I'm filling out my holiday wish list (a little early, perhaps) and I'm trying to heed the advice of many and spend some significant time reading and learning about bonsai. I have a couple beginner books that I've already read but they were short pocket-sized references and I'd like to go a little deeper now. I would be grateful for any recommendations you can offer.
Since I hope that other new bonsai enthusiasts will stumble upon this thread, I'll add a book I found helpful as a basic introduction/instruction booklet and that was: "Bonsai: 101 Essential Tips" http://www.amazon.com/Bonsai-Essential-Tips-Harry-Tomlinson/dp/0789496879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257788827&sr=8-1
On another thread I saw a recommendation for "Bonsai: It's Art, Science, History and Philosophy". http://www.amazon.com/Bonsai-Its-Science-History-Philosophy/dp/0881923893/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257788888&sr=1-1
Best bonsai books?
I have Robert Kempinski's _Introduction to BONSAI_. Illustrations and beautiful photos.
Since meeting Al, I've opened it up and actually started reading it. Simple and understandble. I'd recommend it and keep it as an always reference book, and Mr. Kempinski says he will be coming out with another one for more advanced. He has a website if you want to check him out.
Had you not mentioned Deb Koreshoff's book, I'd have suggested it as one of the best.
John Naka's books, Bonsai Techniques I and II are both superb, too.
I mentioned this on another thread, but the advice was taken poorly & lots of criticism resulted from it, but I'm so convinced it's the best advice that can be offered to someone just beginning their journey that I'll risk offering it again. Don't neglect learning about how to keep your trees alive. It sounds like oversimplified advice, but I've seen dozens & dozens of people leave bonsai in frustration who are enamored of the little trees, but didn't have the skill set needed to keep them viable and to keep the frustration that comes with a revolving door policy of constantly replacing trees at bay. Don't just read books on bonsai - read about what makes plants tick, their physiology and how they grow - what happens at the cellular level when they're too wet, too dry, over-fertilized - learn about their nutritional needs ....... you get the picture.
I failed at bonsai when I first started more than 20 years ago because I couldn't keep my trees alive & healthy, so I put the trees away & started studying. When I had a good working knowledge of soil science and how plants work, I started growing trees again. To my pleasant surprise, I was able to keep my trees in good vitality, which increased the fun and satisfaction tenfold.
Learning about bonsai is like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Assembling the border can be compared to the things you absolutely have to know so you can keep your trees alive and not lose interest. After that, you can fill in the rest of the puzzle at your own pace, and 'the rest' comes much quicker, just as a jigsaw puzzle is much easier to put together and goes much faster after you have the border.
I could go on, but I may have already overstayed my welcome. You might wish to consider the book Botany for Bonsai -- The Science Behind the Art by E. Castano de la Serna.
Good luck - I dearly hope you'll find many years of gratification from your pursuit of bonsai.
Al
Thanks for the book recommendations wormfood and Al.
Al, I'm a big fan of your water movement in container soils threads. Very educational. It's taught me a lot about how to keep my plants and trees alive while in pots. I suppose that most of the things you wrote about in those threads applies to bonsai as well?
Mmhmm. Almost all I know about plants and those things I share in other forums comes as a result of the studies I've undertaken in my devotion to bonsai. At least 90% of the science I've learned while studying trees applies to plants across the board. There is little difference between how a Coleus responds to the same procedures we use to bring our trees along and the trees themselves. Trees and other plants share so many similarities that if you became an true expert at growing anything other than trees, by default you would have nearly enough knowledge to be proficient at bonsai - lacking only that little extra knowledge of soil science that is so critical to success, and perhaps some of the artistic component, which even the artistically challenged (me) can acquire nicely with time. Proficient bonsai practitioners are also expert container gardeners by default - they have to be or they could not be proficient at bonsai. ;o)
Thank you very much for the kind words. I wish you well.
Al
I had a large paragraph going last nite and our hurricane blew out the electricity. So long paragraph short, I did the wick system with all my plants. I noticed a difference right away. Especially in these hanging pots. I thought they would be good for our Florida weather but they hold water in the bottom and encourage bugs and disease. So I drilling holes in the bottom chambers and changing the soil.
http://www.dallasbonsai.com/store/bonsai_books_english.html
Just thought I'd share this.
And this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_physiology
I greatly enjoyed "The Art of Natural Bonsai" by Dave Joyce. Lots of good basic information, a discussion of what he means by "natural bonsai" and then case studies of different kinds of bonsai, including some he considers failures.
At my bonsai meeting, Buttonwood Bonsai Club, they endorse
"Tropical Green Sheets" A Care Manual and Guide for Florida's Tropical Bonsai Growers. By Martha Goff
I bought one on the spot and haven't put it down. I'm sure I'll use it as a reference book for the rest of my life.
Unless I move. :)
I just finished reading Post-Dated by Michael Hagedorn. This is not about technique, it is about the why of bonsai and what it is like to study bonsai as an apprentice in Japan. I enjoyed it very much. It is a mix of entries from his journal, written during his apprenticeship, and later reflection on the experience. He writes "We carefully enhance a tree, rather than risk obliterating something special with too much technique. When only what must be done is done, we approach the highest level of art." (p188) "....a single person cannot invest a bonsai with meaning. It is a gift to the next person, and therein lies its heart." (p191).
He writes about the community of bonsai people that exists in Japan, and how much he learned just by being exposed to a huge number of bonsai in person. Where I live, there is almost no one who is interested in bonsai, and my opportunities to see trees in person are very small. The chance to get feedback from others about a tree happens only at forums, and that is through pictures and text, which cannot tell the whole story. I've read about 10 books now on how to "do" bonsai and all were interesting and informative, but I don't feel like I know any more than when I started. Reading Michael's book helped me understand why.