Bewildered Greeny

Bonsai

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Bonsai is a Japanese word, meaning 'tree in a tray'. For many people growing these small plants is a hobby, some think it a huge challenge. (like me) so far lol!
Bonsai... Well I never thought I'd be headed down the long tedious road of Bonsai but here I am ;p  The one and only real reason I have for wanting to learn bonsai is so that I would be able to grow invasive species of trees without causing damage.  The only way of being able to grow and keep an invasive plant in my backyard would be to eventually Bonsai it. 
This idea of bonsai all started by searching for an identification for a seedling that I had just planted from a berry I randomly decided to pick up one day. After tons and tons of research on this seedling.. "Finally" I found out that it was a Chinaberry Tree *sigh* Yep Invasive! Meaning that they are aggressive plants which reproduce and grow rapidly with little known enemies to control the population. So my solution to this problem ( since I couldn't possibly toss out the brand new baby seedlings) is to eventually bonsai them instead! :D Sounds Great Right? Well maybe once I become comfortable in doing bonsai, but until then its a bit overwhelming. 
Bonsai takes tons and tons of patience, practice, and dedication to become talented in.  
I have two ChinaBerry Seedlings now growing quite well and one that is struggling. I plan to grow these until they are old enough to bonsai :) I also have a Jacaranda seedling ( also invasive ) That I will also be making a bonsai once it is old enough. 
It was suggested to me by wonderful helpers on The Helpful Gardener Forum that I should begin with a plant that is already the right size to begin pruning as my first bonsai. The process of this was so complicated for my mind to grasp at first and still will be until I actually see the process happen before my eyes. But somehow these artists take these normally massive trees and make them beautiful tiny versions of the original tree. Absolutely Outstanding. 
I have been looking into redwood trees recently and since I have one in my backyard the suckers from the tree or readily available for me to choose a specimen from.
I really can't wait until I get the hang of this art. I will be posting updates about my bonsai once I get started. :)

Bonsai Quotes

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  • "Its for those who don't know what 'Bonsai' means,too. Just Come. Learn from there."
  • "In Japan an apprentice is given pruning shears on his first day but he won’t touch a watering can for another four years!"
  • “As with the bottom, so with the top.” 
  • "bonsai rewards the patient and the far-sighted and teaches it to those of us who are neither"
  • "Just like bonsai, choose own way grow because root strong"
  • "Think: tree."
  • "Remember, if your tree died, ... you killed it,
  •  They don't commit suicide"
  • "The ultimate goal in shaping a bonsai is an elusive, ethereal thing rather than an inflexible blueprint of future development. It is a changing, growing thing that you guide from year to year with no real completion time or end. The enjoyment of bonsai is giving some control to nature's seemingly purposeless growth."
  • To develop a fine Bonsai collection, make one hundred and keep two or three.
  • A bonsai can never be a finished work of art...because it will always be a living piece of nature, continuing to live and grow.
  • The object is not to make the tree look like a bonsai, but to make the bonsai look like a tree.