-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 144
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Florida
An age old debate
Should succulents such as jade trees and palms such as ponytail palms as well as bamboos be considered "BONSAI". I'd like to hear peoples opinion
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 264
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:46 am
- Location: Bremerton, WA
Hmmm... if it makes you think... nice tree! I think it qualifies as a bonsai. However, you won't be seeing them at kokufu-ten any time soon...lol
V
V
Last edited by Victrinia Ridgeway on Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 144
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Florida
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 122
- Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:56 pm
- Location: Marin County, CA
well a lot of people have jades as bonsai, they can even be seen in a lot of bonsai books. For anything to be considered a bonsai it must look like a tree which has become miniaturized. If you have a young tree which is small because of it's age, then it is not considered a bonsai, however, once it has been trained in some way to stay small, it can be considered "bonsai," or plants in developmental stages can be considered "pre-bonsai material." So to answer the question, jades can most definitely become bonsai. I know people who have ponytail palms and they consider them to be bonsai, and there are many types of bamboo that are considered bonsai, however "lucky bamboo" I don't really consider to be bonsai. It's all about what you think though, if you told people that what you had was bonsai I don't see any reason for them to disagree with you.
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 264
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:46 am
- Location: Bremerton, WA
Bonsai as with all artistic forms is highly subjective. There will never be a universal standard because at its most basic level it is just a "tray planting". We each develop our own personal idea of what qualifies, and believe me when I tell you it changes as you mature in the art. As a matter of fact, it's always something I tell people to use as a marker for their own development. As you up your own game, the level of what you consider a true bonsai gets upped as well... it's inevitable, and there isn't a thing wrong with that.
One just has to keep having fun with it... or what's the point...?
Kindest regards,
Victrinia
One just has to keep having fun with it... or what's the point...?
Kindest regards,
Victrinia
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2009 3:06 pm
- Location: Toronto