![Nagoya Castle Chrysanthemum Competition 2017 11](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Nagoya_Castle_Chrysanthemum_Competition_2017_11.jpg)
Chrysanthemum ''bonsai'' ( ja, 菊の盆栽, Kiku no bonsai, Chrysanthemum tray planting, ) is a Japanese art form using cultivation techniques to produce, in containers,
chrysanthemum flowers that mimic the shape and scale of full size trees, called ''
bonsai''.
Cultivation and care
Bonsai cultivation and care
Bonsai cultivation and care involves the long-term cultivation of small trees in containers, called '' bonsai'' in the Japanese tradition of this art form. Similar practices exist in other Japanese art forms and in other cultures, including ''saik ...
requires techniques and tools that are specialized to support the growth and maintenance of the flowers in small containers. There are several cultivated varieties of chrysanthemum that possess the ability to be trained into many of the traditional ''bonsai'' styles associated with woody trunked trees and shrubs. But since chrysanthemum rarely grow to be old enough to have wood,
deadwood bonsai techniques
Deadwood bonsai techniques are methods in the Japanese art of bonsai (cultivation of miniature trees in containers) that create, shape, and preserve dead wood on a living bonsai tree. They enhance the illusion of age and the portrayal of austerit ...
may also be used.
Chrysanthemums are
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
s, and while it is possible to keep a chrysanthemum ''bonsai'' alive for a number of years (old wood), it is more likely that the ''bonsai'' will be 'finished' after all the blooms have faded.
The chrysanthemum ''bonsai'' artist must complete all design work in fewer than ten months. Most chrysanthemum ''bonsai'' artists in the northern latitudes of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
start the training of their ''bonsai'' in April, and are finished by the middle of September.
Traditionally in Japan the
Chrysanthemum exhibitions showcase the different ''bonsai'' forms. This takes place in autumn around the months of October and November.
Styles
Various
bonsai styles
Bonsai is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of ''penjing'' from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese ' ...
exist, such as the cascade style, the clinging to a rock style, and the forest style.
File:Nagoya Castle Chrysanthemum Competition 2017 14.jpg, Cascade style
File:Nagoya Castle Chrysanthemum Competition 2017 17.jpg, Clinging to a rock style
File:71st Nagoya Castle Chrysanthemum Exhibition 2018 05.jpg, Forest style
File:71st Nagoya Castle Chrysanthemum Exhibition 2018 03.jpg, Various other smaller pieces
See also
*
List of species used in bonsai
List of species commonly used in bonsai
Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of '' penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which ...
References
Bibliography
* Tameji Nakajima, H. Carl Young. ''The art of the chrysanthemum: Japanese techniques for creating bonsai, cascades, giants and other potted styles.'' Harper & Row (1965)
External links
日本の伝統文化・菊の盆栽Traditional culture of Japan "bonsai of chrysanthemum"Tiny Flowers, Big Hit: Chrysanthemum Bonsai , Longwood Gardens
Bonsai
Chrysanthemum
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