So, one of the common questions beginners have when they start with bonsai growing is “What is the meaning of bonsai?”. Bonsai is Japanese word that means –roughly translated- ‘a tree in a pot’. This makes perfect sense and is a straightforward description of the art of bonsai trees. Despite the Japanese bonsai tree meaning, this is an art that had its origins in ancient China, where people grew ‘pun-sai’ trees in an art that was named penjing.

The Chinese culture is permeated with different mythological figures, such as dragons, serpents, birds, and other animals that had their significance. It is believed that bonsai gardeners from that time, were interested in reproducing the shape of them through these trees.

With a change in location, art intention also changed. In Japan, rather than seeking to represent figures, bonsai growing was seen as a symbol of nature’s harmony and was practiced a lot by Buddhist monks. This was the end for bonsai trees looking like figures and were appreciatedby their true nature, leading to the development of bonsai gardening as we know it these days. Bonsai nowadays is linked to zen and meditation thanks to the monks that brought it to the ‘western civilizations’. However as it was brought to this new World, the bonsai tree meaning inevitably changed.

Yes, some people still link bonsai trees to harmony and zen meditation. But if you look at today’s bonsai interest, you’ll see that it is used as a decoration in spaces that want an Asian inspiration or as part of a growing decoration trend.

However, the meaning also changes from person to person. For some, even without knowing anything about zen meditation, bonsai is something that they can enjoy at peace free of stress and worries, and so it becomes a very important part of their lives. Some might even grow bonsais just because they look great and find a way to be creative along with nature.

As you can see there is a whole ‘liquid aspect’ to the meaning of bonsai trees, and this is something you’ll discover only when you get started with this art through beginner bonsai trees.

The banyan bonsai tree is a great looking tree to have and take care of, this is a special bonsai tree that has been for a long time linked to mysticism and spirituality. In Asia, there are some beliefs that this banyan tree possesses a link to the spiritual world and possesses what are often referred to as “supernatural powers”. Its popularity outside Asian countries, go beyond the spiritual aspect to focus on the undeniable beauty of the banyan bonsai tree. Over the last decades it has grown considerably in popularity and now it is quite easy to find outside Asia.

The physical features that characterize this tree are the wide spreading branches and the thick strong trunk that supports them all. Here is a picture that will let you look at its beauty.

One of the features of the banyan bonsai is that it can “take care of its won” when for some reason you neglect to care for it. However, this is only for a time, as any other tree, if it doesn’t receive what it needs and proper care, it won’t grow healthily. Caring for it means pruning and trimming the branches with the right tools when it is needed; wiring is also important as well as
giving it moderate light, since this is an outdoor tree.

This tree needs light, so if you put it in a dark corner of your house, it will simply die slowly, and every banyan bonsai tree must understand this. It is all about balance, because direct hot sunlight will be also detrimental to the tree’s state.

Like all bonsai trees, it is also important to learn how to water the banyan bonsai properly, this will have a direct effect on the health and looks of your bonsai tree, after some days, check out if the soil is not dried up completely, and keep watering the plant from time to time, soon you’ll know the time intervals for your specific banyan bonsai tree.

The pot with this type of tree must be taken care of, these types of trees seem to grow better on mud color pots, and preferably angled ones. From time to time, check out the drainage hole to see if there are bacteria or fungus present in the pot that could hurt the tree’s health.

Can this be considered a beginner bonsai tree? Well, caring for it can involve more work than other trees such as the dwarf bonsai tree or the ficus bonsai, however this work is rewarded by what experts consider a more beautiful bonsai tree.