Known since the antiquity, Bonsai stands for a Japanese art and science of growing miniature trees and plants by forcing them to develop and grow in tighter spaces than they would normally require, with lower quantities of water and nutrients. Trees raised in such conditions grow into esthetical miniature plants giving the impressions of oldness; many of them really have an advanced age but show it in their smaller sizes.



The most famous Bonsai cultivators are the Japanese and the Chinese. By perfecting their technique among the centuries they can now give life to entire miniature gardens just by growing all sorts of trees and plants in restrictive conditions. Although perfectly expanded bonsai trees are very much alike to their ancestors grown in their natural habitat, their initial purpose was to show a contorted form of nature, mostly representing a symbol or a certain form.

Bonsai grown in a restrictive environment resemble the natural tree but show a smaller gnarled trunk with much smaller leaves and branches. Theoretically, any plant can develop into a Bonsai as long as it is kept in the right miniature habitat and can last in these conditions for a longer period of time.

Bonsai trees are just like persons: they have different personalities and looks like we have totally different characters. According to the Japanese classification, they can be classified by height and by number of their trunks. If referring to height, Bonsai can apply to five different classes: Shito, Marne, Shonin, Chiu Bonsai and Dai bonsai in decreasing order. By the number of their trunks, there are four groups of Bonsai.

Japanese and Chinese cultures have different views upon the significance and the philosophy of Bonsai:

The Japanese style of Bonsai sees the miniature versions of these trees by the principle of uniting the sky and the earth into a single piece. The two elementary, life giving forces, bind together into a high quality Bonsai should signify truth, essence and beauty.

Chinese people on the other hand, ask from a beautifully grown Bonsai to stand for the essence and the spirit of nature by achieving controversies with a deeper meaning. The inspiration of the Chinese style from nature but is also influenced by literature and poetry creating a philosophical dualism.

As nice and easy as it may seem, to grow a healthy and beautiful Bonsai is actually a pretty complicated and meticulous task; in order to develop into a miniature form of the original tree grown in natural conditions, a Bonsai requires time and attention, proper care and the main thing, it is necessary to know as much as possible about the certain type of Bonsai you are growing.