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When fully refined and preened, ready for display, bonsai image should; appear almost as if it is frozen in tints.. Each branch should be perfectly positioned and clearly defined, with each neatly trimmed foliage pad floating in its own space.

As with all artistic disciplines, much depends on the aesthetic taste of the individual, but it is surprising how many experienced bonsai artists always seem to return to the classic Japanese principles, which have, after all, been developed over many years.

There is a grace and poise about classic Japanese bonsai, which can literally take your breath away. The ability to create a near-perfect image by using the minimum number of elements has taken many centuries to develop and refine, and will continue to set the standard for many years to come.

No bonsai is perfect, and the fact that all bonsai are living, growing plants means that they are constantly changing, and therefore require repeated attention to maintain their image. Even so, they can only look their absolute best for a few weeks at a time, after which they will again gradually began to outgrow their ideal form.

At some point in the distant future, a new owner may decide to change the front, or the planting angle. Perhaps the whole style may even he changed by removing and reshaping branches, or lowering the apex.

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Sharis are related to fins but reflect a much more dramatic struggle with nature, causing a loss of bark from the trunk. This could be the result of lightning, disease, the battle with the elements, or it may just be the way the tree naturally ages.

Like fins, sharis are more appropriate on conifer bonsai, but for inspiration on deciduous trees take a look at our lowland pollarded willows with split trunks, or ancient hollow oaks.

The extreme use of sharis is employed in the creation of driftwood style bonsai. They are carved and refined to form wonderful shapes and textures which become more visually significant than the foliage masses. This is true living sculpture which, with the right balance of driftwood, tree and pot, represents the highest level of bonsai as an art form.

It is best to take several seasons to create an extensive shari, stripping of a little more bark each time.

Bark is part of the tree’s transport system, so always leave enough to support the foliage. On no account remove bark from immediately below a branch or it will die.

Never allow a shari to encircle the trunk completely or the tree will die above that point.

Junipers will live happily with a spiral of living bark provided the shari is created gradually over several seasons.

Pines will accept a gentle curve but spruces require a more or less straight line of living tissue from root to branch.

Give the bonsai the proper aftercare by placing it in a lightly sheltered spot until all the remaining branches show new growth.

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Most bug garden centers, especially those who specialize in landscaping, will stock large container grown trees and shrubs. These can offer tremendous potential and are surprisingly, rather easier to work on than you may think at first

Scots pine has a compact growth pattern, readily throws out buds on old wood and naturally produces very small needles. Other similar varieties are Beauvronensis and Water/i. Steer clear of varieties which have long needles and coarse growth.

Although Japanese pine bonsai are grown in many styles: literati, cascade, driftwood etc., the vast majority of commercial trees seem to he stocky, thick-trunked informal of formal uprights. These still triangular shapes are more reminiscent of young pine trees. In the west. If you look at the pines in your neighborhood you will discover they have a style all of their own, approaching literati sometimes, but relatively straight-trunked with cascading branches.

This sort of operation can be carried out any time between early summer, when new needles are hardening off, and early autumn. If you try this too late in the year the tiny wounds caused by severe bending of the branches will not have time to seal themselves against winter frosts and die-back may result.

You don’t have to complete a task like this in one sitting, take several weeks over it if you like. In fact the trees will thank you if you do since a staged operation is less traumatic. Having completed the styling exercise wait until the following year before you repot. If by then the tree still seems weak wait another year. Check the wire regularly and replace it when it becomes too tight, coiling it in the opposite direction.

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It is a Siberian elm grown from seed, and had been growing in open ground for six years before being potted up in early spring a year ago. These are vigorous trees and are ideal for this method of styling.

You can start by developing a good trunk with an interesting line and pronounced taper. The next step is to add the branches. As you can see you have plenty of choice. Many of the older branches are too thick to bend next to the trunk so you will concentrate on the young, thinner ones.

The best time to tackle a project like this is in mid-summer, while the tree still has plenty of time to put on a lot more growth before autumn. If you do it too late in the year the new growth will not be fully hardened before the frosts begin and it will wither. If you try this while the tree is dormant frost may enter the hairline cracks caused when the branches are bent and this may result in die-back of entire branches, which means back to square one!

