Planning a Bonsai’s Path

By Artist Dave Paris

Planning a Bonsai’s Path

One of the best things you can do to improve your bonsai is planning.  This isn’t a rigid set of steps, but a guideline to help keep the development of your bonsai on track to achieve the design you see.

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Some people enjoy drawing, others painting, and some just prefer text notes.  Sketches (and drawings/paintings) give a good visual guide.  Even if you think you’re not good at drawing, try it.  You might find it to be really enjoyable!  It doesn’t have to be perfect and you don’t need to be worried about others seeing it.  It’s for you!  If you prefer to use just text, be as descriptive as possible so you can follow the notes over time.  There’s little worse than coming back to notes a year later and wondering what you were writing about.

Start with the tree in its current state.  Describe or illustrate what you see.  Close your eyes and envision what you would like the tree to become based on where it is now.  Be reasonable in your expectations.  If you’re seeing a seedling in front of you and you envision a tree with a 4” diameter trunk, be prepared to have much patience and give a good guiding hand over the course of many years.  Your plan will be very fluid and change almost yearly as new branches develop and others suffer dieback from a harsh winter.  On the other hand, if you have a good trunk and a selection of main branches, your plan may describe the path to a final image that doesn’t need to be very fluid and time may allow you to closely follow the plan.

The “initial end” is the point at which you feel the tree has arrived at the point you envisioned.  Since bonsai are continually growing and changing, this is only the first stop.  Continual pruning, refining, and even some dramatic design changes may be in store over the years after it reaches this stage.

Be sure to include at least one “midpoint” in your plan.  This should show or describe where the plant will be after you’ve made your first changes and before it reaches the “initial end”.  This might be after the primary and secondary branches have been developed or it might be the point before the tree is well ramified if it’s further along.

Carefully detail the order in which tasks need to be done and approximately when they should be done.  Rather than using exact dates, use other cues.  If you’re talking about a severe pruning on a deciduous tree, this is best done towards the end of winter, before the buds start swelling.  If you’re detailing when to apply wire on a pine, this should be a month after repotting, which takes place once deciduous trees in nature have unfurled their first leaves.  Every year is slightly different than the ones before it and they’re never predictable.  By using cues, you can refer to them often and judge the right timing based on what you see rather than a calendar.

Of key importance is to be flexible with your plan.  Plants can be unpredictable.  Branches can die.  Pests can attack.  Deer and bunnies can prune them without asking first.  If your tree starts to deviate from your plan, sit with the tree and adjust the plan – or start over with the plan entirely!  It’s a guideline to help the tree become what you see in it.

One of the best benefits you’ll get from planning is the ability to start seeing things in “difficult” plant material.  As you do more plans, over time you’ll get a better feel for how long certain things can take (trunk thickening, branch development, etc) and your plans will become more refined.  Like doing anything else for the first time, the initial efforts won’t turn out like you hoped, but as time goes on you’ll find yourself more comfortable and creating much nicer bonsai!

Do plenty of research on the plant you’re planning.  Find out what the tendencies of the plant are for the distance between leaves (“internodes”), learn how fast branches should grow, discover if they flower or fruit on new or old wood (this dictates when and how much to prune).  By understanding the characteristics of the plant better, your plans will be more achievable.  This research can be done at a nearby library, online, or by asking friends and nurserymen.  Realize that most growth descriptions are for plants in the landscape & ground, so if you see “grows 2 feet per year”, temper that with the knowledge that your plant is in a container and will likely grow ½ or less of that amount.  This is to your benefit since that reduced growth rate also tends to reduce the length between internodes.

Lastly, remember the plan – and the plant – are for you!  Your bonsai is for your enjoyment.  If the plant and plan please you, then you’ve achieved your goal!

Plants and Bonsai supplies are available at www.hollowcreekbonsai.com

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