Generally, bonsai are classified according to size, attitude and number of trunks growing from a single root, number of trees in a group planting, and the kind of base the plant has.
Size classifications recognize the fact that bonsai may grow any where just a few inches high to 3 or 4 feet or (rarely) more. You will hear Japanese names for the categories, but these names vary among experts in the United States. Here are the size classifications:
Miniature bonsai---> under 6 inches
Small bonsai----> from 6 to 12 inches
Medium bonsai---> from 13 to 24 inches
Large bonsai---> over 24 inches
The size you choose for your bonsai may depend on how much space you have for working and display. The city dweller with very limited space may choose to develope a collection of miniature bonsai or one or two small bonsai. Suburbanites with more generous yard areas, on the other hand, might be able to give a great deal of space to their plants, displaying larger bonsai.
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| The bonsai styles |
The most common size for bonsai falls within the small and medium groups. It's often difficult to simulate age in good proportion in the miniature bonsai, and the size of the large bonsai makes them difficult to work with.
Shape and attitude of trunk is another way of classifying bonsai. Most bonsai fall into five main classifications: formal upright (chokkan), informal upright (moyogi), slanting (shakan), semicascade (han-kengai), and cascade (kengai).
Many other classifications are less commonly encountered. Some are variations of one of the five; others are styles once popular but now rarely seen.
Formal and informal upright attitudes are by far the most common; they are also easiest for the beginner to work with because they usually require less manipulations of the trunk than many other styles.
The formal upright style has a perfectly straight trunk, perpendicular to the surface it rest on. The informal upright may have a curve in the trunk and a slight slant; the tip (apex) of the trees will be directly over the base. The slanting style has a more severe slant and the apex will not be over the base. In these three styles, the branches of the tree generally describe the outline of an asymmetrical triangle.
The semicascade tree trunk grows up out of the soil and then cascade usually not lower than the top surface of the container. The full cascade tree also grows upward first and then turns abruptly downward. In its most formal manifestations, the tip of this type of cascade should curve in toward the base and be perpendicular to the vertical center line formed by the trunk and the apex.
Let the tree itself decide what atitude is approriate for it to be trained in, your study of trees in the wild and of other bonsai will help you understand this process. An oak or a maple suggests an upright or possibly a slanting style. Some pines and other conifers insist on upright styles; others clearly lend themselves to cascaded styles. Cypress may seem right only in a slanted, windswept style; zelkove, elm, and trident maple take quite naturally to broom style. Some flowering plants look attractive cascades, wisteria, chrysanthemum, star jasmine, and others appear as a sheet of blossoms when in full flower.
The trunk of a bonsai may be twisted or straight. A twisted trunk is just that, not just bent or curved, but twisted like a piece of taffy. In some cases twoo trees (or twin trunks) can be twisted around each other.
Bonsai with twisted trunks create a spectacular effect. In the wild, twisted trunks are caused by countless years of severe weathering. They are constantly buffeted by winds, smothered in deep snows. A twisted trunk is particularly suited for such mountain trees as California juniper or shimpaku (Sargent juniper). Creating this effect is difficult, and it's best to learn the technique from bonsai instructor.
Multiple trunks characterize another classification of bonsai. One strong, main trunk usually dominates one or more secondary trunks. Traditionally, except in the double-trunk style, bonsai growers avoid even numbers.
Certain characteristics should apply to all multiple-trunk styles. Trunks should divide at the base, not higher up, and form a "V" shape rather than a "U" or bowl shape. All trunks should be of varying heights and thicknesses. Plant the tree so that one trunk is slightly in fron of the others, the trunks should not form a fan shape or a straight line.
Many other classifications are less commonly encountered. Some are variations of one of the five; others are styles once popular but now rarely seen.
Formal and informal upright attitudes are by far the most common; they are also easiest for the beginner to work with because they usually require less manipulations of the trunk than many other styles.
The formal upright style has a perfectly straight trunk, perpendicular to the surface it rest on. The informal upright may have a curve in the trunk and a slight slant; the tip (apex) of the trees will be directly over the base. The slanting style has a more severe slant and the apex will not be over the base. In these three styles, the branches of the tree generally describe the outline of an asymmetrical triangle.
The semicascade tree trunk grows up out of the soil and then cascade usually not lower than the top surface of the container. The full cascade tree also grows upward first and then turns abruptly downward. In its most formal manifestations, the tip of this type of cascade should curve in toward the base and be perpendicular to the vertical center line formed by the trunk and the apex.
