Tiny and Timeless

Photo by Javadoplant Holland

Bonsai Trees

• we usually use the word bonsai to describe anything we perceive as a miniature
• when really the word itself refers to the traditional Japanese art of growing small trees
• this art form springs form the Chinese art of penjing or “potted landscape”
• growing these tiny trees requires meticulous effort
• but not genetically modified seeds
• the goal of bonsai is to grow a tiny tree that imitates the growth form of a normal sized tree of the same species
• this does not require changes to the genome of the plant
• rather changes to its environment and management
• the pot does most of the work to keep the plant small
• it limits the root growth and available nutrients
• the bonsai tree’s care giver also shapes the tree with strategic branch and root cutting, and repotting
• eventually the tree reaches it’s planned size
• (bonsai tree growth must be carefully planned out)
• and then it is placed in display pot
• these pots abide by as strict a set of aesthetic standards as the trees do themselves

Photo by Cliff

• some species of tree are preferred for use in this art
• species with fine needles like junipers
• or small leaves like the trident maple
• are perfect because the foliage matches the smaller scale of the plant
• a tiny tree with giant leaves looks mighty silly indeed
• here’s a list of all the preferred species

Not just a word for tiny trees, but a word that describes a lineage of art forms and ages of delicate cultivation, bonsai means much more than cutesy plants. It stands for an appreciation and cultivation of delicate, timeless beauty. Humans and plants are capable of doing wonderful things together.