Bonsai

 LadyD Books is participating in the following memes today:  

Outdoor Wednesday

Wordful Wednesday  

Wordless Wednesday 

Bonsai...

is an artistic medium originating in Japan. Broadly speaking it consists of growing a tree or shrub in a container - and shaping it in an aesthetic fashion.

The purposes of bonsai are primarily contemplation (for the viewer) and the pleasant exercise of effort and ingenuity (for the grower).

The practice of bonsai is sometimes confused with dwarfing, however dwarfing refers to research and creation of plant cultivars that are permanent, genetic miniatures of existing species. Bonsai does not require genetically dwarfed trees, but rather depends on growing small trees from regular stock and seeds. Bonsai uses cultivation techniques like pruning, root reduction, potting, defoliation, and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and style of mature, full-size trees.

I discovered these outdoor containers of miniature trees in the Bonsai Garden at the Wild Animal Park.

A beautiful bonsai day in the middle of the week to enjoy.

-- LadyD