Juniper Research

I've been doing a little research on juniper bonsai this afternoon - as that is the species of my bonsai. The Bonsai Site offers the following insight:

Overview: Junipers (Juniperus) are hardy, non-flowering, evergreen conifers with now many new developed varieties that are easy to grow, prune and train. They are a rewarding family with responsive, fairly rapid growth.

Junipers generally have long, trailing branches and are able to be trained into many fantastic bonsai styles - all except broom. The branches usually respond well to wiring and reshaping, however the stiffness of some cultivars make it hard to shape the plant into anything but its natural form.

Other Comments: Most varieties of juniper are hardy and can remain outside the house - even during relatively harsh winters. (The tree can be brought inside during the winter, but generally you should not let the temperature exceed 15 degrees Celcius.) Protect the rootball from frost as well as recently trained or wired trees.

General Care: Pinch out the tips of new buds any time during the growth period.

Only conduct major pruning during the spring or autumn/fall, but not in summer. Maintenance pruning can be done throughout the season. Regularly pinch off the young shoots.

Fertilise (sic) in early spring.

One caution: Wear gloves when working with junipers, for the prick of the needles can produce an allergic reaction that causes an itchy red rash which can be very irritating.

The Juniper was voted the best plant for cascade style bonsai in our March '99 survey.

Interestingly enough, Indoor Bonsai for Beginners doesn't even list junipers in its A-Z of indoor bonsai species. While some believe junipers survive just fine indoors, others believe they definitely fall into the category of an "outdoor bonsai."

Hmmm. I wonder if I should pull my Anniversary Juniper from my office and replace it with - what the book defines as - an "indoor species" of bonsai. I would like to actually grow my next bonsai.

Speaking of growing bonsai, I've added a tree seed company to my list of bonsai stores. I linked directly to the Angelgrove Tree Seed Company page containing seeds for growing bonsai.

Also, if you're interested in growing a juniper, Bonsai Boy has a juniper bonsai starter kit for $24.95 + shipping.

God the Bonsai Gardener?

A friend of mine yesterday asked me whether or not partaking in the art of bonsai has religious overtones. A great question.

I was poking around on the internet in search of some insight when I came across this little nugget from The Questioning Christian.

I wonder. Maybe God is more like a bonsai gardener than a carpenter.

It seems highly likely that God envisioned an overall design for the "garden" we call the universe, and that he planted various seeds in various places. Perhaps somehow, on an on-going basis, he might also guide and constrain the growth of the "trees," which would otherwise grow wild.

(And of course we conjecture that God also provided the raw materials and designed the underlying evolutionary processes in the first place; as the punch line to an old joke goes, "oh, no — get your own dirt!")

Building a universe through "gardening" would certainly be an impressive feat. It'd be much more clever than a carpenter's simply nailing together what he wanted.

I thought that was an interesting find. Not that it had anything to do with whether or not partaking in bonsai has an embedded religious significance... but still.

Bonsai Delivery

I'm stoked!

This evening I returned home to a delivered package of the bonsai goodies I ordered on Sunday.

The (Fujiyama) shears are even heftier than I anticipated - particularly the blades. I quickly thumbed through the book (Indoor Bonsai For Beginners) and was instantly drawn to the gorgeous color pictures sprinkled throughout the publication. I look forward to reading through the book in its entirety.

Could this be the beginning of a new life-long hobby?

Only time will tell.

Bonsai Link Lists

Last night I added three link lists of some bonsai blogs, sites, and stores I have come across while scouring the Web for information.

I am particularly impressed with The Bonsai Site as it contains a tremendous amount of information and resources, all organized and presented in a reader-friendly manner. Push over and check it out when you get a few minutes. Very interesting stuff!

Also, be sure to keep an eye on these (and other) lists. They will grow steadily with time as I dive deeper into the art of bonsai.

Tuesday Transfer

Today I carefully transferred my Anniversary Juniper to the office.

The tree was an instant success as it looks great on my desk, and those who came into my office throughout the day sang nothing but praises at the sight of my new addition.



I can't quite put my finger on it yet, but there is something so incredibly charming about bonsai. Perhaps its the manifestation of a millennia-old art form, placed in and around the modern world in which we live.

What ever it is, it has my attention.

Ceramic Solution

I headed to the local Vons grocery store this evening in search of two things: milk for my cereal, and a solution for the excess water seeping from beneath my bonsai.

The milk was easy, and I think I found my solution.

I happened across a buy one get one free sale on white ceramic dinner plates. My lucky night. While the white is in stark contrast, I think the plate is the perfect solution for now.

We'll see how it looks at the office tomorrow.

Monday Reservations

Well, it's Monday and I initially planned on introducing my Anniversary Juniper to my office today.

However, I have run into a few reservations.

First, when I water my bonsai/fill the pool on the right side of my pot, water drains from a hole underneath the roots - as it should. However, this causes a problem for my desk.

