Bonsai by layering and dividing
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INTRODUCTION |
THE ART OF GROWING AND caring for miniature trees is one which may be enjoyed practically anywhere in the world, although it has reached its apex in Japan. Owning a particularly fine bonsai, as the Japanese call these trees-the word is written with characters meaning "tray" or "pot" and "to plant"-is a responsibility, not to be undertaken lightly. A Japanese who owns bonsai has nearly always taken the trouble to turn himself into an expert; he has studied the art and is probably acquiring a collection of these little masterpieces. He gives up a good deal of his time to their care, belongs perhaps to a bonsai society, allows his best trees to appear in exhibitions, and attends the annual auctions, sometimes to buy, sometimes to sell, sometimes just to "study form." He may well have inherited his most valuable trees from his father and grandfather, for bonsai lovers, like bonsai growers, are both born and made, artists and craftsmen with a long tradition behind them. The all-too-common practice among Western visitors to Japan of buying a bonsai and then allowing it to die through neglect or ignorance is shocking to the Japanese. They know that the dead tree, flung on the rubbish heap with a rueful "Oh, well, it wasn't so very expensive anyway," represents many years of loving care by some unknown gardener, whose grandfather may have sown the seed.
But the amateur should not be discouraged by this talk of many years and heavy responsibilities involved in making and caring for a perfect specimen. Perfection is rare, and enjoyment does not depend on it; and, as will be pointed out, there are short cuts and "tricks of the trade" by which a handsome bonsai can be created in months rather than years. It is certainly not difficult to learn at least the basic rules which will keep a bonsai alive. With a little trouble anyone who loves plants can give it proper attention, water it sufficiently, keep it free from disease, do simple pruning, and even change the soil when necessary. The smallness of the bonsai is so wonderful that many people believe that there must be some mystery about them, some special treatment known only to the initiates so that, as one often hears, "bonsai always die in two or three months in a Western house." But this is not the case. The authors hope that this be ok will help Western people who own bonsai to care for them and increase their own enjoyment. They also hope it will encourage those who like gardening to experiment in making and training their own miniature trees.
It might be difficult for a person with absolutely no experience in gardening who lives in an apartment in a city to grow a bonsai from seed and train it, but there is no reason why he should not care for a ready-made one successfully, provided he has a convenient fire escape or window box for the tree to live on and can take it from time to time to a reliable nursery for advice and inspection. But the man or woman who is accustomed to a garden, who knows about seedlings and shrubs and young fruit trees, will find from this book that the technique of growing bonsai is largely an adaptation of what he knows already. If he is prepared to embark upon an undertaking-no longer, after all, than the development of a mature apple orchard and in many cases much shorter-which will require a good deal of patience, the performance of little, fiddling jobs which may not take more than a few minutes of his time every day but which; must not be neglected, then he may enjoy the satisfaction of possessing a treasure of his own making. The technique is here in this book.
What we cannot teach 'by rule of thumb, although we have tried to indicate the fundamental principles, is the art which make!; the bonsai perfect. The final beauty of the bonsai lies in its training, and each person must see for himself just how the tree can be displayed to greatest advantage, whether its form should be austerely classical or gracefully cascading, whether this branch spoils the symmetry or the addition of a rock or tiny shrub may not give balance to the whole. The choice of pot, the position of the tree in the pot, the angle at which the trunk is set, the way in which the exposed roots are arranged, all these go to make the masterpiece.
Color Plate 2. Japanese persimmon. Informal upright style. 2'2". About 30 yrs. Produced from a seedling and potted about 20 yrs. ago. Glazed Chinese pot.
Color Plate 3. Japanese millettia. Informal upright style. 1'3". About 15 yrs. Produced from a cutting or by dividing. Glazed Japanese pot.
Color Plate 4. English holly. Informal upright style. 11". About 35 yrs. Produced from a seedling or cutting or by layering. Glazed Chinese pot of Kuang-tung wore. the color contrasting harmoniously with the red berries, which remain for most of the winter.
In this book there are numerous photographs of finely trained bonsai, which will help the novice to "get his eye in" and realize what to aim at. They will also help the owners of full-grown bonsai to keep their trees in proper shape when they show a tendency to grow out sideways or otherwise spoil the line which art has so carefully given them. It is, in fact, a good idea to photograph a newly acquired bonsai for reference in years to come, although this does not mean that the shape of a trained bonsai cannot be improved. The owner may find, as he studies these illustrations, that by planting his tree at a different angle or training a branch to fill an ugly hiatus he can give the whole a more satisfying beauty.
Owners of bonsai should always try to have more than one tree. The temptation to keep the tree in the house so as to enjoy it and see the enjoyment of others is almost too strong for most Western people. But if there are several which can be brought into the house in rotation they will not suffer. It is also worth while to arrange a suitable setting for the bonsai, a special place in the room where it will look its best. With this in mind we have made some suggestions at the end of the book as to how a substitute for the Japanese alcove can be arranged in a Western room. Bonsai have such a very Japanese look about them, even when grown by someone who is not Japanese, that there is good reason for adapting the room to the tree rather than the tree to the room.
Until the turn of the century bonsai had never been seen outside Japan, and their first appearance, at an exhibition in London in 1909, created a sensation. The idea of age with smallness is fascinating and has led many Western people to give undue importance to the age of a tree. They tend to expect a bonsai to be hundreds of years old and are disappointed to learn that it is not.
