The art of the bonsai originated perhaps more than 1,000 years ago in China. Early Japanese aristocrates showed a fondness for bonsai and contributed greatly to its development. Bonsai culture was first popular in the United States among Japanese-Americans, but it is now widely practice.
Bonsai can be clasified according to their size as miniature, less than 15 cm (6 in) tall; small 15-30 cm (6-12 in); medium 31-60 cm (12-24 in); and large more than 60 cm. The shape of bonsai can be used to group them into five basic style; formal upright; chokkan; informal upright; moyogi; slanting; shakan; semi cascade; han-kengai; and cascade, kengai.Bonsai are also classified according to the following arrangements of their trunks;
- Double-trunk style; sokan - two trunks form a common root system with one being dominant.
- Clump style, kabubuki, kabudachi a clump of trunks grows closely together.
- Stump style, korabuki -the root forms an aboveground hump from which trunks arise.
- Raft or straight-line, style, ikadabuki -branches grow in a straight line from a trunk laid on its side under the soil.
- Sinuous style, ne-tsuranari like the raft style except that the underground stem twists around, causing the trunks to come up in a curved line.
The art of bonsai involve growing a plant under constant and proper care untill it blends with the container in which it is planted in a natural and aesthetically pleasing manner. The plant must receive adequate sunshine, water, fertilizer, and suitable soil for healthy growth. Careful trimming, pruning, repotting, wiring, and other shapes.
Almost all woody plants can be grown as bonsai. Evergreen species of juniper, pine and spruce are frequently used because their needlelike leaves can be viewed throughout the year. Deciduous plants that lose their leaves in winter such as azaleas, cherries, and maples are grown for their attractive flowers, fruits, and fall foliage.