I need something to catch that excess water. The only caveat is that it can't be the usual green plastic dishes most often placed under plants - as that would completely clash with the look and feel of my office.

I'll have to look around more for something that provides a neat-looking solution to this little problem. If not, I might just have to create my own.

Second, as I learn more about the proper care of bonsai, I wonder if the office environment would be an appropriate place for my juniper to live. While I have learned that the juniper bonsai can indeed survive indoors, my question is: will it thrive indoors?

I'm not sure.

As I've also learned, bonsai is an art - not just a plant. So if I am to acquire bonsai as a new hobby, is the office the best place to partake in the activity of bonsai?

Again, I'm not sure.

Perhaps I will try the bonsai at the office for a few days... see how it feels.

Shear Necessities

Earlier today I stepped up my level of commitment to this new hobby of mine, and purchased two bonsai beginner necessities.

First, a set of 7 1/4" traditional style Japanese professional grade bonsai shears.











Second, the book Indoor Bonsai for Beginners.











The best price I could find for the shears - in the limited time I spent scouring the Web - was $12.95 + shipping through Dallas Bonsai.

Both Dallas Bonsai (roughly half way down the page) and Bonsai Boy New York have Indoor Bonsai for Beginners for $14.95 - so I just tacked it on with my purchase at Dallas Bonsai.

I should also note that I chose this particular publication from among the crowd as it is recommended by BBNY for beginners.

Anniversary Juniper Figurines

The bonsai that I purchased earlier today - which I have affectionately named Anniversary Juniper - came with four ceramic figurines.

These figurines serve to put the aesthetic miniaturization of the bonsai into perspective. The tree in relation to these figurines is a facet of the bonsai art.

First, there is the man fishing (with fish).







To the fishing man's right, a bridge extends between two landscaping rocks.






Behind and above the fishing man sits the 6-sided pavilion.







Finally, perched and somewhat hidden amid the branches is a crane.






Bonsai Boy of New York has figurines similar to these and more available through their online store.

Anniversary Juniper

Today marks my wife's and my one year anniversary.

It was fitting then that she and I drove to our local gardening center this morning and purchased a bonsai tree for my new office. After all, it was my wife - then girlfriend - who gave me my first bonsai tree in 2003 as a housewarming gift after settling into my first apartment upon college graduation.

I am blessed to have a wife so tolerant of my inordinate interests in life.

For a grand total of $38.60, my wife and I picked out and purchased a juniper (juniperus) bonsai. Of course I had no idea what I was doing. I just thought it looked cool. However, as Erik A. Olsen points out, there are quite a few advantages to our selection.

Let us start with saying that the juniper bonsai tree is probably one of the easiest to grow, it is versatile, and has unlimited use in the sunny landscape. In addition, this type of tree provides great interest and color in the home and garden. The juniper bonsai tree offers a gift of life with an Eastern flare and has various varieties that will reach its peak of beauty the longer you own it. In addition to the Juniper having showy evergreen leaves that range from deep green to blue, it also has creamy white spring flower clusters that are quite showy, usually completely covering the plant with a slight, pleasant fragrance. A bonsai is an attractive addition to any home or garden, being popular to cut and use for flower arrangements.

Luckily for me, we chose a bonsai which can be raised indoors as well as outdoors, as I intend for this tree to live at my office.

The Art of Bonsai

To be perfectly honest, except for what I've seen in the Karate Kid movies, I know nothing about Bonsai.

I created this blog to chronicle a possible new hobby - of which I have many. However, I have a heightened sense of intrigue about Bonsai, and I wonder how long it will last.

So what is Bonsai?

According to Wikipedia, Bonsai (pronounced bone-sigh) is "the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees by growing them in containers."

While mostly associated with the Japanese form, "bonsai" originated in China and was originally developed from Chinese penjing. In Western culture, the word "bonsai" is used as an umbrella term for both Japanese bonsai, Chinese penjing (盆景), and Korean bunjae (분재).

(Japanese: 盆栽, literally "potted plant". Chinese: 盆景; Pinyin: pén jǐng; literally "tray scenery")

In my admitted ignorance on the subject, I was always under the impression that a "bonsai tree" was a specific kind of tree. Not so.

Rather, bonsai is an art.

The art form is believed by some to have been derived from the practice of transporting medicinal plants in containers by healers.

I have so much to learn.

Humble beginnings

Earlier this week, my company moved into new offices. I, as expected, was the first in the company to have my new desk completely set up and ready for work the day after the move. As excited as I was after a few days in our new location, I realized that my desk was missing something.

There was no life.

I thought back to my first apartment after graduating college and the housewarming gift my then girlfriend - now wife - gave me to liven up my living situation.

It was simple. It was perfect.

A bonsai tree.

Welcome to my bonsai blog.