Visit my blog Business Marketing,And would you like to get Sexy Hollywood Artist Wallpaper?
WE HAD come some thirty miles from the city of São Paulo to see what is known to the Japanese as “bonsai.” Over cups of tea brought to us by the grower’s wife, we expressed surprise when he told us that some of his four hundred dwarf trees were thirty years old.
On one long table there were some small pines that had the windswept look of old age. On other shelves stood out single trees in vessels of shallow depth. Their description seemed appropriate, “Lone tree in plain country.” Others looked withered, with drooping branches, evidently overhanging an imaginary cliff. Two others grew out of the same stump; “the twins” they were called. Another one had high exposed roots, clinging for dear life to a riverside where the water had almost worn away the soil, or so it seemed.
With some, the fascination lies in the spread of the roots, while with others it is the distribution of the branches, the appearance of the trunk, the leaves or flowers. Sometimes, a little moss or some pebbles are all that is needed to add a touch of real scenery.
A twenty-year-old persimmon tree with natural-size fruits stood a mere two feet high. And an even smaller orange tree and several plum trees attracted our attention.
Groups of similar or different trees suggest a forest. And those growing out of a rock simulate trees dwarfed by constant storm and wind on a mountain precipice. In fact, there are mountaineers that risk their lives in the attempt to dislocate real-life dwarf trees from precarious positions on weather-beaten cliffs and rocks.
Whoever thought of reducing normally large trees to this mini-size? we wondered. We learned that a Japanese temple owner by the name of Honen Shonin, in the twelfth century of our Common Era, is said to have produced miniature trees to decorate his small Bodo temple. It is not known, however, whether he actually originated or only copied the dwarfing technique.
The dwarf trees came to be known as “bonsai,” literally bone (shallow pot) and saigh (cultivation) or in other words “potted dwarf trees.” Soon they spread over Japan, China, South Asia, the Pacific, Europe and America, finding admirers almost everywhere. In the seventeenth century the Dutch brought this art to the West. Today it is no longer a question of space alone that inspires enthusiasts and amateur gardeners. It is the gracious beauty of the dwarfed trees.
Japanese immigrants brought the bonsai to São Paulo some thirty years ago. Now they dwarf not only imported trees but also common Brazilian kinds, such as guava and palm trees, yellow ipê, bougainvillea and many more.
Their ages are remarkable. For instance, some brought to Brazil from Japan are more than two hundred years old. And in Japan, some are calculated to have reached six hundred years, such as one in Osaka.
How the Dwarfing Is Done
The natural method of reducing the size of a tree is still the most popular, although chemicals and hormones are used to achieve even smaller specimens than the conventional height of about fifty centimeters (a little under two feet).
The tree is shaped and trained over many years until it acquires the stately shape of a big tree. Bonsai can be cultivated from seeds or cuttings. In the case of seeds it is preferred to use them from naturally smaller trees, planted in soil mixed with half sand. After four to eight months they germinate and are left to grow in the normal way. Cuttings are planted like those of any other tree. The miniaturizing process begins after seven to nine or twelve months while still in the ground outside.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Using Tags For Your Internet Marketing Campaign
- Traffic Generation Secrets Through Tagging
- Getting information: - Traffic Generation Secrets through Tagging
- Getting information: - Traffic Generation Secrets through Tagging
- SEO Tools - What's in and What's Hot?
- Internet Marketing: Tagging Your Way To Success
- Best Ways to Get Rid of Skin Tags
- The Information About Replica Tag Heuer Watches




Pros of misting systems
By: John Smith | 26/11/2009A misting system will cool down the temperatures wherever you install it. They are a blessing during those summer days when it is highly impossible to be comfortable with ourselves.
How to Grow and Maintain Asparagus
By: Cris Ramasasa | 26/11/2009Asparagus is an annual and a sun loving crop that's a delicacy in the kitchen. It's a hardy plant and well adapted when planted in early spring. It grows well in 6.0-6.8 soil pH level and tolerant to salinity.
