Beginning Bonsai

Book excerpt: Learn to grow and care for decorative bonsai trees with this user-friendly Japanese gardening book. For those with no bonsai tree growing experience, Beginning Bonsai: The Gentle Art of Miniature Tree Growing covers everything from buying the first plant for beginning bonsai to creating a miniature landscape of rocks, grasses and trees. Authors Larry and Shirley Student describe different bonsai styles, list important tools, explain pruning and pinching and introduce procedures like defoliation. They cover all aspects of how to cultivate these miniature trees, anticipating common problems and offering practical bonsai advice gained from years of working with plants. Bonsai gardening topics include: Bonsai from different sources Choosing a bonsai site Essential techniques and materials Forests, groves, and Saikei Care of bonsai: a five-point program Root pruning and repotting Seasonal Changes Advanced Techniques Varieties of Bonsai Trees The clear, step-by-step instructions and photographs ensure that even the most inexperienced gardener will be able to start creating beautiful bonsai in no time. Despite being small, bonsai are not delicate--they are strong, hardy trees and creating them is a rewarding and inexpensive hobby that anyone can take up--even without an effortless green thumb.