The Art of Bonsai

Any tree that flourishes is a potential bonsai, and many different types have been grown successfully in America and Europe. The great thing to remember is that to achieve satisfactory results it is preferable to choose varieties with small leaves and, particularly, small fruits and flowers. The trunk and branches can be dwarfed by pruning and even the leaves will become much smaller with the years of restriction as a bonsai, but fruit and flowers will always remain proportionate to their species.

The plum, quince, and apple follow each other in the spring; the deciduous trees are brilliantly green in early summer; in autumn the maples turn red, gold, and orange; and in winter there is the rich, dark color of the pines. And even though the maples and the fruit trees stand bare and leafless through the winter months, their owner can still take pleasure not only in the delicate tracery of their branches, but in the strong buds on every twig. Spring never seems far away with these reminders.