing miniature trees, I have always been fascinated by Bonsai that are on the large side. Shohin and Chuhin size Bonsai do very little for me.

The title being a given, the question that quickly arises is; “What makes a trunk great?” and only marginally second comes the question: “How do we create a great trunk?”.

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Lingnan Penjing artists prune trees with the “Clip and Grow” method. By using this pruning method, Penjing artists do not use much, if any, of the wiring technique when training and styling their trees, but simply keep clipping the branches as they grow.

"Bonsai" is a term for the Japanese art of designing dwarfed trees in shallow containers. "Penjing" is the older Chinese form that often has wilder-looking trees and landscapes in pots. These two are the most common forms of what we call magical miniature landscapes, a group of arts that are philosophically-related. When examined closely, this particular group of creations can also be seen as related to some other human endeavors.

Ones first image when thinking of ‘yamadori’ Bonsai is of a large tree discovered in the mountains with an ancient twisted trunk, shari and jin and beautiful cultivated foliage.

Pots used for Shohin and Mame are a study in themselves. Beautiful pots are now being made in the West for Shohin and Mame, especially with the increased interest shown in this variety of Bonsai since the new millennium.

If you’ve ever attended one of my talks on displaying Bonsai. you will recall my enthusiasm for doffing the cap towards traditional Japanese display ethics while adopting those principles for our own environment and indigenous tree species here in the UK or Northern Europe.


In this article we attempt to create an overview of all the Bonsai events held yearly, worldwide. The dates shown here are those of past years, so these will vary slightly over the years.

Master the art of Bonsai

Master the art of Bonsai
Triangle
Overview of our courses

Master the art of Bonsai

Online Bonsai Courses Learn from leading Bonsai experts at your own pace, from the comfort of your living room!