Bonsai tree for Japanese garden

[Libor89]

Hi,

I am new to Bonsai and am wanting to buy my first one. This might be a bit weird but I am wanting to remove the bonsai from its pot and plant it into the soil in the garden directly. This will be planted into an island mound as part of the design for my Japanese garden. I have checked with bonsai people in my country and they said that it should be easy and there should not be any issues if I don’t touch the roots.

I am currently choosing between different species of Azalea, description of them below and also attaching photos (description follows the order of the photos) of the exact trees that are available to purchase.

1. Azalea Kinsai (14+ years age)
2. Azalea Fujimori (25+ years age)
3. Azalea Fujimori (15+ years age)
4. Azalea Royal Robe (25+ years age)

Would there be any recommendation to which one of the above to get? I think I am choosing between 1 and 2 at the moment.

Thank you.

 

[Shibui]

I hope you realize that the azalea will not stay the same when planted in the ground. In the ground it will want to grow faster which will mean more trimming to maintain a shape. You may have the skill to keep it in nice shape or you may have someone who can do that for you but I suspect the tree will end up as a mound of foliage without any defined branches. If that's what you want I wonder why you are starting with a bonsai? You are probably paying a premium for the bonsai shape and trunk. I suspect it will be more economic to purchase an untrained azalea to plant in your garden.

There should be no problem transplanting an azalea from pot into the garden any time. You should always tease out some outer roots as you transplant any potted plant so the roots will grow out into the soil.

 

[rockm]

Bonsai are not bonsai once they are taken out of their containers--bonsai literally means "tree in a tray or pot" They're kept small via root restriction and pruning. There are no special "bonsai" plants that keep themselves small.

Sure you can take the tree out of the pot and plant it in the ground, BUT it will cease to be a bonsai, as it will resume growing as a landscape plant as its roots will have vastly more room to grow and extend. You can keep pruning their tops to shape them--that form of growing trees in a Japanese garden is called "niwaki."

Pots restrict growth. Bonsai are just "regular" trees and shrubs that have been cultivated to fit into pots and then pruned and kept relatively small by the limited amount of soil and consistent pruning. There is nothing different about bonsai genetically from "regular" plants. IF you buy a bonsai azalea, you're paying a premium for it--sometimes a VERY large premium depending on variety. Better off just buying a small azalea landscape plant and using that.

 

[Libor89]

Bonsai are not bonsai once they are taken out of their containers--bonsai literally means "tree in a tray or pot" They're kept small via root restriction and pruning. There are no special "bonsai" plants that keep themselves small.

Sure you can take the tree out of the pot and plant it in the ground, BUT it will cease to be a bonsai, as it will resume growing as a landscape plant as its roots will have vastly more room to grow and extend. You can keep pruning their tops to shape them--that form of growing trees in a Japanese garden is called "niwaki."

Pots restrict growth. Bonsai are just "regular" trees and shrubs that have been cultivated to fit into pots and then pruned and kept relatively small by the limited amount of soil and consistent pruning. There is nothing different about bonsai genetically from "regular" plants. IF you buy a bonsai azalea, you're paying a premium for it--sometimes a VERY large premium depending on variety. Better off just buying a small azalea landscape plant and using that.

Thank you. I am trying to achieve a miniature landscape design in my small space garden so preferably a bonsai tree.

How about I bury the pot into the ground, so it still has restricted growth but also the pot won’t be visible and it will look like the plant is just growing from the ground. Would that work?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Thank you. I am trying to achieve a miniature landscape design in my small space garden so preferably a bonsai tree.

How about I bury the pot into the ground, so it still has restricted growth but also the pot won’t be visible and it will look like the plant is just growing from the ground. Would that work?

It would not work - because you would have many problems keeping the tree and the roots healthy if you were to bury a pot in the soil.

I understand the look you are going for, but I believe you are going after it the wrong way. Far better to learn the skills for structural pruning and tree design - and shape your tree in place. You could absolutely buy a bonsai tree, remove it from its pot, and place it in the landscape, but without the skills to maintain it, within a couple of years it will simply be an unkempt bush. Plus you will pay quite a premium for a decent azalea bonsai - here in the states a decent import tree will be $1000+. You could get the same material as a landscape plant for a fraction of the cost.

/EDIT I am going to change my post slightly. It would be possible, if you designed properly, to lay out your garden in such a way that you could place a bonsai tree on a small rock shelf or other platform, so that it both fit into the garden design, provided the necessary drainage, and allowed you to lift the tree occasionally to work on it. I have been working on plans for a display platform on a patio at my house where I could display trees as they looked their seasonal best - and it would allow me to rotate trees and return them to my nursery when I wished.

 

[coachspinks]

What you are describing was my first exposure to bonsai. I managed a restaurant in college and the entrance to the restaurant was a garden with a variety of bushes/small trees. The owner trimmed and wired them using some of the artistic aspects of bonsai. They were not bonsai but they did resemble lsmaller versions of trees. He taught me to trim them to keep the growth in check. I think you will have more success doing something similar. Some of the best plants for this are junipers and Japanese maples.

