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Kyoto Garden - JapanIt is a common misconception to think all sculpted trees are called "Bonsai" plants. In Japanese, the word bonsai is really only used to descrbe a plant in a pot. A more accurate way to describe the miniature trees you see in pots, is that they are bonsai plants that have had the Niwaki gardening style applied to them. Niwaki describes a sculpting of a garden tree, plant, vine, or shrub by pruning, wiring, clipping, weighting branches, and other ancient techniques to shape them. The idea is to make the plants in the garden look much older and established in the confines of their garden environment or inside a pot. Also nothing is absolutely symmetrical, or even numbered in layout or style. A true bonsai plant should look like a sculpture. In flowering plants, the goal should be to encourage flowering in multipe numbers. I will go into specific details about what should be looked for in a mature bonsai plant at a later date.
There various styles of Niwaki: bendy, twin-trunked, windswept, cloud-like puffs, multi-layered, with branches set out in alternating steps or with foliage clipped into shell-like domes.
Plants and trees most commonly shaped are junipers and maples, azalea, podacarpilus, and geraniums. Pines are at the top of the list though. The key to maintaining these treasures is constantly stripping off all the old brown needles, leaves, and dead flowers so that only the freshest, greenest, and healthiest growth is on display at all times.
Thinning out extra branches, training bends in the trunk and branches, clipping and de-foliating are the key skills, but most important is being able to learn how the plant grows it's shoots and new leaves – then in anticipation of those patterns, foreseeing a beautiful and unusual shape you would like the plant to evolve into. It is definitely art. It is living art and is one of the most therapeutic ways to erase the cares of the day. When I garden – I honestly feel I can hear God speak to my heart about how caring for these plants applies to my life at that moment – almost like – heavenly advice.
The most beautiful and famous Niwaki plants in the world are in the KYOTO GARDENS in Japan. I have not been there, but I love picture books about the various areas of these gardens and their beautiful koi ponds. I have my on-going collection of Niwaki style bonsais in my home and a mini-Kyoto Garden of my own in my backyard.
In my small pond, I have my collection of koi. Indoors, I keep a personal pet koi.
Meet Kiku
This is Goldie – a common goldfish that survived a raccoon raid in my backyard!
These are my lovely current collection of koi
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