Flowering bonsai

One of the most fulfilling aspects of gardening is producing a flower.  The same holds true of bonsai in Japanese gardens.  Ornamental plants and trees make spectacular bonsai.  Fruit trees grown in miniature are splendid examples of the bonsai art.  These flowering trees like their full sized counterparts are a wonderful addition to any home and garden.

Most types of deciduous trees that flower are candidates for bonsai.  Some are more recognizable in their bonsai form.  The cherry tree and the crabapple tree are well as known bonsai displays.  Olive trees and lemon trees have also become excellent subjects for bonsai.  Shrubs and woody vines trained into bonsai such as the azalea and the wisteria are beautiful and easy to obtain at most plant nurseries.

Flowering trees maintained as bonsai still require the same regimen to be productive and healthy as their full sized brothers and sisters.  Fertilizers high in phosphors and calcium are needed to keep the growing cycle of these plants and trees going strong.  Pruning techniques in addition to typical tree cutting and trimming for shaping will have to include the requirements for flowering and fruit bearing.  Thus hard growth in the late summer must be trimmed to the last three or four buds so that shape is maintained but next year's flowers will still be produced.  Other than this training and wiring are the same for any other bonsai.

Most flowering trees tend to have roots that require deeper pots than other bonsai.  Repotting is almost a yearly task and root systems must carefully be maintained. The best time to repot the flowering specimens is the late spring or early summer, as leaves are complete and just as the buds are beginning to form.   As in bonsai gardening in general, watering is important, but in fruiting or flowering species it may be beneficial to reduce watering in late summer and early fall to harden and strengthen the wood structure of the plant.   Another difference in flowering and fruiting bonsai is the susceptibility to insects and disease.  Fruits trees that develop fungus such as peach and apricot will need the same treatments as if they were orchard trees. The sweetness of the flowers not only attracts wonderful creatures like hummingbirds but also nuisances like aphids.  

The stoic grace of a bonsai pine, or the umbrella canopy of a miniature Japanese maple are mainstays, by adding the flowering varieties you will complete your zen garden with splashes of color and brilliance.