Articles of category "Bonsai"

Bonsai is an art of growing trees and plants in pots by keeping them small and creating an aesthetic shape and an illusion of age, while many bonsai trees are quite old and simply show their age in a miniature form. The roots of the bonsai art date as far back to the ancient Egypt, as the sketches of small trees, grown in pots of approximately four thousand years old, occur in Egyptian tombs. The contemporary art of bonsai originates from Chinese similar art Penzai and was brought to Japan by imperial embassies in the period of the 7th - 9th century.

Most bonsai are not indoor plants and if kept indoors, they will most likely die. Certain trees, particularly tropical, will flourish if kept indoors, while those, based on outdoor shrubs or trees (like conifers, maples, larch, etc), require a cold dormant period during which they store energy for a spring growth. These outdoor trees must be protected from wind and drying effects in the winter, though must be kept cold and in a generally darker environment. Hobbyists and artists often use in-ground cold frames, unheated garages, porches and the like for this particular aim.