Iris Cohen wrote:

A "true" bonsai is anything woody in a pot.

I would disagree with that definition. A true bonsai is a woody plant in a pot
which has been styled to look like a full-size tree in miniature.


This is a tangent, but a related one. Consider this as a possibility--a bonsai can
not only represent a full-sized tree in miniature, but can also represent a tree
that has been dwarfed by nature. Another thought--the issue of scale comes up as
well. Not scale as in those troublesome insects, but scale in terms of leaf size.
I know this is an issue that is kicked around endlessly, but it is not possible,
with a few exceptions, to get leaves down to scale with the trunk size, with
junipers and kingsville boxwoods, Hokkaido elms and other Chinese elms, and a few
other plants as exceptions. Having said this, I'm not advocating bonsai that are
12 inches high with 6 inch long leaves either. But there has to be some
flexibility.

I realize Iris didn't raise this issue--it's mine. I'm just throwing it in for
consideration.


snip

Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37

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