Bonsai is a strictly decorative art form. It is meant to be a contemplative piece for the viewer and an exercise in patience and ingenuity for the grower. Unlike most horticultural projects, there are no food or medicinal purposes for these plants. Since it is not meant for large scale landscapes, it is a very focused effort.

This is so important in Japan that one of the oldest known living specimens is considered a National Treasure. It is thought to be at least 500 years old. It is on display in the Tokyo Imperial Palace.

Practically any wood perennial can be used. As long as it branches and retains small with root and crown pruning, it can be used for this purpose. If it takes well to container growth, it will also be a good contender.

Some species are better than others. Plants with small leaves or needles are great. These types of plants have characteristics that make them look good on the small scale of the potted landscape. Ficus is a great beginner tree because is adapts easily and grows quickly. Many in the evergreen family are also desirable for their unique wood textures and small needles.

Source materials can be found in many different places. Source material is what is used to begin the process. Bonsai are very difficult to start from seed. Most growers don’t want to start from seed either because the ultimate goal is a mature and weathered appearance. It would take many, many years to achieve this, so most growers use source material that is already mature or partially grown.

Many techniques are involved in creating these living sculptures. Pruning is the first step to creating one. This involves cutting small pieces of branch, root, or trunk to achieve the desired effect. Leaf trimming is the most commonly used technique throughout the life of the tree. Wrapping wire around the branches will help hold the desired shape until the wood lignifies and can hold itself up. Clamping is an alternative to wiring when a tree is too tough. Grafting allows the grower to place new growing material in a place without foliage. Defoliation involves removing all the leaves off part of the tree. This forces new, tiny leaves to grow back in their place. Dead wooding is a technique in which all the bark is removed from a branch or the trunk to give the appearance of dead wood.

Bonsai trees can be beautiful sculpture to contemplate, a lifelong hobby, or both. The rich history and cultural significance make them a lovely addition to any home or garden.

For a hundred thousands years of human history and possibly longer our ancestors have told each other who they are, who they where, and what humanity is through performance and the arts. Whether through simple story telling, poetry, music, or theater such performances have been a means of communicating culture.

The importance of theater and the arts, of culture and beauty is beyond the rote purposes we attempt to assign to them. Yes the arts programs do help students and society think better in many ways. The true importance of theater and the arts however is in beauty, it is in love and joy and the discovery of humanity. In many ways it could and should perhaps be argued that all other things are to support the simple idea of making our lives more beautiful, not just livable, but actually beautiful worth while in some way. Happiness is in many ways the purpose, and rote ideas and thoughts are to support this not the other way around.

Art and the theater are forms of communication; they are ways to focus the human mind and human understanding. It is they which often help to determine our course as a society and the courses of cultures. They are also the way to pass on the understanding our societies and cultures have obtained to each other and to other cultures. What’s more the arts are a way to receive information from these cultures. For people will learn very little social wisdom through memorizing the ideas of culture and society. One must come to feel, to gain an emotional understanding to truly learn the importance of society and cultures.

Theater and the arts help us to feel empathy for others, help us to understand the importance of other people. It can be through the arts that we come to truly understand that we are part of a larger group. By making we see the world through other people’s eyes the performing arts and other fine arts help us to expand our horizons. This new found creativity helps us come to gain new insights into the world around us. Creativity after all is one of the most important pieces in the intelligence, and scientists as great as Einstein have drawn some of their inspiration form the arts.