Who can defy the artistry of bonsai trees? I am personally fascinated on how such magnificence comes to life. Bonsai plants look sturdy but too small to survive, however, its understated beauty represents elegance and strength in one.
Bonsai (plantings in tray, from bon, a tray or low-sided pot and sai, a planting or plantings) is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ. The Japanese tradition dates back over a thousand years, and has evolved its own unique aesthetics and terminology.
Bonsai is a Japanese pronunciation of the earlier Chinese term penzai. A 'bon' is a tray-like pot typically used in bonsai culture. The word bonsai is often used in English as an umbrella term for all miniature trees in containers or pots, but this article focuses on bonsai as defined in the Japanese tradition.
A lot of people have been captivated by the appeal of bonsai plants and that makes them perfect to be given as housewarming gifts. It can also be a business gift plant which can somehow change the totality of the atmosphere. This can be good for hobbyist or for those people who are still looking for worthwhile activities.
The practice of bonsai is sometimes confused with dwarfing, but dwarfing generally refers to research, discovery, or creation of plant cultivars that are permanent, genetic miniatures of existing species. Bonsai does not require genetically dwarfed trees, but rather depends on growing small trees from regular stock and seeds. Bonsai uses cultivation techniques like pruning, root reduction, potting, defoliation, and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and style of mature, full-size trees.
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