Senex's Shop

The Devil Wears a Kimono: Edo Fall Shopping Spree (- threads, 114 posts)
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Senex's Shop

General Thread

a place to purchase bonsai and topiary

Bonsai and Topiary

Senex's Shop

Bonsai and Topiary

Bonsai is the art of growing miniature trees and plants in containers, or "tray gardening" as the Japanese word translates. It was derived from the Chinese penjing artform, which is believed to have developed from the practice of transporting medicinal plants in containers by healers. In Western culture, the word "bonsai" is used as an umbrella term for both aesthetics.

Topiary is the art of creating sculptures from clipped shrubs, usually evergreens with small leaves or needles. Traditional topiary forms use foliage pruned into geometric shapes: balls, cubes, obelisks, pyramids, cones, and spirals. Forms representing animals, people, and manmade objects have also been popular. The first topiary in Roman gardens was introduced by Cneius Matius Calvena, and the term comes from the Latin word for an ornamental gardner, topiarius.

	azalea	ficus	jade	juniper
	Chinese elm	redwoods	red maple	pine

plants courtesy Brussel's Bonsai Nursery

Links to various resources:

A detailed guide to bonsai includes illustrations and information about its history, styles, tools, techniques, and supplies.

An entry in Wikipedia about bonsai describes its derivation from Chinese penjing and covers its history, aesthetics, cultivation, styles, techniques, and care.

A virtual tour of the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington, DC, offers several navigational options to specific pavilions and gardens: Chinese, Japanese, International, or North American.

A gallery of photographs from the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection is accompanied by fact sheets, history, resources, and activities.

An entry in Wikipedia about topiary explains the origin of the term and gives a short history of the artform.

A virtual tour of a topiary garden in Columbus, Ohio, has a unique theme. It recreates Georges Seurat's A Sunday on the Island of La Grande Jatte in topiary.

Created by:
* Senex Caecilius, Oct 9, 2006 - 11:36

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