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#1
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Bonsai basics
I have a coleus plant that I brought in for the winter and put in a south window -- I've done this before and coleus do really well like that.
Ok, so I cut back the plant considerably and it's now about 8" tall with what has become a woody stem about 1/2" diameter with a LOT of new growth starting to pierce out of that woody stem. So, I guess, in essence what I created by my cutting back the plant and not letting it flower, is bonsai? I know the process can be complicated in it's technique but can it also be as easy as what I just described? I did google "coleus bonsai" and yes, it's a plant that will work. I wonder what other plants (not bonsai trees) will do this? Other colorful annuals for example. ? |
#2
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Bonsai basics
On 1/18/13 9:46 AM, mkr5000 wrote:
I have a coleus plant that I brought in for the winter and put in a south window -- I've done this before and coleus do really well like that. Ok, so I cut back the plant considerably and it's now about 8" tall with what has become a woody stem about 1/2" diameter with a LOT of new growth starting to pierce out of that woody stem. So, I guess, in essence what I created by my cutting back the plant and not letting it flower, is bonsai? I know the process can be complicated in it's technique but can it also be as easy as what I just described? I did google "coleus bonsai" and yes, it's a plant that will work. I wonder what other plants (not bonsai trees) will do this? Other colorful annuals for example. ? Most bonsai hobbyists want plants that not only look old but are actually old. You can't do that with an annual. Furthermore, they want to create a dwarf from a plant that is not naturally a dwarf. It seems like cheating if you use a plant that does not grow large, such a coleus. However, if you are pleased with what you have, it's okay. I have thought about making a bonsai from a seedling dwarf myrtle (Myrtus communis 'Compacta'), which actually grows to over 6 feet in the ground. If I can get it to mature at less than 1 foot, that might indeed be a true bonsai. I won't live to see it truly old since I am already over 70. -- David E. Ross Climate: California Mediterranean, see http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary |
#3
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Bonsai basics
so, I wonder what the word is (if there is any, for what I've done?
that is, cheating the plant from flowering and I guess, just basically extending it's age? I suppose I thought it was a part of the "bonsai thing" just based on it's appearance. never thought a coleus could get such a woody stem -- treelike in appearence, really. |
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