Let the tree itself decide what atitude is approriate for it to be trained in, your study of trees in the wild and of other bonsai will help you understand this process. An oak or a maple suggests an upright or possibly a slanting style. Some pines and other conifers insist on upright styles; others clearly lend themselves to cascaded styles. Cypress may seem right only in a slanted, windswept style; zelkove, elm, and trident maple take quite naturally to broom style. Some flowering plants look attractive cascades, wisteria, chrysanthemum, star jasmine, and others appear as a sheet of blossoms when in full flower.
The trunk of a bonsai may be twisted or straight. A twisted trunk is just that, not just bent or curved, but twisted like a piece of taffy. In some cases twoo trees (or twin trunks) can be twisted around each other.
Bonsai with twisted trunks create a spectacular effect. In the wild, twisted trunks are caused by countless years of severe weathering. They are constantly buffeted by winds, smothered in deep snows. A twisted trunk is particularly suited for such mountain trees as California juniper or shimpaku (Sargent juniper). Creating this effect is difficult, and it's best to learn the technique from bonsai instructor.
Multiple trunks characterize another classification of bonsai. One strong, main trunk usually dominates one or more secondary trunks. Traditionally, except in the double-trunk style, bonsai growers avoid even numbers.
Certain characteristics should apply to all multiple-trunk styles. Trunks should divide at the base, not higher up, and form a "V" shape rather than a "U" or bowl shape. All trunks should be of varying heights and thicknesses. Plant the tree so that one trunk is slightly in fron of the others, the trunks should not form a fan shape or a straight line.
- Double-trunk style (sokan). Two trunks grow from a common root system; one trunk is larger than the other. In this style, try to maintain constant proportions between the two trunks: if the larger trunk is twice as thick, it should also be twice as tall. One trunk should be slightly in fron of the other, creating a sense of depth; one should never be directly in front of another, though. If the trunks curve, they should curve in the same direction. Don't place a branch of a smaller trunk. Branches from one trunk should not cross those another. If the trunks are very close together, you can train the branches as though the two trunks were one.
- Clump style (kabubuki, kabudachi). This is a cluster of trunks growing very close together.
- Stump style (korabuki). Here the root forms an aboveground hump from which multiple trunks grow.
- Raft or straight-line style (ikadabuki). These multiple trunks grow in a straight line because they are actually branches growing from a trunk that has been laid on its side under the soil and has become a root.
- Sinous style (netsunagari). This tree is much like the raft style except that the single root weaves about under the soil, causing the trunks to form a curved line.
Group plantings (yose-uye) are composed of trees with separate root systems. For a two tree planting, follow the preceding guidelines for double-trunk plantings. Odd numbers of trees make the most successful groupings of more than two trees, until there are too many trees to count at a glance. To create a forest effect, you'll need at least five trees.
In a group planting, the total effect is more important than the beauty of the individual trees. One tree should be larger than all the others, not to draw attention to itself, but to serve as a focal point for the eye while smaller trees play nearer the edges of vision, creating the forest effect. Because the individual trees merge with the group, forest plantings are often ideal settings for trees with defects that are too pronounced for the trees to be displayed as individual speciments. Spacing of trees should not be uniform, and no two trees should be the same size.
Forest plantings should include, if not identical species and varieties, then similar trees with similar habits and needs. The outline of the whole planting, or of groups within the planting, should form roughly an asymmetrical triangle.
Plantings should not be symmetrical, with the largest tree directly in the center of the spot; rather, trees should be grouped nearer the edges, often with much open area left in the pot, allowing space to create a sense of visual drama. To create a kind of panoramic perspective, plant the largest trees in fron and the smallest trees in back. To simulate a close-up, reverse that, with the smallest trees in front and the largest ones behind. Look carefully at the outside branches of the trees (front branches on front trees, back ones on those behind because they form the outline of the grouping. You can trim off most of the inside branches.
Earth or rock, which will form the base for your bonsai? Will your tree be planted in soil or on a rock? Will the roots be exposed?
Planting directly in soil is much easier than planting on a rock. The tree itself, though, should dictate the kind of base it is planted in. A tree that in nature grows on rocks in the mountains, such as a pine, will look natural on a rock base. Upright trees are most often planted in soil with only a bit of rootage showing just on the surface of the ground. Slanted and cascaded styles frequently have exposed roots since they usually represent plants that grow along rock faces or in situations where earth is washed out from around the roots.
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