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The Art of Bonsai: Creation, Care and Enjoyment
Learn the ins and outs of proper bonsai design and care with this comprehensive Japanese gardening book.
Japanese bonsai have long been admired throughout the world while their care and preservation have seemed shrouded in mystery. The Art of Bonsai is, however, a comparatively simple art to learn. Anyone with a love for plants, a little patience and this eminently practical book can create bonsai and keep a finished plant healthy and vigorous for generations.
Included in this definitive volume
This classic work remains an eminently practical book and is the classic guide to bonsai care. It contains the essentials of an art that is one of Japan's most treasured traditions--sculpting beauty in living wood.
Japanese bonsai have long been admired throughout the world while their care and preservation have seemed shrouded in mystery. The Art of Bonsai is, however, a comparatively simple art to learn. Anyone with a love for plants, a little patience and this eminently practical book can create bonsai and keep a finished plant healthy and vigorous for generations.
Included in this definitive volume
This classic work remains an eminently practical book and is the classic guide to bonsai care. It contains the essentials of an art that is one of Japan's most treasured traditions--sculpting beauty in living wood.
220 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 27, 2021
Some useful tips, some not so much, but I like the appendix with all japanese names of trees you can train as bonsai translated into latin names since it will come handy for other books on bonsai that don't bother with latin nomenclature. I kind of like latin names - they stay consistent and are used for a reason in the west when dealing with plants, otherwise it is pure chaos when doing any kind of purchase or research.
December 31, 2016
This is a comprehensive guide for anyone who just starts his bonsai aspiration.
Recently I bought my first bonsai tree, after two years of reading around the internet. The dwarf tree was standing in a store where my girlfriend and me were to buy some flowers. It was so perfect (in my eyes) that I decided it is time to delve in caring about it (some call it love from first sight). This is the story of how I met my tiger bark ficus buddy :)
Now, having a tree at home I had to quickly learn how to care about it. After a small research I learned that this is one of the best guides for beginner to advanced bonsai-master (after the literally impossible to find book of master John Naka). It covers in details all the important steps and techniques including watering patterns, defoliation, pruning, roots care, selection of soils and special care based on types of trees. It even goes into detailed review of many species and how to care about them from A to Z.
Having read the book and equipped with a proper tool-set I have already applied a number of changes to my tree-friend. Judging by the healthy look and new offshoots, it seems he likes it :) I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to have bonsai-hue of his green thumb!
Recently I bought my first bonsai tree, after two years of reading around the internet. The dwarf tree was standing in a store where my girlfriend and me were to buy some flowers. It was so perfect (in my eyes) that I decided it is time to delve in caring about it (some call it love from first sight). This is the story of how I met my tiger bark ficus buddy :)
Now, having a tree at home I had to quickly learn how to care about it. After a small research I learned that this is one of the best guides for beginner to advanced bonsai-master (after the literally impossible to find book of master John Naka). It covers in details all the important steps and techniques including watering patterns, defoliation, pruning, roots care, selection of soils and special care based on types of trees. It even goes into detailed review of many species and how to care about them from A to Z.
Having read the book and equipped with a proper tool-set I have already applied a number of changes to my tree-friend. Judging by the healthy look and new offshoots, it seems he likes it :) I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to have bonsai-hue of his green thumb!
March 5, 2024
Book #16 of 2024. "The Art of Bonsai" by Yuji Yoshimura and Giovanna Halford. 3/5 rating. 173 p.
"Bonsai art aims at creating artificially perfect trees". This book talks all about the "creation, care and enjoyment" of bonsai, and includes hundreds of useful pictures along with the descriptions given.
Officially, any tree can become a bonsai. There are two characteristics that matter for bonsai: they must be healthy and they must be beautiful.
Trees can be grown from:
1) natural stunting
2) seed
3) cuttings
4) graftings
5) layering or dividings
There are a myriad of important concepts to take into account when dealing with the potting, care, and training of bonsai. Since these trees are artificially kept small, they are a decent amount of work to ensure their health: often requiring watering multiple times a day.
If you are interested in the practice of creating bonsai trees and the art therein, this is an interesting overview. The pictures of so many different trees especially were really great to see.
My goal now is just to see if I can actually keep this one alive!
Quotes:
- "In this as in all bonsai work it must never be forgotten that empty spaces form part of the pattern."
- "The shape of a bonsai should be suited to the species; it should have form and balance and be pleasing to the eye. Elegance of shape is the most important attribute."
"Bonsai art aims at creating artificially perfect trees". This book talks all about the "creation, care and enjoyment" of bonsai, and includes hundreds of useful pictures along with the descriptions given.
Officially, any tree can become a bonsai. There are two characteristics that matter for bonsai: they must be healthy and they must be beautiful.
Trees can be grown from:
1) natural stunting
2) seed
3) cuttings
4) graftings
5) layering or dividings
There are a myriad of important concepts to take into account when dealing with the potting, care, and training of bonsai. Since these trees are artificially kept small, they are a decent amount of work to ensure their health: often requiring watering multiple times a day.
If you are interested in the practice of creating bonsai trees and the art therein, this is an interesting overview. The pictures of so many different trees especially were really great to see.
My goal now is just to see if I can actually keep this one alive!
Quotes:
- "In this as in all bonsai work it must never be forgotten that empty spaces form part of the pattern."
- "The shape of a bonsai should be suited to the species; it should have form and balance and be pleasing to the eye. Elegance of shape is the most important attribute."
