The Beauty of Bonsai Styles | Hacker News Reader

The Beauty of Bonsai Styles

longwoodgardens.org

222 pointslagniappe41 comments

As well as a software person I'm an arborist as a side hustle. I love bonsai and I have started a few off myself in my garden (technically this makes them 'niwaki' - in garden, rather than 'bonsai' - in a pot. I went with scots pine (Pinus sylvestris, Wych Elm - Ulnus glabra and Quercus robur - english oak) as they're all native to where I live.

But I am somewhat conflicted because as awesome as they look, all that aesthetic comes from doing the exact opposite of what a tree needs. Deliberate wounding at non-meristematic sites to create deadwood, binding roots into and using wires to manipulate the structure and keeping the tree at a juvenile isolated state. Basically it would make Alex Shigo shudder in his grave.

That being said, if anyone is in their twenties and looking for a nice future hustle pension, then start off some bonsais today. In forty years, if you can keep them going, with a hundred or so you could be sitting on 300K plus of stock. The trees will teach you a lot (notwithstanding the above sentiment on treating them brutally) in terms of patience, planning and delight in aesthetic.

If you are in your twenties and "start off some bonsais today" then in 20 years you will start to know what you are doing and then you can start off "good ones" ;)

Yes, the best time to plant a tree....

...is the camera you have with you.

I think it's a mixed bag. In some ways you are manipulating the tree in a way that could be harmful (trimming, putting in small pots, wiring etc). But in other ways you end up providing much more care and attention to your bonsai than you would for another tree.

As a beginner you probably will accidentally kill some trees though.

I don't really have space to grow 5 Cyprus and Juniper trees, and my landlord probably wouldn't appreciate it... but I can care for a dozen bonsai.

I feel the same way. I really enjoyed bonsai when I lived in a small rental, and now that I can plant actual trees it just seems so much more exciting to watch something big and healthy that has a real presence compared to a small tree on life support in a tray.

I've long wanted to 'get into bonsai' and had mentioned this 'bonsai retirement plan' to my middle-school aged kids (who are also very intrigued by bonsai...) -- Nice to see that my assumed 'silly' concept is likely not the worst 'investment' concept and shared by others! (With all of the real world benefits of learning and appreciation of time all wrapped up together!)

Photos? If you have a few photos and can write a short blog post about that with your personal experience (no cheating, no AI), it may be a nice submission. I don't expect a million upvotes for it, but it may have a nice discussion. Not all post in HN have to be about technology, they only must be interesting.

What is the most weird/interesting anecdote about your bonsai farm? Bonus imaginary points if it's a good anecdote to tell to a technical frined.

I'll add that to my list of posts to write : )

My collection so far is less than three years old and they're all from nursery stock. It's going to be at least another three years before I can start training them. Niwaki (in the ground) is less harsh on wounding than bonsai (in pots) and tends to focus more on the pruning rather than the overall aesthetic of creating a weathered yet, aesthetic tree. I'm aiming for somewhere in between.

The cool thing about the Elms is that they came from the seeds of a wych elm in a local park about four years ago which finally succumbed to dutch elm disease and was removed last year. I found the seeds in a drawer after being forgotten about for a two years, then germinated the seeds in 2024 they sprouted. I started six, but four have died.

Remember to take some photos, so you can write a nice post in 2029! :)

Longwood Gardens (https://longwoodgardens.org/) is one of the most incredible public gardens in the US, and maybe the world. If you are in the Philadelphia/West Chester/Kennet Square area, do not miss the opportunity to check them out!

The Conservatory (and the new West Conservatory) is stunning. Checkout their summer concert and fireworks series for something family friendly. The Chimes Tower District reminds me of something you'd walk around and discover in Myst. https://longwoodgardens.org/gardens/chimes-tower-district

This place is huge! And there's a bunch of trails and places to walk if you wanna get away from the crowd.

Here's a 1hr video from QuietPlaces featuring the Conservatory, Lilly garden, Chimes District. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooR-f3vx_RY

Deep Link to the Bonsai area: https://youtu.be/ooR-f3vx_RY?t=1364

Seconded. They also have an excellent pipe organ; I'd recommend checking their web site to see when someone will be playing it.

My colleagues gave me a bonsai when I left the company. I loved it and it was georgeous. When I switched to my actual house, the bonsai felt it and started to dry out. I could not stop it, and even transplanting it to better soil and placing him in another room. It never went up. Right now I don't know if its alive anymore, and makes me very sad.

Do you know the species?

Yep. It's supposed to be an entry level one. Ligustrum sinensis. In my old house had like 8 hours of direct sun and right now it only has like 2... I don't know what to do anymore.

Most of these are outdoor trees, regardless of size. Something more tropical might fare better inside.

Would artificial light work?

With this species, yes, for sure.

Ligustrum are notoriously hard to kill so if is not showing any activity over ground, may be working hard building roots at this moment.

The shadow is not really the problem. They love full sun, but can stand a lot of shadow. The lack of water or nutrients may be. Let it fully submerged in a bath for one hour. If is still alive, the bark or stems will turn greenish and new leaves may appear in a few days.

Sinense is semi caducifolious (if I remember correctly). Are you in spring or in autumn currently in your timezone?

(If you have pets take in mind that this is a poisonous plant with poisonous fruits only allowed for birds).

I had a fig at my work desk for a couple of years. Work moved buildings. The new aircon killed it. No matter how much I watered it, it kept drying out.

