Bonsai is an ancient oriental horticultural art form. The term bonsai means, in both Chinese and in the Japanese language, tree in a pot or tray. A tree planted in a small pot or tray is not a bonsai until it has been pruned, shaped and trained into a desired shape. I have some species I'm working on that are the same kind of tree that grows 50 to 60 feet tall in the forest in New England. You keep them small by pruning away any growth that doesn't fit with the overall design you're trying to achieve.
Orchids are equally as intriguing as bonsai.
The fact that the delicate flowers don't grow in soil but attached to a piece of bark or a tree limb is what usually catches the eye of a novice gardener. But there are several different genuses you can grow in a spare bedroom under artificial light or in a windowsill. Orchids are frequently sold at garden centers and home improvement stores. Some varieties are as easy to grow as your average African violet, Brooks said. Members of both groups bring their trees and flowers to monthly meetings and seek advice about how to achieve better results.