A Guide to the Japanese Bonsai Plant

Bonsai is an ancient Chinese art, but as Japan has adopted many cultural trademarks of China, bonsai has been a one of them. More refinement to the art of bonsai was done once it reached Japan. Over years, the ideals and philosophies of bonsai have greatly changed, and they represent the unison of strong ancient beliefs with Eastern philosophies for Japanese. It is a unique combination of harmony between soul, nature and human beings.

Over time, bonsai has been used to display different styles, and each varied immensely from one another. Japanese bonsai plant artists introduced other culturally important elements in the bonsais plantings such as supplementary and accent plants, rocks and even little people and buildings, and this is known as bon-kei. Sai-kei is the art of reproducing miniature landscapes in bonsai.

Japanese bonsai plants started becoming famous in the mid-19th century when Japan opened itself to the rest of the world after almost 230 years of global isolation. Paris World Exhibition in 1900 introduced the world to the art of bonsai, and many travelers who visited Japan bought back miniature trees in ceramic containers, making bonsai more popular.

Since then, there has been a phenomenal upsurge in the demand of Japanese bonsai plants, and it is now a widely expanding industry. This art has evolved to reflect the changing times and tastes, with great variety of cultures, countries and conditions.

Japanese bonsai plants are highly regarded as the symbol of their ideals and cultures. Japanese focus on the native species for their bonsai plants- namely azaleas, pines and maples. These are regarded as the traditional bonsai plants, but other countries are more open to opinion.

There has been an amazing evolution of bonsai over past two centuries, and it is now a well respected horticulture art form. It is changing constantly, and the popularity has spread throughout the world.

Juniper is an evergreen Japanese bonsai plant, which is dioecious, and is tolerant of many varieties of soils. There are separate female and male plants. You can buy Japanese bonsai plants and bonsai plant food over internet, but make sure to buy from a reliable vendor. You must also have basic understanding of their needs before owning a Japanese bonsai plant. In addition to fertilizers, bonsai plants also need carbon dioxide, water and sunlight which are changed into carbohydrate and sugar and provide food for the bonsai plants. Bonsai plant food must be able to provide enough minerals and vitamins, and must be given in the fluid form as it is easier to absorb. When buying the food for a Japanese bonsai plant, make sure that it has sufficient amounts of phosphorous, potassium and nitrogen.