Herbal Bonsai: Practicing the Art With Fast-Growing Herbs (Paperback)

~ (Author) "BONSAI IS THE art training a tree to grow on a small scale in a container yet resemble a full-size, aged tree as seen in..." (more)
Key Phrases: herbal bonsai, intermediate pot, cascade bonsai, Costa Rican, Selecting the Right Herb, Karate Kid (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Bonsai, the art of training a tree to grow on a small scale in a container (yet to resemble a full-size tree), has a tradition thousands of years old, first in China and then in Japan. Traditional bonsai uses such trees as pine, juniper, maple, elm, and holly, which can survive for hundreds of years and take generations to develop. Bender's method is to use relatively fast-growing woody herbs such as rosemary, scented geraniums, and sweet bay laurel to grow mature specimens in only a year. He describes about 30 herbs that he recommends, dividing them into seven groups based on their growth characteristics and environmental needs. There are chapters on training an herbal bonsai, developing it in one growing season, potting and shaping a field-grown bonsai, training a container-grown bonsai, and caring for and displaying them. Bender also suggests ways to enhance the appearance of a bonsai using rocks, sand, gravel, ground cover, figurines, and the right kind of pot. George Cohen

Product Description

The art of bonsai, as traditionally practised, calls for training shrubs and trees to mimic -- in miniature -- the gnarled ancients of forest and crag. Those traditional specimens may need more than fifty years to mature, but by using woody herbs, you can get comparable effects in less than one year. Rosemary, scented geraniums, the thymes, and many other easily grown herbs are ideal for bonsai. In this book, horticulturist Richard W Bender shares his innovative technique, providing you with advice on choosing the appropriate herbs for the kinds of bonsai you wish to create. Practical instructions guide you through every step of the process.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books; 1st edition (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811727882
• ISBN-13: 978-0811727884
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #744,501 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Herbal Bonsai Practicing the Art with Fast-Growing Herbs, June 6, 2000

By	judi bunner (USA) - See all my reviews

This is the first book I have seen on the use of herbs as bonsai material. It is great book. It is informative and very descriptive with many black and white illustrations used to help explain text. Having only one-hundred pages, it is packed full of information on selecting herbs (including author recommended choices) suitable for use as bonsai. Training, developing, potting, shaping, caring for, and displaying herbal bonsai are all covered in detail. References and resources include mail-order nurseries. Terrific for beginners who don't want to invest a lot of money, but would like to try their hand at this hobby.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the beginner, August 11, 2008

By	Irene Watson "Author of The Sitting Swing: Fi... (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A friend gave this book to me knowing I would enjoy it. She was right. I've always wanted to make a bonsai, an edible one at that, so this gave me the opportunity to do so.

Concise, easy to read, simple instructions, and great pictures. All this makes this book a must have for anyone wanting to start out creating an herbal bonsai.