The aim of bonsai, simply put, is to take a plant and make it look like a miniature, old tree.

No, it’s not hard to do!” reads Mollie Hollar’s sign. She has been asked so often about the difficulty of growing bonsai that she made a permanent sign for her displays. Hollar is president of the West Michigan Bonsai Club, has a personal collection of over 100 bonsai, and is the owner of basicallybonsai.com, a Michigan source for bonsai supplies. She also exhibits bonsai from her collection throughout the state.

“People think there is a mystique to growing bonsai, that there is some kind of magic involved. So, it must be hard to do,” comments Hollar. “People’s biggest mistake is not knowing how to care for the particular plant they have, that is why they fail with bonsai.” You need to know your plant’s requirements, just like any other plant in your garden or house. What are its light, soil and water requirements? Is it an indoor or outdoor plant?

The Japanese word “bonsai” (pronounced “bone sigh”) means “plant in a pot.” However, the word also connotes the combination of artistic expression with a naturalistic effect. Simply, the basic aim of bonsai is to take a plant and make it look like an old tree. Today, we don’t think twice about putting a plant in a pot, but there was a time when this was not done.

“One of the earliest records of digging a tree out of the ground and keeping it in a pot goes back to the 10th century B.C., when the Queen of Sheba responded to a request from King Solomon for a myrrh tree,” comments Hollar. “The Chinese were the first to use plants as decorative objects, using miniatures in their gardens called “penjing.” Around the 8th century A.D., Japan, greatly influenced by the Chinese culture, adopted “penjing” and created “bonsai.” Traditional bonsai has over 3,000 rules. In the 20th century, bonsai became popular in the United States, Europe and Australia. Under the Western influence, bonsai has become more varied and less traditionally defined.

Hollar stresses that in practicing bonsai you need to know basic design principles, but she strongly advocates designing your plant to your own tastes. “Bonsai is your creation and it needs to be pleasing to you.”

For indoor bonsai, good plants to start with are ficuses. Both full-size schefflera and dwarf schefflera make good indoor bonsai, as well as serissa and fukientea. For outdoor bonsai, conifers, in particular junipers are good plants for beginners. Their blue berries are actually fleshy cones. Spruce and fir trees are also good starters, but pines trees are more difficult. Good deciduous plants are those that develop woody stems and have small leaves, such as wisteria, quince, rhododendron, azalea, beech, birch and elm. “Many big-box stores try to sell you an outdoor bonsai such as juniper to grow indoors. That is a sure way to fail. Outdoor bonsai plants need a dormancy period and to be grown outdoors in order to grow them successfully,” Hollar says.

In Michigan, outdoor bonsai need to be sheltered from wind and ice in winter. Hollar advocates moving them to a sheltered area in your landscape, under a garden bench or against a protected wall. If there is snow cover you don’t need to worry about watering them; if not, they need to be watered at least once a month. Deciduous plants need more protection since their branches are more susceptible to breakage from ice and heavy snow. They can be protected by a rose cone, but they still must be watered.
Following are more tips from Hollar.

Tips For Bonsai Beginners:
1. Read all you can before you start. Hollar suggests “Pocket Bonsai,” by David Prescott; “Bonsai,” a RD home handbook by Harry Tomlinson; and “Growing Bonsai: A Practical Encyclopedia,” by Ken Norman.

2. Don’t buy expensive tools when starting out. You can use craft shears, manicure scissors, chopsticks and ordinary garden tools.

3. Don’t have more trees than you can take care of well. Bonsai takes time and patience; if you only have time for one plant, enjoy that one plant and don’t over-commit.

4. You can always cut it off later. If you have doubts about leaving a particular branch, wait.

5. Find a bonsai club in your area. Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Ann Arbor, and the Detroit and Midland areas all have these clubs. Visit the Mid-America Bonsai Alliance at www.mababonsai.org for Michigan bonsai club websites.

6. Go to bonsai shows. They offer information, demonstrations and bonsai products.

If the bonsai bug is starting to bite or even if you are an old pro, a visit to the Michigan All State Bonsai Show at Frederik Meijer Gardens May 3-4 is a must. The Show is hosted by the West Michigan Bonsai Club and features all six Michigan bonsai clubs with a display of over 100 best bonsai in the state, as well as demonstrations, educational displays and bonsai supply vendors.

Rita Henehan is a freelance writer and member of Midwest Energy Co-op. She is also an Advanced Master Gardener and has written her first book, “The Michigan Gardener’s Companion: An insider’s guide to gardening in the Great Lakes State”.