It was still trying to live off its two remaining leaves, when I picked it up by its trunk and noticed it was completely hollow and almost made of paper. It was utterly desiccated.

Try putting it outside for a while if you can. Most bonsai are meant to live outside really.

Sometimes a very dead looking tree can spring back to life if given the right conditions. But other times a tree can enter a death spiral that seems hard to stop.

Long time member / supporter / donator of Longwood Gardens here… it’s a wonderful place to visit if able - while their Christmas display is well known - I personally prefer spring / early fall to be able to more easily walk around outside / when the fountains are open.

When they have larger bonsai displays they have been some of the best I have seen anywhere.

The Philadelphia Flower show recently had a bonsai display. I also know there is a bonsai focused garden somewhere near Philadelphia that I have yet to make it to.

As someone who has tried to grow bonsai and never quite succeeded - I always find them enthralling.

I find bonsai fascinating, even if I would never be willing to put in the time and care required to do it myself.

I had the pleasure of seeing the bonsai collection in the Gardens at HCP (Horticulture Centre of the Pacific) in Victoria, BC, Canada recently. They have many different species of trees, and something like 60 individual trees in total. Well worth seeing, and the cafe just outside the entrance is nice too.

I would just like to note, that you don't have to "put in" hardly any time or care. Maybe three hours per year? You just have to be very patient. Amateur bonsai is pretty easy, it just takes forever.

When I was younger, bonsai always seemed to have a notoriety of being difficult to care for. I've got a ficus which I've owned for about 4 years now, and it's doing well because my apartment emulates tropical/greenhouse conditions on even mild spring days. I'm thinking about getting a large cloche for it to try and ramp up the humidity even more and encourage aerial roots. I've also got a Chinese elm next to it that's doing well, which I will move outside in the summer. The only worry with that one is how to keep it dormant over winter - I'll have to move it inside but I'm worried it will be too warm.

More recently I bought a Japanese maple shrub from a nursery. I was planning on turning it into a bonsai, but it's already re-grown its leaves for the season so best not to prune it harshly like I was planning. I think that's the main lesson to learn with bonsai - patience. It's going to be almost a year now before I can do anything major to it. Until then it will just be some extra balcony foliage.

I grow rare cactus and succulents and this is a similar lesson, patience. Also, more often than not the correct answer to anything is “do nothing”. You also become much more appreciative of the most minute changes, noticing things that previously you would not notice. It’s a great practice for all of life, slow down, notice the small changes and sometimes the best thing to do is nothing.

Excellent advice.

I solved my problem of over-caring for many of my hardy desert plants by getting myself some more delicate plants which demanded more care, so that I was too busy with them and could give the hardier plants the neglect they needed to thrive.

The oldest bonsai in this collection is over a 100 years old. Imagine training a bonsai continually for so long, the steady care and attention required across multiple generations…

Not that different to our two year old tortoise, who still has another 100+ years to go.

Jonathan is quite a lot older than your lower bound: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_(tortoise) and still going!

Rumours of his death are greatly exaggerated.

Interesting seeing this thread. I just bought a bonsai yesterday at a market in Tokyo. They were selling it for only 1000 yen. It's only after I bought it that I realized that it takes a lot of attention and care to keep these alive. The seller said this it was 10 years old. Felt the sudden immense pressure to keep it living. It has been a nice week of tending to it in the mornings though. No longer use the phone in the mornings. It's strait to the balcony to check up on the bonsai. Much better for the mind.

When I was a kid we had a bonsai book… I used to look through it for hours…

Cut to the future and I not only can find that book again [1] but the author has a beautiful and hilarious youtube channel [2] Worth the watch if only for the lulz

[1] https://a.co/d/06DuHIQs

[2] https://youtube.com/@HeronsBonsaiUK/featured

Growing bonsai is still on my hobby wishlist, but I haven’t been able to provide the stability it requires due to work : even keeping regular plants alive for a few years was impossible.

Has anyone here started from scratch? I would appreciate it if someone could share their experience and point me to some relevant online content.

You might check out bonchi. Using bonsai techniques with chili plants can get you pleasant results quickly.

Don't forget to include your suiseki.

I have several, extremely hard to find ones, high-silica volcanic ejecta found in silica-poor environments (like basalt) that are very prized by bonsai artists. I've had offers of tens of thousands of dollars for an organic-looking rock.

I love bonsai, but it'd be nice if one could start a bonsai tree that looks like a mature tree in miniature without spending decades on the process.

Is there anything that is fast growing, or is the only option buying a multi-decade old one?

Go explore your nearest rock formation. It doesn't have to be tall, in my experience the opposite is true. You have to chose the right time to get the tree out, soil moist level and the status of the tree itself are the top priorities, the latter depends on the season and the tree type.

Been living in Japan for a while and have come to appreciate bonsai. There is a lot that goes into it. I love the concept of such an intricate thing being carefully maintained across decades and generations of people.

It's an amazing economic example of value-add. Taking trees that grow like weeds and putting so much labor and time into them that they become worth a lot of money (and can exhibit tremendous aesthetic beauty). Similar to sushi.

Even better Man-Bonsai

https://www.google.com/search?udm=2&q=%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E7%...

if you live in the PNW and would like to see some world class bonsai in person, the Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way is a great destination. this time of year is also good for visiting the neighboring rhododendron and azalea garden

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