Page 52 - Ebook cây cảnh Art of Bonsai

52 Top trees for bonsai

Choosing suitable trees

When choosing material, always keep in mind the climate and conditions in

your yard as well as the amount of time you have to care for your trees,
and the level of skill required. Some species are fairly undemanding, but
others need constant attention or specific work at particular times of year.

What to look for in a good tree species: some trident maples will be coarser than
If you are buying your first tree, look for material others, but all have the same name.
that already has a strong framework and use it to ∙Look at the relative position, angle, and thickness
hone your skills. Make sure you choose a healthy of all the major branches. The amount and health of
specimen: check the roots and foliage for signs of the secondary shoots on each branch can indicate
pests or disease, and also ensure that it is firmly how viable it will be. It is unwise to build a design
anchored in its pot—a sign of a good root system. around a weak branch; better to
remove it and come up
∙Start by looking for plants with compact foliage, with a new idea based
especially if you want to grow a small tree. Bear in on strong, healthy
mind that there’s a degree of variation within most branches.
Healthy
foliage

Very obvious
wire scars

Weak, spindly
foliage indicates
lack of vigor,
and a possible
root problem

Leggy growth
with very little
Compact branches foliage close to
with foliage close the trunk
Strongly to the trunk Exaggerated, unnatural-
growing looking movement
trunk in the lower trunk
MIYAJIMA WHITE PINE