Bonsai is the art of illusion .  Very tiny plants can be made to look many hundreds of years old using various techniques.

Plants traditionally used for bonsai include: camellia, Chinese elm, dwarf pomegranate, English box, fig, flowering quince, fuchsia, Japanese black pine, Japanese maple, juniper, star magnolia, wisteria and zelkova. You can create your own bonsai – as an example you could follow the steps below using a Juniper (Juniperus chinensis).  This is an evergreen tree with dense blue-green foliage and a natural pyramidal habit.  It grows to around 3m (10 ft) tall and 1.2m (4 ft) wide and keeps its shape without pruning.  It likes a position in full to part shade and moist, well-drained soil.

• Remove all the very low branches from the ‘Blue Point’ juniper, to expose its trunk.
• Cut off any spindly, unsightly or unnecessary branches.
• Shorten any branches that were too tall and aim for a triangular shape.
• Big, solid branches can be wired and bent out to create the look of an ancient tree. Nurseries specializing in bonsai will sell aluminium, copper coated wire which can be used to hold the branches in the desired shape.
• Wiring can be left for six months to a year for evergreen trees but should be checked now and again to make sure it does not cut into the bark.
• Your bonsai should then be watered well and put in a shady protected position for 2-3 weeks.
• Note: Bonsai are not indoor plants. They are outdoor plants and need careful watering.)
• Moss can be gathered from moist areas & carefully placed on the soil in your bonsai at the base of plant to the edges to give it even more of an aged look.

Our segment was filmed at Bonsai Art which is part of Imperial Gardens,

18 Myoora Rd, Terrey Hills 2084.  9450 2802.  www.megumibennettbonsai.com

Copyright CTC Productions 2009