Bonsai Garden

Creating a Bonsai Garden

Creating a bonsai garden is a stress-relieving hobby for everybody. The word "Bonsai" is a Japanese term for "tray gardening" and is the art for replicating trees in a small pot, container and, of course, in a tray. Although the art of bonsai gardening is popular in Japan, it actually originated in ancient China during the Tang Dynasty. Basically, a bonsai plant is an artificially miniaturized tree or plant or group of plants replicating natural scenery. In creating a bonsai garden, there are some factors to consider.

Things to consider in creating a bonsai garden:

• Careful, imaginative and artistic planning should be done
• Terraces in a bonsai garden can make the scenery a lot realistic
• Simple design and layout should be created first before beginning with the building of the bonsai garden
• Climate should also be considered because a bonsai is considered an outdoor plant
• The bonsai garden should not have any form of viewing distractions

Once you have made these considerations, you can now begin with your bonsai garden. The most ideal subjects for creating your garden are Bougainvillea, Schefflera, Serissa, Podocarpus, Jade plant, Hibiscus, Citrus, and the Ficus tree. A flowering plant like the Azalea tree also makes an excellent material for your bonsai garden.

To start with, you should place the plant in a container with well-draining soil, usually derived from coarse sand, sphagnum moss and clay. This composition can have good moisture so that the soil will not dry out. In caring for your bonsai garden there are certain guidelines to follow.

Never let the soil to dry out completely. Water the plant daily during summer and a little less frequently during cool weather. It is better for the bonsai plant to have rainwater although a gallon of water with a tablespoon of white vinegar can be a good substitute.

You can also apply a fertilizer to the soil but the rapid-growth type is not recommended. Regular trimming of the branches and trunk is also needed for culturing your bonsai garden. New growths should be removed during spring and if there are dried leaves or dead flowers, they should be removed as well.

Careful use of pesticides is a must. They should not be sprayed on the plant but on the root level of the soil. The guidelines above are very important in maintaining a beautiful and healthy bonsai garden. To make sure that they can be followed, it is best that you personally take care of your garden. If you have a gardener, regular supervision is fine.