Beginner's Guide to Bonsai

This practical guide explains what plants are suitable and how to grow and display them, and describes all the basic bonsai techniques of pruning, defoliating, wiring and clipping.

How to create and maintain beautiful miniature trees and shrubs, shown in more than 230 step-by-step photographs. You can find out which plants are suitable for growing and training as bonsai specimens. It contains advice on the choice of tools and equipment, together with clear, practical instructions for using the best composts and soils for growing healthy trees. You can learn how to choose pots to suit different types of plant. It includes a glorious photographic gallery of bonsai trees. Bonsai is the art of producing miniature versions of trees and shrubs by growing them in small containers and pruning and restricting their root and branch growth. This practical guide explains which trees and shrubs are suitable, and describes the basic techniques such as pruning, defoliating, wiring and clipping. Photographic sequences show how to cultivate a variety of popular species, both indoor and outdoor, such as European olive, Kusumaki and Japanese maple. There are also advanced techniques to help the reader produce truly eye-catching bonsai displays. The book concludes with a photographic directory of the author's award-winning bonsai.