Best bonsai tree choice (part 1)
What are the best trees for bonsai? This is a difficult question as I feel that any tree or shrub can be used for bonsai. However there are some that are harder to use than others for various reasons.
The first and most obvious reason a tree is harder to create a bonsai with is large leaves.
These include:
Horse chestnut
Sycamore
Oak
Having said this oak is one of my favorite trees to use as bonsai. So the fact that they are hard to use as bonsai should not put you off, you just need to put more effort in. Large leaves can adapt and therefore they will get smaller over time. You can encourage them by plucking off the large leaves and leaving the small ones. This will “teach” the tree that small leaves are good and big leaves are bad! Make sure it has a lot of spare leaves when you do this though.
I agree, even with Oaks big leaves I still enjoy using them as a Bonsai. I took a little sapling in March this year and sure enough it’s growing a lot of big goofy leaves now but I still enjoy to look at it.
Most bonsai artists I know all have different interpretations of what a good tree should be / criteria should follow. Bonsai is an art, whatever instills a sense of satisfaction to the particular artist or viewer is the guideline that should be followed.
Great Blog!
G