BONSAI FASCINATING FACTS

So you’ve decided to enter the strange and exotic world of the bonsai? Congratulations! There is something uniquely satisfying about seeing the fruits of both your patience and labor personified in the form of a healthy well-maintained bonsai tree. Before you set out on this journey, take a minute to learn a bit more about this ancient artform.

From Japanese, the word bonsai can literally be translated to “plant in a tray”. Although commonly associated with Japanese culture, bonsai originated with the Chinese over 2000 years ago. It was the Japanese however who created the current interpretation of the practice, when they took these uniquely shaped trees and placed them in containers.

Perhaps reflecting their individual cultural heritages, Japanese style bonsai typically differs from the Chinese. Japanese bonsai tend to be more rigid and tightly pruned. Chinese bonsai are often free flowing and more unorthodox.

Some things you may not have known about bonsai:

• The most expensive Bonsai in the world is a centuries old pine tree, which sold for 1.3 million
• In both China and Japan there are bonsai that are over a thousand years old
• In the past, it was a badge of nobility for a Japanese family needed to possess a bonsai over several hundred years old
• There is a 390 year old bonsai that survived the bombing of Hiroshima. It now lives in Washington D.C.
• Bonsai was originally only reserved for the elite in China and Japan