AusBonsai

I know there are probably hundreds but can anyone recommend some books on the above subjects? Ones that would be good to work though slowly and dare I say study to get a better understanding of trees in general?

Even good textbooks etc....

Thanks in advance!

Here's a couple of good links (also available in the wiki under Pruning) to get you started, really helped me understand a lot more about how plants work

http://warnell.forestry.uga.edu/warnell ... ?docID=146

http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/pruning2.htm

I have a great book on basic botany. I'll dig it out in the next day or so and let you know it's name and author. I got it while studying horticulture and found it excellent. Covers most topics from naming of plant species and varieties, through plant anatomy to growth, effects of hormones and more.

Hi, my son studying botany at University, I have one of his books, that I can't find at present.

It's called 'Name That Flower', it is about different flowers, the nature of the botanical description, how the pollinate etc. I did Hort II at TAFE, and Cert IV and Diploma in Organic Agricultural production. Mainly about broad acre farming, soils, fertilizers, and have several books on them.

I'll hunt them out eventually if you are interested. Just what is your goal, will it refer to bonsai specifically? Some of my bonsai books actually cover soils, environmental conditions, and natural plant and tree growth patterns. There is one I picked up a few weeks ago.

Bonsai basics, by Colin Lewis. (2008) Hamlyn and Octopus publishers. He does a section on how a tree works. It was $14.99.

Another was a gift from my son.' From Rainforest to Bonsai' by Len Webber. It is an interested look at using native plants for bonsai, introducing a rain forest style, mainly on figs I found. I think it was a limited edition. Published by Simon and Schuster, 1992. I still have my Cert II Horticulture papers. But where they are, somewhere in one of boxes.

It depends on what actually is your goal what do you want to study specifically.

Cheers

Pat

Sorry Ive been off the grid! Thanks for the replies and links....

Im not really sure what my goal is haha. I went to my first club meeting a couple of moths ago and someone asked me how long I had been doing it and what books I had. I told them that I had both Naka books and they said "they are good art books but you need to lean about horticulture etc first"

That is not what I was told, I was told bonsai is a specialized form of bonsai cultivation, and different from traditional horticulture, but actually some of the methodology used like planting seeds, cuttings, grafting or air layering is used in bonsai as well as horticulture. It's similar in someways to orchid cultivation. It has its special requirements. Knowledge of basic gardening or horticulture of plants and shrubs is an advantage. But environmental conditions for your area is a must. And the soil mix to suit the species. Just look around your street or town and see what trees are growing well there. Watch the weather and outside temps. Have good drainage in the soil, whether it is in a plastic plant pot or bonsai pot. And don't let your plant dry out completely. Watch for pests and possums. It is a guide only as even if a potential bonsai is not growing in your region, just read its special requirements. Does it need protection from frost or hot sun etc.

I was told by a master read and read and read on bonsai. Noting that many books are written for the Northern Hemisphere. Most bonsai are out doors species, but there are some indoor ones too, outdoors especially the deciduous ones. But I would say and I am sure most will agree with me, there are some species best suited for a beginner than others. I didn't rush in with the wires and cutters too early, I kept the trees alive for a couple of years first. Patience is a virtue. Bonsai cultivators think differently in as much they think in seasons and years, not months, weeks or days. Please don't get discouraged, we all make mistakes and my personal approach is a daily observation of each tree, and a softly softly approach.

You'll get sucked in like the rest of us eventually, LOL. They become like pets or children.(Some more rebellious and naughty than others).
Good luck, and you've come to the best site around for help, and opinions. I wish I had found this site years ago when I first started.

luv

Pat from Armidale NSW. (Temperate region, 3500 ft absl).

PS. Your municipal library might have books on bonsai too.

How did you get on Island?

Island Breeze wrote:Sorry Ive been off the grid! Thanks for the replies and links....

Im not really sure what my goal is haha. I went to my first club meeting a couple of moths ago and someone asked me how long I had been doing it and what books I had. I told them that I had both Naka books and they said "they are good art books but you need to lean about horticulture etc first"

They will most definately help, but it is also an extremely broad subject to cover just to learn about bonsai

Most bonsai books will cover basic horticultural information anyway from what I've seen, and the few beginners courses I've taken, have also covered basic horticulture

They would definatley help, learning the science behind plants and their cultivation would only benefit your bonsai, but I'm personally learning the basics of that as I study bonsai.

*IMO

Bush bunny wrote:How did you get on Island?

Hi Pat, sorry I missed your previous post somehow. Thanks again for the advice. It does seem like the slowly slowly approach and learning your area is key with this hobby/obsession. I'll be on the look out for some more bonsai books then!

Jason wrote:

Island Breeze wrote:Sorry Ive been off the grid! Thanks for the replies and links....

Im not really sure what my goal is haha. I went to my first club meeting a couple of moths ago and someone asked me how long I had been doing it and what books I had. I told them that I had both Naka books and they said "they are good art books but you need to lean about horticulture etc first"

They will most definately help, but it is also an extremely broad subject to cover just to learn about bonsai

Most bonsai books will cover basic horticultural information anyway from what I've seen, and the few beginners courses I've taken, have also covered basic horticulture

They would definatley help, learning the science behind plants and their cultivation would only benefit your bonsai, but I'm personally learning the basics of that as I study bonsai.

*IMO

Yeah Horticulture and Botany are pretty broad subjects! Haha.... So I see what you are saying.

Island breeze, I bought 101 tips for bonsai growers, $9.95. And one that I frequently refer to is The pocket Enclopedia by Harry Tomlinson. $29.95. They are for beginners particularly. Then other books, but most are written in the Northern Hemisphere. But you can adjust the seasons eh? Junipers and Maples are particularly useful for beginners, and the Elms. Keep at it, don't be discouraged by the time periods involved looking at pics in a book. Some 40 years old etc.
Landscapes are fun for beginners too. You get instant results.

Get onto the Koreshoff books as well Relevant to Australia, and great info (albeit a little dated) There are 3 smaller ones, which are great and the larger one which is a must have

I would say some gardening experience is a help. We know alkaline and acid soils mean to some plants, drainage and tilth, water requirements, fertilizing. And basically bonsai are pot plants, but in very shallow pots,meaning they are kept in pots like pot plants but need different soil mixtures and not all of them suit indoors. In fact few, but it still depends on where you keep them and what your local climate fluctuations can be. Sydney would be an ideal place I think, from my recollection of the weather there.

Island, I am self taught, other than a fleeting experience of the local club, I got most of my knowledge (I am data rich but practical experience poor I admit) from books, and the internet. I only found this site in July this year, and I do wish I had found it earlier, but there you are? But for most of the 5 years I have been involved, I just kept my bonsai alive, and fertilized. Now some are old enough to be re-potted and trimmed. Being a nature lover generally and I love trees (my mother and a close friend hated them to the point they cut them down if they could)
and trying to bring the natural environment in miniature into your own living space is a lovely and peaceful hobby, good for the soul, but sometimes it can be frustrating. So patience is a virtue. SO WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL CLUB OF BONSAI LOVERS!

I recently borrowed a book from the library called practical science for gardeners. I'm not very sciencey but i found learning a bit of the chemistry and biology in the plant growing process helped me look at my bonsais in a more informed way. Definitely an interesting read


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