Growing Medicinal Herbs FAQ
By: Vicky Josephino | 26/11/2009Wouldn’t it be nice to just pick out remedies from your everyday aches and pains? With therapeutic herbs in your garden, it’s a likely possibility. Read this article to find out the best ways on how to grow medicinal herbs.
The Gardener’s Friend – The Gardening Waste Bin
By: Richard n Williams | 26/11/2009Any good gardener knows the importance of a good gardening bin. It seems it doesn’t matter whether we are weeding, mowing, planting or seeding the garden is a key place for generating waste.
Basic Information And Instruction With Indoor Herb Gardening
By: Marie Davis | 26/11/2009Indoor herb gardening is a hobby that more and more people are taking an interest in. It's so simple that many are growing herbs plants on their windowsills! Of course, the right lighting, moisture, and temperature is needed in order for them to grow, so it's essential that you have the right knowledge before you attempt to grow herbs in your home.
What Type Is The Right Indoor Grow Lighting Your Garden Need?
By: Marie Davis | 26/11/2009One of the most important things you need to consider if you have plants in your home is lighting. The right type of indoor grow lighting is needed in order for your plants to grow properly. If the settings aren't just right, the plants won't grow as they should.
5 Indoor Gardening Tips To Help Your Plants Grow In All Seasons
By: Marie Davis | 26/11/2009If you want to be surrounded by lush greenery all year round and don't have enough space outdoors, you can create an indoor garden. Whether you want to grow foliage, vegetables, or both, you will find indoor gardening tips to be helpful. This article will show you few of the many indoor herb gardening tips you should follow.
Growing Plants Indoors - Everything You Need to Know About Herb Gardening
By: Marie Davis | 26/11/2009The first thing you need to think about in regards to growing plants indoors is selection. What type of plants do you want to grow? Obviously, you should choose something isn't too difficult to care for, and that will grow safely inside your home or office. You will need to provide them with the type of lighting, temperature, humidity, fertilization, ventilation, and soil they're used to receiving in their natural environments.
My Search for Real Happiness
By: Jeams Hinaloc | 27/06/2008 | Real EstateWeekends found us chugging down a pint of gin to start off the evening’s activities. Soon the alcohol gave way to drugs. Much of our time in school we were on LSD, hash or marijuana. Though there were some dedicated teachers, we made it practically impossible for them to do their job.
When Bamboo Flowers
By: Jeams Hinaloc | 27/06/2008 | GardeningIn 1979 another beautiful and popular species, the umbrella bamboo, started to flower, first in northern Europe, then in North America and eventually all over the world. That was the first time the plant was seen to bloom since its discovery in the Himalayas in the 1800’s. But that was also the umbrella bamboo’s last show.
The Big Fish of Argungu
By: Jeams Hinaloc | 27/06/2008 | TelevisionArgungu is already full of visitors. The attraction, however, is not this small Nigerian town, but the event starting the very next day: The Argungu Fishing Festival.
If Only Your Lungs Could Talk
By: Jeams Hinaloc | 08/04/2008 | Quit SmokingMost people just take their lungs for granted, and, for ever so many people, they function noiselessly and efficiently most of the time, from the cradle to the grave. In fact, when your lungs do make themselves known you are already in trouble.
Coping With Sinus Trouble
By: Jeams Hinaloc | 08/04/2008 | Self ImprovementThe largest of these sinuses are two pyramid-shaped ones, located on each side of the nose, in the upper jawbone. These sinuses reach from just above the roots of the upper teeth to the eye sockets. In the average adult they involve a little more than a cubic inch of space.
Can Laughter Benefit Your Health
By: Jeams Hinaloc | 08/04/2008 | Quit SmokingOn the other hand, the relaxed and jovial frame of mind associated with laughter can shield one from the bad effects of harmful emotions.
Versatile Vegetable
By: Jeams Hinaloc | 08/04/2008 | GardeningThis tasty relative of the regal lily has been lending interest to menus ever since it was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. By 200 B.C.E. information on its cultivation was being recorded by the Romans.