When positioning the basic branch structure you should avoid straight lines (unless you are producing a formal upright style) and try to bend the branch at each point where a side shoot emerges.

Remember to introduce vertical curves as horizontal ones.

Feed the tree well to encourage new growth but reduce the nitrogen content towards late summer in order to harden off any tender young shoots.

Allow all the new shoots which emerge from the branches to grow unchecked in order to thicket’ the host branches.

Apply the wire fairly loosely because the branches will thicken and set rapidly.

Check the wiring after three weeks and then every few days after that. As soon as it appears too tight renew it immediately.

Next spring the long shoots can be pruned back and selected ones wired into position to form the secondary branches. New growth from these should be allowed to esteemed to six or seven leaf nodes, and then trimmed back to two or three. These too can be loosely wired into position. Feeding heavily will mean that you will need to repeat this ‘grow and clip’ cycle several times throughout the season. In a year or two this tree can be planted in a display pot and the refinement stage can begin.

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As the name implies, this style is inspired by trees found growing on cliff tops, where they are shaped by constant exposure to prevailing winds. Although the principles behind the design are simple it can be difficult to arrive at a totally convincing result and much depends on the potential of the raw material.

The most suitable species for this style are conifers, since the foliage pads have cleaner outlines and the growth can be precisely controlled. With deciduous trees the larger leaves face all directions, ruining the effect, particularly on smaller bonsai.

Choose a plant which already has a tendency to grow towards one side, or has one side branch showing potential, which can become the main trunk.

Keep the trunk and the first half to two-thirds of the branch line clear of foliage. In nature winds not only shape the branches, they also strip young shoots and only allow new growth at the tips, where the force of the wind is broken by the rest of the tree.

This process must be imitated by the bonsai artist in the years that follow the initial styling. This will inevitably lead to over-extended growth, so every few years it will be necessary to cut the foliage pads back as far as possible and re-grow them. As a result you will create an ever more angular and battered looking branch structure which will add to the beauty of your bonsai.

Never be afraid to adjust the design as time passes by removing or jinning branches, or creating shads on the trunk. The more ‘damage’ you can create on this style of bonsai, the more convincing it will eventually become.

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The Literati style, although found frequently in nature, gets its name from the fact that the trunk shapes were originally inspired by the brush strokes of ancient Japanese scribes. This is the oldest style of bonsai and was established long before it became popular in Japan. It is the original link between horticulture and art.

In nature this style is invariably limited to exposed, mountain conifers such as Scots pine, larch or spruce, which naturally shed lower branches as they mature. Very rarely does one find a literati deciduous tree of any beauty.

The essence of the design is the trunk line, which should have taper and should present many changes of direction. The branches are limited to the uppermost portion of the trunk and foliage is kept to a minimum - just sufficient to maintain the tree’s health.

In this case use a garden centre cedar whose initial attraction was the long lower branch, which eventually becomes the leader It is amazing how often the removal of most of the trunk, and the selection of a lower branch to take its place, can create ancient-looking and dramatic effects.

Only repot at the same sitting if you’re working in spring, otherwise wait until next year.

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One of my favorite species for bonsai is Cotoneaster. The tiny leaves are dark, glossy green, they bear minute pink-white flowers in spring and the bright red berries stay on the plant from late summer right through the winter. Some varieties, like horizontaiis, which are deciduous, giving the added bonus of autumn golds and reds. The growth is symmetrical and entirely predictable, producing a herring-bone pattern of branches and twigs - ideal for bonsai training into almost any style.

Garden centre plants tend to be well fed and watered but they live fairly close together. This encourages long, vigorous shoots which to use to create a cascade style.

Because it is against the tree’s nature to grow downwards it will channel more energy to the crown at the expense of the tip of the cascade. To compensate for this you should select a vigorous branch for the cascade and keep the top well thinned out. Spray foliar feed on the lower parts regularly and only use a soil fertilizer sparingly.