March 15, 2021
From the synopsis I expected a "my first bonsai" guide, but at the same time it went way more in-depth than expected in some topics, it felt like it glossed over some others.
I like plants, and gardening in general is really appealing for me, and the idea of making a bonsai of a tree my grandfather planted to keep the memory of it alive when he inevitably cuts it, as he tried to do before, made me very enthusiastic, but reading this sapped all of it away even before I realized that I just couldn't care properly for this hypothetical bonsai because I live in an apartment, and therefore couldn't let the little tree 'outside'.
My disliking for this book comes in equal parts misunderstanding the objective of it and being frustrated at my inability to actually try and put the things in practice and the awful formatting of the ebook edition I had, that made mistakes like using 'b's instead of 'h's in words, and vice versa, quite frequently (also the quality of the images was precarious at best).
I like plants, and gardening in general is really appealing for me, and the idea of making a bonsai of a tree my grandfather planted to keep the memory of it alive when he inevitably cuts it, as he tried to do before, made me very enthusiastic, but reading this sapped all of it away even before I realized that I just couldn't care properly for this hypothetical bonsai because I live in an apartment, and therefore couldn't let the little tree 'outside'.
My disliking for this book comes in equal parts misunderstanding the objective of it and being frustrated at my inability to actually try and put the things in practice and the awful formatting of the ebook edition I had, that made mistakes like using 'b's instead of 'h's in words, and vice versa, quite frequently (also the quality of the images was precarious at best).
April 23, 2023
Some of the techniques described are a little dated but still extremely useful. Definitely still worth reading
September 12, 2015
I picked up this book after seeing the author's name at the National Arboretum's bonsai exhibit. Yoshimura was the first Japanese bonsai master to welcome international students, and this work is his legacy to the world.
Bonsai are famous for their subtle, simple beauty. Their elegance appears almost effortless, but if you learn anything from this book it will be that training a bonsai is not easy. It takes care and dedication, much like one would give a pet. This discipline is part of the reward in owning and enjoying one.
If you aren't training a bonsai or planning to in the near future, the technical side of the book can get a little tedious. In the end it is a manual designed with the bonsai trainer in mind. There is still value for those wishing to enhance their knowledge and appreciation however, and there are several lovely color plates included. So much goes into not only maintaining a bonsai, but into its aesthetic presentation. How you display one, choose its pot, what you display it with, etc., are all part of the art of bonsai.
When you want to appreciate paintings at a museum better, you read about the art of painting. It is the same with bonsai. Knowing some basics about their styles and forms has deepened my understanding, and thus my enjoyment, of these delightful trees. Everything about them is calming and serene, flowing naturally from the gentle way in which they are raised. You can't help but admire the patient work put into some of them over decades, or even hundreds of years in some cases. Just reading about them brought a sense of peace and harmony, and I hope I get the chance to handle the responsibility of properly training one some day.
Bonsai are famous for their subtle, simple beauty. Their elegance appears almost effortless, but if you learn anything from this book it will be that training a bonsai is not easy. It takes care and dedication, much like one would give a pet. This discipline is part of the reward in owning and enjoying one.
If you aren't training a bonsai or planning to in the near future, the technical side of the book can get a little tedious. In the end it is a manual designed with the bonsai trainer in mind. There is still value for those wishing to enhance their knowledge and appreciation however, and there are several lovely color plates included. So much goes into not only maintaining a bonsai, but into its aesthetic presentation. How you display one, choose its pot, what you display it with, etc., are all part of the art of bonsai.
When you want to appreciate paintings at a museum better, you read about the art of painting. It is the same with bonsai. Knowing some basics about their styles and forms has deepened my understanding, and thus my enjoyment, of these delightful trees. Everything about them is calming and serene, flowing naturally from the gentle way in which they are raised. You can't help but admire the patient work put into some of them over decades, or even hundreds of years in some cases. Just reading about them brought a sense of peace and harmony, and I hope I get the chance to handle the responsibility of properly training one some day.
April 30, 2016
This author recommends watering a bonsai 4-5 times a DAY in the summer ( maybe he hasn't heard of root rot?) and not watering it at all during whole winter. No comment.
He also considers earthworms pests and teaches us how to kill them.
If this book contains BS of this degree, I simply cannot take anything in it seriously. Definitely not recommended for beginners who can't distinguish between useful and harmful advice in this book. As I am a beginner myself, I will not try any of his suggestions before I check their safety in multiple sources.
He also considers earthworms pests and teaches us how to kill them.
If this book contains BS of this degree, I simply cannot take anything in it seriously. Definitely not recommended for beginners who can't distinguish between useful and harmful advice in this book. As I am a beginner myself, I will not try any of his suggestions before I check their safety in multiple sources.
October 17, 2013
Jeeeez, I never knew Bonsai's were such a mission.
You'd think a tree couldn't survive on it's own. I blazed through it and decided that my bonsai was either going to have to be stronger, or die. Simple as that. I am not going to take it to a nursery for boarding when I go away for the weekend.
You'd think a tree couldn't survive on it's own. I blazed through it and decided that my bonsai was either going to have to be stronger, or die. Simple as that. I am not going to take it to a nursery for boarding when I go away for the weekend.
April 27, 2015
I have a 1961 edition.
This book is a wealth of information, and I'm intimidated by it. They tell you right up front that you're not going to even be good at this. But you can possible hope not to immediately kill everything.
This book is a wealth of information, and I'm intimidated by it. They tell you right up front that you're not going to even be good at this. But you can possible hope not to immediately kill everything.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews