Bonsai is the art of growing trees in containers. The art originates from East Asia, primarily from Japan, China, and the surrounding East Asian nations. It was originally first developed in China during the Han dynasty, but it was the Japanese which developed bonsai up to the level we now know of. Bonsai is actually the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word, “penzai.”

Bonsai is an ideal style of gardening for city dwellers, owing to its minimal space requirements. It can be grown in apartments without the need for a proper garden yard. Most bonsai trees do not have difficult requirements, and can be grown without too much fuss. There are specific requirements between the different species of trees, but unless you are concentrating on styling your bonsai in a certain style, you do not need to be tending to your tree every single day. Bonsai mostly just needs proper watering, feeding, and some pruning techniques to ensure the tree grows healthily, yet remains small. Here, it’s important to note that bonsai is not genetically modified trees; rather their small size is due to pruning, and confinement to a relatively small amount of soil.

As you continue in your knowledge of growing bonsai trees, you will certainly come across the styling practices of bonsai. Among these are the formal upright and informal upright, cascade and semi cascade, broom, and slanting styles. In order to achieve specific styles, careful pruning and wiring is a must. Wiring here refers to the usage of thin wires to wrap around the tree branches and keeping them in this state for controlled periods of time, during which the branches will “learn” how to stay bent at the direction they are forced to grow in.

You don’t really need to learn expert techniques just so you can grow bonsai. Most trees will survive and grow anyway, provided they get enough feeding, watering, and pruning. Many people buy a bonsai tree for its aesthetic appeal, and would be quite content to just maintain a pretty looking bonsai as a part of their indoor or outdoor décor plans. Currently, bonsai is a hobby that is fast gaining popularity in Western countries due to its convenience and relatively low requirements, as opposed to say, taking care of a lawn.