Creating small trees to beautifully appear to be a regular sized tree, which we all know as the art of "bonsai" didn't come from Japan as many folks think. It began over seventeen-hundred years ago in China. It was 400 years after the very first recognized references to this art form from China that it appeared in Japan. The term ":pen-t'sai" was adopted by the Chinese to describe this art form that created small, miniature landscapes that included trees, rocks, and sometimes water. The Japanese use the term bonsai to describe their style of the art, which translated to the English language means to "plant in a small pot". It was the Japanese who are credited with developing bonsai as a fine art form.

Japanese bonsai is truly a combination of artistic expression and horticultural proficiency. It is the process of revealing the true essence of trees, rocks, and soil, and reproducing them in miniature, giving them the appearance of a fully developed landscape which is accurately and creatively reproduced, and fitting everything into a little pot.

For nearly all bonsai hobbyists, the creation of beautiful bonsai is more than just being a skilled gardener. It can come to be a contemplative leisure activity in which a person can live fully in the present, recognizing and becoming a participant in the wholeness of all things that cannot be separated, man and nature. It is surely an opportunity to connect with nature.

If you're philosophical, you could see bonsai as that inseparable connection between man and nature, a universal oneness. At the same time it might be an creative expression of your personal interpretation and communion with nature.

The more practical side of bonsai demands the persistent accumulating of horticulture experience and skills. These are gardening disciplines that may be mastered by anyone, and the procedures and skills are going to be refined and honed by you over your lifetime. If you take enough time to learn the gardening techniques, and understand how plants grow and how to care for them, eventually you will be able to look upon your work and recognize that you have created a real bonsai. Congrats.

Men and women from around the globe are becoming passionately interested in the hobby of Japanese bonsai. You'll find an incredible number of different types of trees and plants which can be trained as bonsai. You can find great enjoyment in creating a beautiful and one of a kind bonsai and then to have someone else appreciate it. The hobby of bonsai ought to be experienced by all people. It could just end up changing your life.