Herbal Bonsai
Bonsai, the art of training a tree to grow on a small scale in a container (yet to resemble a full-size tree), has a tradition thousands of years old, first in China and then in Japan. Traditional bonsai uses such trees as pine, juniper, maple, elm, and holly, which can survive for hundreds of years and take generations to develop. Bender's method is to use relatively fast-growing woody herbs such as rosemary, scented geraniums, and sweet bay laurel to grow mature specimens in only a year. He describes about 30 herbs that he recommends, dividing them into seven groups based on their growth characteristics and environmental needs. There are chapters on training an herbal bonsai, developing it in one growing season, potting and shaping a field-grown bonsai, training a container-grown bonsai, and caring for and displaying them. Bender also suggests ways to enhance the appearance of a bonsai using rocks, sand, gravel, ground cover, figurines, and the right kind of pot.George Cohen