The Complete Book of Bonsai: A Practical Guide to Its Art & Cultivation

I am often asked when it was and why that I first became attached to bonsai. My earliest recollection dates back to a rainy holiday around 1950 spent visiting my aunt and uncle. I would like to be able to say that they employed a scholarly, kind, elderly Japanese gardener who entrusted me with the ancient oriental secrets of bonsai culture and set me on a path of spiritual enlightenment. However, the truth is more prosaic. Out of boredom, kept indoors by the wet weather, and being an avid and compulsive reader of everything from cereal packets to the complete works of Charles Dickens, I started on the only reading matter in the house--a set of rather decrepit encyclopedias. Luckily, the rain lasted for several days, long enough for me to complete all the As and most of the Bs (for many years I was a child prodigy on any subject from A to B).

The only distinct impression I retain from this industrious study is that of bonsai. My imagination was stirred, and for weeks my parents had to contend with plant pots full of seeds and saplings on windowsills all around the house. I scoured the local library for any more information about bonsai, without success. The initial interest, without further fuel, subsided.

About ten years later, I came across "The Japanese Art of Trees and Landscapes" by Yuji Yoshimura and Giovanna M. Halford (first published by Charles E. Tuttle in 1957 and still a valued work, with its thirty-first printing in 1987, this was the first major book on bonsai published in English), and the flame of my earlier interest was rekindled and I was soon addicted. As the interest in bonsai in the West grew, more and more books in English became available andI bought and studied every one. Gradually, but inevitably, bonsai took over my life--to such an extent that in 1979 I resigned, after almost twenty years, my executive post in the Civil Service to devote my life to bonsai.

Nature and Art

It is unlikely that anyone browsing through this book would be completely unaware of what constitutes a bonsai, if only by virtue of the wealth of illustrations in these pages. But I have delivered talks on the subject to groups that included people expecting to see a demonstration of martial arts or hear about the problems of breeding long-haired dogs. Even those who identify the term correctly often have misconceptions about what bonsai is.

Bonsai, although a Japanese word, is used and understood throughout the world. There is no convenient English translation: "a tree or shrub trained and pruned in such a way as to resemble a full-size tree, grown in a shallow container for artistic effect and as an impression of nature" is an accurate but not very concise definition. "Bonsai" is actually composed of two words: "bon", meaning a shallow tray or container; and "sai", a plant or planting. This is literal, but "bonsai" implies much more than the literal translation. It implies the element of art that distinguishes a bonsai from a potted tree.

Learning about Bonsai

I often feel, when addressing an audience of newcomers to bonsai, that I should issue something in the nature of a health warning. Not that bonsai are likely to damage your health (unless you drop a particularly large specimen on your foot), but the love of bonsai can and does become an addiction.

During my thirty years of addiction to bonsai, I have become heavily involved with the bonsai world, both nationally and internationally. As well as growing countless bonsai and selling them (as many as I can bear to part with), I run classes and workshops in my studio and tour the world demonstrating bonsai techniques.

My approach to teaching has always been the same, based on an almost simplistic view that anyone can appreciate bonsai and that creating bonsai is easy--anyone can do it. I totally disagree with the attitude that bonsai is a "mystical" art that requires years of skill and dedication to achieve results (implying that some people can never aspire to this level). Bonsai does require enthusiasm and commitment, but it can be approached at many different levels of interest, ambition and ability. I welcome the wide range of interest that exists, from the person with only one or two trees that provide appreciation of the changing of the seasons, to the skilled and dedicated grower whose collection of trees exemplifies bonsai's status as a fine art.

My love of books is incorporated in my fascination with bonsai. I have a comprehensive personal library of bonsai books from all over the world, but I also attempt at my studio to retail the widest possible range of suitable books on bonsai. Over the years, through customers' comments, I have come to realize that the existing books do not completely satisfy their needs. Although there are a few titles that represent an authoritative introduction to the art, some books are written by authors who sell bonsai but never create any, others by authors whose business it is to write books but who have no practical involvement with bonsai.

I have no aspirations to become a professional author, but I am a professional bonsai grower and teacher of the techniques. My aim with this book is to provide a practical reference work of equal value to the beginner and the more experienced enthusiast. I seek to encourage people to try bonsai for themselves and this is the attitude I have tried to foster throughout the book. By following the projects in the chapter entitled Creating a Bonsai, you can be assured of a reasonable result. But remember that this is just a beginning--even the most famous artists had to begin with small steps that simply taught them their craft. Your own progress in both the technical and artistic aspects of bonsai can be tailored to your specific interests, the time you wish to put in, and the enjoyment that you get from growing bonsai. As with a bonsai, which matures and improves with the passing years, your pleasure and satisfaction in growing bonsai can only increase over time.