 

[rockm]

Thank you. I am trying to achieve a miniature landscape design in my small space garden so preferably a bonsai tree.

How about I bury the pot into the ground, so it still has restricted growth but also the pot won’t be visible and it will look like the plant is just growing from the ground. Would that work?

Planting in a pot in the ground complicates things for the plant. The pot in the ground will act as a bucket, if the drain holes are blocked. Even if you make sure they're clear, it will eventually be blocked. That means the pot will become a swamp and kill root and ultimately the plant.

You simply don't need a containerized azalea to fit into your small space. The Japanese don't do it for very small "Tsubo niwa" gardens. The plants are planted in the ground and kept compact by pruning the tops. You should research Tsubo Niwa and other types of Japanese gardens to get some ideas on how to proceed--since that's roughly what you're planning. You can shape in ground azaleas the way you want--provided you know the timing (which can be key for Satsuki varieties) and how to do it. It's not all that complicated, but it can be time consuming (as with satsuki bonsai).

 

[Applicative]

what you want is called niwaki, which translates to garden tree. the same principals of aesthetic pruning apply.

Depending on your location you may be able to source trees that are already done niwaki.

 

[rockm]

Niwaki and Sukashi are the terms used for shaping garden trees and shrubs in Japanese gardens. Niwaki is typically associated with larger trees and their maintenance, primarily pine trees. Sukashi is as well, but it means "thinning" out of unwanted branches/shoots etc. the same principles can be applied to in ground azaleas.

 

[SeanS]

Unless your garden is 3’x3’ (1mx1m) there is no reason to place a bonsai in the ground. Just buy a regular nursery variant of the same plant (azalea, Japanese maple, pine) and prune it. Pruning (or sometimes described as “cutting parts off”) will make a plant smaller, and keep it smaller if you regularly prune as the plants grow. That is essentially what is done to a plant in a bonsai pot to make/keep it smaller.

 

[BrightsideB]

Consider dwarf varieties or cultivars. There are a lot to choose from. With proper prunning and care you can have a smaller in ground tree that would be healthy. And grow shorter shoots.

 

[Libor89]

Thanks everyone for their insight! Very valuable and much appreciated. An understand about the pot in the ground and makes total sense, I will forget about that idea. If I were to get the bonsai version I would definitely keep on top of the pruning and general care so it wouldn’t loose its current shape / look. But I will also look into to just getting one from a garden center and search for the ones with interesting trunk growth and prune it to desired shape.

 

[Applicative]

Thanks everyone for their insight! Very valuable and much appreciated. An understand about the pot in the ground and makes total sense, I will forget about that idea. If I were to get the bonsai version I would definitely keep on top of the pruning and general care so it wouldn’t loose its current shape / look. But I will also look into to just getting one from a garden center and search for the ones with interesting trunk growth and prune it to desired shape.

you've not listed where you live but if your interested in Japanese style garden trees -

sometimes big box stores will sell juniper in a "Japanese" style - these are sort of pom poms and not the most authentic.

There are specialized nurseries that sell niwaki trees, here's a pine I am planting from a nursery that field grows for niwaki for upwards of 20 years.

there is a book I would recommend as well, niwaki by Jake Hobson. Japanese maples can be a great introduction, they grow moderately fast and can have a natural grace to them.

 

[Libor89]

you've not listed where you live but if your interested in Japanese style garden trees -

sometimes big box stores will sell juniper in a "Japanese" style - these are sort of pom poms and not the most authentic.

There are specialized nurseries that sell niwaki trees, here's a pine I am planting from a nursery that field grows for niwaki for upwards of 20 years.

there is a book I would recommend as well, niwaki by Jake Hobson. Japanese maples can be a great introduction, they grow moderately fast and can have a natural grace to them.

Thank you. I live in New Zealand. I already have Acer Tamukeyama in the garden but just redoing the whole design so and wanting more evergreens in there since the Acer is decidious.

 

[Applicative]

Thank you. I live in New Zealand. I already have Acer Tamukeyama in the garden but just redoing the whole design so and wanting more evergreens in there since the Acer is decidious.

oh that's interesting, you may have some luck contacting land scape architects and land scapers specializing and ask about sourcing.

I only say that as it seemed you want to have a "finished" tree that you can just do maintenance pruning.

SunLive - Niwaki pōhutukawa creates unique display - The Bay's News First

Niwaki pōhutukawa creates unique display

sunlive.co.nz

the actual pruning techniques are suitable for many natural plants as well, I heard a bonsai wire recently with a NZ person who is looking at the New Zealand Christmas tree (I had to look that up)

 

[Bonsai Forest]

Let someone else buy the bonsai who will keep it as bonsai. Buy a nursery shrub instead. Only a nursery shrub will accomplish your goal.