This is a series of bonsai classes written by:

Hud Nordin
Cybernetic Arts                rkn@guest.apple.com
Post Office Box 2066           Telephone: 408.248.0377
Sunnyvale, California 94087    Facsimile: 408.248.0416

Class 1

kathrynw%radian@natinst.com (Kathryn Whitworth) writes:
>I like the idea of a bonsai class on the Net.  Go for it!  I'll find an
>appropriate shrub somewhere --
>
>There's a first question:  any list of appropriate shrubs/trees?  (If it's
>in the FAQ, I'll see it there next time it comes around.)

[The FAQ will roll around. Mike Bartolone did/does a great job of
gathering information for the FAQ and regularly posting it. And,
speaking of great jobs, thanks, Mike, for your blood, sweat and tears
in pulling off rec.arts.bonsai. We seem to have garnered some new
readers.]

Well, I imagine just about every shrubby or woody plant species on
earth has probably been bonsai'd at one time or another. There are
some species that don't have the right stuff, for instance because
their leaves can never be coaxed to grow small enough to keep the
tree-like appearance in scale. I am partial to junipers as beginner's
material, maybe because that's the first thing my teacher had me
do. They are plentiful and fairly inexpensive. Based on my two data
points, they thrive in a wide variety of climates, from the frigid
extreme of Minnesota, to sunny California. (Although, particular
varieties no doubt prefer particular climates. What your local nursery
sells is probably fine for your local climate.)

Maybe we should go ahead and do a "class". I would expect others to
help with the information, even to the point of offering conflicting
opinions.  (We still haven't had a good bonsai flame war, yet!) We
should probably go really slow, so that newbies who discover this
group in the near future won't be too lost (but, I guess that cannot
be avoided; people are always joining up in the middle of
things). While I have shown friends how to make a bonsai in a matter
of a couple hours (with occasional subsequent coaching), I envision
this training as being very slowly paced and stretching perhaps over
several months. That might be frustrating.

I'd suggest that folks who want to try a first bonsai go to a
landscape nursery and purchase a "victim" for this. What you are after
is a woody or shrubby plant that has the potential of looking like an
interesting small-scale tree when a lot of its branches have been
removed. Something in a gallon pot is probably about right (although
bonsai come in almost all sizes, from a couple-inches tall that would
sit in the palm of your hand, to forest-plantings of feet-tall trees
that might take several people to lift).

A style is probably something to have in mind when selecting the
material.  And for a beginner's purpose an "informal upright" might be
something simple to aim for. It's informal, so there are fewer rules
to follow.  It's upright, so look for something that is growing
parallel to or away from the ground.

Something with a trunk at ground-level that is 1/4 to 3/4-inches would
be good. If you can, find something with healthy roots radiating in
all directions. Get in there and snoop and prod and poke. Try to find
a trunk and large branch structure that has aesthetic appeal. (Finer
branches are easily persuaded to grow in any direction you choose, but
larger branches, of the 1/2-inch and up variety, are stubborn, and you
are better off if they already exhibit a pleasing shape.) Twists and
turns are desirable. A lot of nursery stock is designed to be placed
in the ground and left to grow, so often features that are desirable
in a bonsai are not desirable in a landscape planting. You can take
that runty, beat up, bent over shrub that nobody else wants--a long as
it is healthily growing.

I think bonsai do best as outdoor plants. That's a problem for a lot
of people who cannot keep a tree outdoors. If you want an indoor
bonsai, I do not have the experience for that. It definitely requires
material that do well in the, frankly, harsh indoor environment. I do
not have advice for you. By selecting material from a landscape
nursery, you are committing to a plant that must be grown outdoors
(with the occasional trip inside for a day or two to be appreciated).

So, get yourself a plant. Take your time. Look at some bonsai pictures
if possible so that you can select a plant with potential. Ponder your
choice carefully. Take your time. We won't do anything to it for a
bit.  Oh, and be sure to ask your subject if it really wants to become
a bonsai.  It is usually a different life path than the one the tree
expected. The benefits, to compensate for the pain of training, are
love and affection.  Sometimes the tree will turn you down. Listen
carefully.

And, once you have selected a plant, take it home, give it normal care
for a potted outdoor plant, and study it a lot. Get to know every
branch.  Envision its final form when you have given it the shape of a
mature tree. Start thinking about what branches can stay and which
will have to go. For that matter, study mature trees around
you. Really look at them. What makes a tree look mature? You have to
reproduce those features in miniature. Notice the differences between
your subject matter and the kind of tree you will want it to look
like. This is a subtle matter.  You see trees every day. Next time
ponder them. What is their essence?

[God, I sound like Miyagi-san in Karate Kid. This isn't
mysticism. But, this will take a while, and you might as well spend
some of that time thinking.]

===

Class dismissed.

Any veterans have suggestions? Ideas? Warnings?