When Is Three Not a Crowd? In Bonsai Group Plantings.

BSSF kicked off the New Year with a tag team panel of club artists composed of John Edwards, Tim Kong, and John Boyce demonstrating group plantings for bonsai. Our two Johns and one Tim displayed their skills by working with two plantings of trident maples and a group of cypress saplings. Throughout the program, the guys used their plantings to explain the basics and guidelines of bonsai group plantings.

First, a group planting in bonsai is a composition where three or more trees are planted in a single pot or on a slab to emulate a forest or grove of trees. Groups of less than twenty trees are planted in odd numbers. An odd number of trees prevents the eye from identifying pairs of trunks and creates a more interesting arrangement. Next, the overall silhouette of canopies should form an isosceles triangle. In fact, multiple triangles throughout the composition create even more interest in the planting.

When planting individual trees, attention must be given to the arrangement of trees in the pot or slab. In most plantings, a single tree serves as the “anchor” for the planting. This tree is usually the tallest and has the thickest trunk. However, as John Boyce demonstrated, sometimes a group of smaller trees may serve as the “anchor” point for the planting. Once the anchor is placed, the remaining trees are arranged so that the largest trees are forward and the smallest to the rear of the planting. This arrangement provides perspective and depth for the planting. When planting more than twenty trees the planting may contain satellite groups of trees around the anchor. Care is taken to prevent any three trees from forming a line. When studying forests of trees, one may notice that trees are not evenly spaced (except for replacement plantings in the American south and some other places) but sprinkled about an area in small groups where they seeded from the parents. In bonsai group plantings, we try to emulate or exaggerate this pattern.

Overall, the guidelines we follow for single bonsai plantings are also used for group plantings. For example, the apex of the planting should engage the viewer, and attention must be given to empty spaces within the canopies. In general, bonsai plantings are excellent for novice bonsai artists. With very young trees, an attractive looking forest can be created in a matter of hours, and within a few years the group will mature into an impressive planting.

During the meeting, John E., John B., and Tim K. worked steadily with these guidelines in mind. Tim Kong and John Boyce both began from scratch with handfuls of five-year-old trident maple saplings. John brought along a striking shallow, unglazed container for his group planting while Tim chose a flat slab of light brown stone. Both planting surfaces make excellent platforms for forest compositions, but preparing a pot versus a slab is quite different. Tim used a ceramic drill bit to make multiple holes in the slab for wires to anchor each tree, with pieces of plastic tubing around some wires on the bottom to prevent scratching and facilitate lifting. John Boyce used moist ceramic clay to “stick” each tree in position. Once Tim and John placed their trees, bonsai soil was added to cover the roots. Because Tim was planting on a slab, the trees were held in place with a special mix of “muck”. Muck is a mix of clay, sphagnum moss and water that can be molded into forms around the edge of the slab.

John Edwards approached the demonstration differently, using a planting of cypress saplings donated to the club by Paul Hrisko. John spent the evening wiring the branches of the planting to demonstrate the use of space within the planting. This planting of cypress was more in the classical style of group plantings with a single anchor tree and several smaller trees arranged around the pot. John brought along several large pieces of red lava rock to place among the trees after eventual replanting. The rock will enhance the planting by adding color and shape.

By the end of the evening, John Edwards had revitalized the cypress planting, Tim Kong had created a planting with more than twenty trident maples on a stone slab, and John Boyce had composed an elegant arrangement of young trident maples in a tray. The climax of the evening was an auction of the three plantings. Rinda, Minh, and Dan held the winning tickets for the demonstration material. Congratulations to them and good luck with their new plantings.

Tags: Beginner, John Boyce, John Edwards, muck, Tim Kong