The Art of Growing Bonsai
Growing bonsai is an ancient tradition and science in Japan. The word “bonsai” comes from the Japanese words, “bon” which means tray and “sai” which means planting (growing plants). Hence the actual meaning of bonsai is “growing plants in a tray”. The fact that the plants that grow in the trays become, with time and training, miniature trees, is actually incidental.
Growing Bonsai: A Lucrative Hobby
It is true that the art of growing bonsai has come a very long way from ancient times; though it is doubtful whether the practice and the basic principles of growing the trees has changed much in the last 100 to 200 years. Back then growing bonsai was a pastime for the rich and a way to show the artistic inclination of the marriageable age girls.
Today growing bonsai is still a source of immense pleasure and a showcase of personal talent. However, it is also a very interesting way to earn money — and even fame. People today value bonsai a lot and they are ready to pay a small fortune to buy honest and real bonsai trees. The cost for the tiny trees can be quite high, compared to normal-sized plants, but then a normal plant cannot provoke as much admiration as a growing bonsai does.
This explains part of their popularity among interior decorators. First of all, the bonsai, particularly when pruned into exotic shapes according to the Chinese tradition, can make a plain corner of the living room into an exquisite showstopper. There is so much in the natural beauty in a bonsai tree when it’s placed in a flattering clay pot and enhanced with green moss and gray stones that it can totally mesmerize you into staring at it for hours, letting its serenity wash over you. There is no person on earth that can walk by oblivious to a bonsai tree. They will definitely stop and ask how they made these bonsai tree. And once they do, you can slyly mention that you have a few for sale…
At the outset, the bonsai tree looks so vulnerable and so beautiful. And in some ways they are very fragile, some species more than others. Changes in light, temperature, watering, even the type of pot you’ve placed the tree in can damage that delicate beauty. However, these lovely trees can thrive in the hands of a knowledgeable owner.