GARDENS OF THE COAST A Lilliputian forest garden

A Lilliputian forest

OUR REGION HOSTS A NUMBER OF PLANT CLUBS DEDICATED TO VARIOUS SPECIALITIES AND NONE IS MORE MAGICAL THAN BONSAI, THE JAPANESE ART OF GROWING TREES IN POTS.

Duranta ‘Sheena’s Gold’, an easy to grow shrub, develops black and gold leaves in cooler weather.

Bonsai is a true artform. The aim is to observe nature, the patterns of branches and the dimensions of real, fully grown trees — and to replicate that through pruning, shaping and containing the roots using small pots. Sometimes the tree doesn’t even have a pot but is grown on a slab of stone or with its roots over a rock, just as you would see on a cliff or over a rock shelf.

A well-grown bonsai is a perfect evocation of a wild tree: lovingly cultivated, fed and watered so that it grows healthily and happily.

A central focus of bonsai culture is perfecting the technique of growing but also refining their display. Bonsai are meant to be shown off and this is also essential for good growth. They need light, sun, air and space. They should not be crowded or shaded because that affects the health of the plant, its foliage and its potential for flowering or, if deciduous, its colourful autumn display.

The Central Coast Bonsai Club is an active group of around 100 members who meet once a month at Mingara. We visited the garden of one member to see how to grow and display these artful miniatures.

BONSAI IN THE GARDEN

This garden has been created over 20 years and displays bonsai on group benches or individually on plinths.

The benches themselves are quite simple — treated pine sleepers with decking boards on top or pine posts. To ensure uniformity and protect the timber, they are painted a neutral grey so as not »

Acacia howittii sticky wattle is a native substitute for exotic willows.

With our climate, most of these species are within our grasp, but increasingly popular are native species such as banksia, acacia, tea tree and even eucalypts. All of these are well represented in this garden. The banksias are a real triumph, both old man banksia and coastal banksia. Their gnarled trunks and small leaves lend themselves to this culture and the owner has grown many from seed.

THE BASICS OF GROWING BONSAI

Don’t judge the beauty of bonsai by the ‘sticks in pots’ at the hardware store. True bonsai really look like mature trees; the trunk tapers from a thick bole at the base to a finer tapered top with branches increasing in thickness as you view them up the trunk.

To get this effect, plants are grown in larger containers and when the right bole width is achieved, the height is drastically reduced and from here new shoots grow. These become the new branches. Left alone they will want to grow straight up, so they are wired to make them grow horizontally.

Once the overall shape is achieved, plants can go into ornamental shallow pots and training continues.

Because the roots are constrained, they grow densely in the pot and need regular repotting and root pruning. Feeding continues through the growing season. The owner of this bonsai garden uses liquid feed such as Charlie Carp or Powerfeed, with some Seasol at repotting time.

Deciduous trees are pruned and repotted in winter while subtropical trees and natives like figs and umbrella trees are pruned when growth starts in late spring. Tip pruning continues through the growing season. The top shoots are pinched out to encourage branching and smaller leaves. Figs and some deciduous trees are also leaf pruned in summer to reduce leaf size more in keeping with a miniature tree.

TOP A collection of figs, banksia and schefflera blending with the garden plants. BOTTOM Taxodium distichum, the bald cypress, comes from swamps in southeastern United States and is as popular as a deciduous conifer.

to compete with the trees themselves. Some benches are even twotiered, allowing space for smaller bonsai. The benches themselves are arranged in rows with a central access path.

The bonsai garden is integrated into the whole garden but because it’s located at the rear of the property, is also separated. The outdoor living areas face a neat square of lawn where the trees feature as if on a stage.

The range of plants suitable for bonsai varies. Plants commonly grown in Japan and the northern hemisphere include the various forms of conifer from pines, cypress and spruce, as well as deciduous forms like taxodium or swamp cypress and larch. In tropical countries, figs are popular, as are tropical trees such as schefflera (the common umbrella tree), tea or camellia species, raintrees from Brazil and bougainvillea.

5 TREES FOR BEGINNERS

Port Jackson fig – Ficus rubiginosa Jade plant – Portulacaria afra Trident maple – Acer buergerianum Umbrella tree – Schefflera arboricola Coast banksia – Banksia integrifolia

MORE INFORMATION

The best way to learn about bonsai is to join a club and attend workshops. Members are highly knowledgeable and keen to offer advice. Clubs also have potting mixes and tools for sale. Contact Central Coast Bonsai Club centralcoastbonsai.com.au

Meetings are held on every second Tuesday of the month (except January). Their annual show is held in March at the Mingara Club.