History

• In Japanese, the word bonsai means "to cultivate in a tray." The art of growing the bonsai tree is a hobby that originated as early as 1000 A.D. by aristocratic Chinese and Japanese. In the late 1800s the hobby was popular in Japanese households. The art of the bonsai tree was introduced into the United States in the early 1900s.
  
  

Created

• A bonsai tree is a miniature tree, which is kept in a container as an indoor plant. There are several ways to begin a bonsai tree. A bonsai tree can be created naturally in the wilds, such as when a tree has been stunted by nature. The bonsai tree can also be started from a normal young tree, cutting or raised from a seedling. In all these cases, the tree or cutting is brought indoors and planted in a container.
  
  

Shaped

• The trees are kept small and shaped by careful and meticulous pruning. Both the roots and branches are pruned. To control the growth of the plant, new growth is pinched off and branches are wired. The wires are then used to shape the tree, by pulling the limbs in the desired direction until they begin to grow that way.
  
  

Trees

• Being a successful bonsai gardener takes both skill and patience. The trees must be carefully watered and fertilized. Some bonsai trees have lived over 200-years-old. Small leafed trees are best suited for bonsai trees. Popular trees used include the evergreens, cedars, junipers, pines, maple, plum, cherry and the bamboo tree.
  
  

Unique

• A bonsai tree is more than a small tree in a container. The bonsai container is intended to complement rather than draw attention from the tree. The appearance of the tree is the result of the bonsai artist's careful attentions. Some trees are shaped to lean to one side, giving the appearance of windy forces. Others are shaped to resemble mini-forests, or are a perfectly shaped (yet very tiny) tree.