It is quite common for extreme cascades to be laid on their backs for much of the time and only to be stood upright for watering. This can also help counter the tree’s compulsion to grow upwards, but it does have disadvantages. The pot may not drain too well in this position and the leaves will turn to face the light, so they look odd when the bonsai is the right way up. It takes a day or two for the leaves to re-adjust to their normal position.

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Nowadays most bonsai are created by reducing larger plants or by growing branches onto pre-formed trunks. However, there is still a very important place tor growing bonsai straight from seed. It helps you to learn about the growth patterns of each species and makes you more aware of the structure of trees. But most importantly, by growing bonsai from seed you can create an almost perfect little tree on a very small scale, without the need for heavy pruning scars, fins, and so on. Being able to display a tiny, unblemished and well-formed bonsai that you grew from seed is a most satisfying and rewarding achievement.

Having pricked out your seedling, let it grow on unchecked for the rest of the season, and since it is important to have an. established root system before you begin training. The following year, during late spring/early summer, or as soon as the new growth has hardened off, you can make the first pruning cut. The purpose of this cut is to force the seedling to produce side branches, and it is the most drastic pruning you will ever need to do. Once the new branches have grown a little you can carry out the initial wiring.

You can plant your fledgling bonsai in a shallow but oversized container at the beginning of its third growing season. From now on, year after year, the continuing process of painstakingly wiring new shoots into position and regularly pinching out growing, tips will gradually produce an incredibly realistic branch structure bearing a crop of tiny leaves.

It is essential not to hurry the process. Remember that you are ‘building’ the final shape of the tree in much the same way as nature does. The longer you take to achieve the final shape the better the result will be.

Try to plan the final size and shape of the bonsai in advance and pinch back to buds which will send the new growth in the desired direction.

Never let run away shoots grow out of control. They will thicken the parent branch out of proportion with the others and ruin the design. They will then have to be pruned and regrown.

Let new shoots put on three or four leaf nodes and then pinch back hand. If you try to grow each branch to its final intended length too soon it will not produce any forks.

Seedlings and cuttings are free and easy to come by, so they are ideal material for avoid your first attempts at creating bonsai. If the result is not too good it doesn’t really opposite matter, you will probably have other plants ready to replace the initial failure.

On the other hand, the result is satisfactory you will have a bonsai that will improve as time goes by with the right-care and attention.

You should ideally wait until the following spring, to allow the plant time to regain strength. Whatever species you choose, seedling or cutting, the plant should be growing vigorously before you attempt any pruning or wiring.

With deciduous species you will have to build up the shape over two or three years.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Don’t let the plant dictate the eventual size of the bonsai. Lok for the ‘tree within’.

• Where a trunk forks use the thinnest one as the leader to enhance trunk taper.

• leave as many branches as possible to keep the tree vigorous, you can always prune them again in years to come.

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Wiring is the most fundamental process in bonsai training, allowing the accurate positioning of branches and shoots. The principle is simple but the skill does take a little time to acquire.

Wire of a suitable gauge is coiled around a branch or shoots. The two can then he bent and maneuvered into the desired position, and the wire will hold the branch in place. After a period of growth has taken place, the branch will set in that position and the wire can be removed.

The time taken for this to happen varies from one species to another. Conifers, especially junipers, may take several years to set, during which time the wire may need to be removed and reapplied several times to avoid damaging the bark. Some deciduous species may set in a matter of a few weeks.

Older, stiffer branches will also take longer, and you may have to bend them little by little every few weeks until the desired position is achieved. Every plant is an individual, and it is only with experience that you will learn just how far you can go before snapping the branch, so take it easy at first.

Before you embark on your first wiring exercise you should practise the technique on a twig or branch from a garden shrub, preferably a species similar to the one you have chosen for your bonsai. See how thick the wire needs to be, and how far the branch will bend without breaking.

Custom made aluminum wire is readily available from all bonsai outlets and by mail order. This is anodized to give it an unobtrusive brown finish, and although it is suitable for most purposes it can be expensive.