Bonsai Styles

Creation of bonsai follows certain rules of design Also consider:, Potted Roses, Watering House Plantsthat dictate the final composition. They have been worked out and refined by the Japanese for generations. The component parts of a finished bonsai are container, surface roots, Try:, Soil for Groundcovers, Types of Plants - N trunk, branches, twigs and leaves. The trunk is the focal point and is proportioned into three approximately equal parts. The bottom third is completely bare of branches; the middle is free of branches in the front but framed by branches at the sides and at the back. The top third shows branches on all four sides.

The branches of a bonsai are arranged in sets of three. Number one branch of the first triad is the lowest of the tree; it is trained to one side and slightly forward. Number two is slightly higher on the trunk; it is inclined to the opposite direction. Number three is often situated between the first two and extends to the back. This patterning is repeated up the trunk in spiralling groups of three. When the top third is reached, small branches are trained forward to cover the trunk. Limbs are always designed in an alternating pattern to avoid monotony. These principles are basic to good design Consider also:, Soil Substitutes for Sowing Seed, Gardening in Florida; the beginner in bonsai should strive to follow them, but nature Also consider:, Cut Flowers - Associations, Commercial Insurance in Associationsis not always accommodating and compromises often must be made.

What's Inside

Plants for Japanese Gardens - The following are some plants that are recommended for japanese gardens. Note that not all are necessarily hardy, but do lend them selves to the form and function requried for a japanese garden.... more

Indoor Garden Planters - Planters can be of any dimensions and shapes appropriate to their locations. Some enthusiasts have floor level, bed-type planters large enough to include a fountain and perhaps a path to make servicing them easier. These are truly indoor gardens! But most... more

Bonsai Display - Usually bonsai are brought inside only for display. Since they are viewed from the front and at eye level they must be placed on a stand, shelf or table. The background should be light, plain-muted colour without design. Companion pieces such as stones, s... more

Japanese Garden Maintenance - Maintenance of a Japanese garden is largely a matter of housekeeping; it involves weeding, clearing away dead leaves, raking sand and gravel areas, and keeping paths and lakes clean. Pruning must be precise and frequent; trees and shrubs must never be per... more

How to Lay Lawn Sods - Prepare the soil on which turf is to be laid exactly as for seeding but with its surface as much lower than the finish grade as the sods are thick. Make sure that the soil is moderately compacted and then loosened slightly on its surface by raking. This h... more

Lawn Sods - Instant Lawn - The quickest way to make a lawn is by laying sod, to carpet the ground completely with living turf. If you must buy the sod, it is also the most expensive method, but sometimes the sod can be taken from another part of the garden. Possibly a building, a p... more

Caring for Newly Sown Lawn - Don't make the mistake of sprinkling it daily; but if the upper inch or so of soil becomes obviously dry, then water it freely with a fine sprinkler adjusted so that it will not wash the surface soil away. Once the seed has started to germinate, the young... more

Seed Raising and Drainage - It is very important to provide good drainage. Fill the seed-pots to one-quarter of their capacity with clean broken clay pots, called crocks, and give seed-boxes or pans a good layer of these crocks over the drainage holes—coarse gravel or clinker ash ca... more

Bush Roses - Bush roses vary in height from 1 to 6 ft. or so, according to variety and method of pruning. They are represented by hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras as well as the informal shrub types or species, usually grown as single specimens and not in for... more