Bay Area Bonsai Society
GREEN BAY, WI
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What Is Bonsai?

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Welcome to the world of nature in miniature!

The word bonsai  (pronounced "bone-sigh," with equal accent) is the combination of two Japanese  words which translate to "tray planting." They are trees in containers,  miniaturized through artful horticultural techniques. From its origins in China  and earlier, the art has been developed over the centuries to its present state  by the Japanese, and today finds practitioners throughout the world.

 Many Western observers expect all bonsai to be hundreds of years old, and they are ten disappointed when they learn that a beautiful and venerable-looking tree is not very old. But the fact that a tree can survive in a small pot, and continue to grow, produce fruit and flowers, and maintain all the other characteristics of a tree in nature is a wondrous achievement in itself. Bonsai need not be ancient.  The objective in bonsai art is to create the illusion of a mature tree. This is  accomplished through careful selection of material, followed by the design,  development and care process. The result becomes an idealized tree at a very  compact size. 

While almost any  suitable species of tree or shrub can be cultivated in a container, the art of  bonsai is to make a small tree into a masterpiece. It is shaped, trimmed and trained, often using wire to set branches and trunk into the desired design. The  wires are removed after training is completed. Designs follow aesthetic rules  which have been developed and refined over the years by the Masters.

 If you would like  to learn more about bonsai, please visit our Club Newsletters page. We invite  you to join the Bay Area Bonsai Society, where members study and learn the  fundamentals and the details of selection, potting, wiring, training, and care.



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