The Beauty of Japanese Bonsai

All over the globe individuals who have practiced bonsai know that it is not just an activity that involves growing small trees. The actual translation of the word "bonsai" is plant (sai) in a small pot (bon), and yet to merely growa plant in a pot is not necessarily bonsai.Japanese bonsai must be appreciated in multiple dimensions. Bonsai bringstogether three elements that together create a true bonsai: horticulture,artistry, and a desire to bring beauty to others. Bonsai can teach us valuablelessons, including patience and perseverance. Without gardening skills, orartistic expression, or without a desire to create beauty for others, a bonsaiwould be incomplete.If you see yourself to be a successful gardener then you should have successwith bonsai. Bonsai gardening will require that you have at least a basiclevel of knowledge for general gardening. A good bonsai gardener mustunderstand how plants grow. A bonsai artist will work with all elements of atree including its leaves, branches, and roots. A bonsai artist will need tolearn about how a trees leaves absorb carbon dioxide. Finally he mustunderstand the seasonal changes that bring about changes in the growthcycle of plants. All of this knowledge must be brought together in order togrow robust and healthy plants. And, without this understanding of horticulture it would be difficult, if not impossible, to apply techniques thatare part of the artistic dimension of bonsai.The artistic dimension of Japanese bonsaiis that which will ultimately createthe form, the living art that is pleasing to the eye, and which creates, inminiature, a replica of a natural tree. A bonsai tree will take on the form thatis seen by the bonsai artist which is his own interpretation of the natural