Bonsai is a Japanese art form consisting of developing miniature trees which are grown in containers.
Bonsai dates back a thousand years and has methods and aesthetics which are unique and which stem from the specific needs of the art form.
A mature Bonsai tree may be several hundreds years old and been passed down from gardener to gardener.
Many years ago, I was interested in the art of Bonsai. I remember diligently searching for information and discovering the small leaflets put out by the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.
While I eventually located those hard to find, but exceedingly useful leaflets, regrettably, my attempts at cultivating Bonsai were not successful, in part because I had no place to winter them in a protected environment.
At that point, I was committed to living in apartments for the next several years, while I went through grad school and started my career, so I gave up on my Bonsai dreams and focused on house plants instead.
At the time I was most interested in Bonsai, finding the books was challenging enough, but finding the proper tools was pretty much impossible!
Now, thanks to the internet, there is even a variety of choices when looking for Bonsai Gardening Tools!
Bonsai gardening is unlike any other kind of gardening and has specific tool, container, and potting soil needs.
Surprise your favorite Bonsai Enthusiast with any of these gift suggestions.
Bonsai Gardening Tool Sets
If you are shopping for someone who is just starting the Bonsai adventure, consider buying a basic tools set. When I was exploring Bonsai, I found that it was like painting in that it is important to have and to use the RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB!
In painting, whether you are doing fine art painting or house painting, you need to have the right brush for each specific application.
Substitutions are not a viable option, and, unfortunately, in the case of Bonsai, regular gardening tools just aren't the same…
Fortunately, there are a large number of quality Bonsai tool sets available for everyone from beginners to more advanced enthusiasts.
Other Bonsai Tools
Other tools that a Bonsai lover will need, and which are pretty much unique to the art of Bonsai are:
- Turntables – needed to spin the Bonsai plant while it is being worked on
- Branch Benders – Used in the development of the attractive and graceful growth patterns of a Bonsai tree's branches
- Sieve Sets and Scoops – used to prepare the special soil needed for Bonsai cultivation
Bonsai Containers
Among other much needed Bonsai supplies are Bonsai containers. Bonsai pots are dramatically different from pots used for other types of plants. The right container is almost as important an element as the tree it holds. The containers fulfill both the technical requirements needed by Bonsai growing and they also advance the aesthetic elements of the art form. I remember how difficult it was to find ANY Bonsai pots, let alone containers that I liked!
And no, you can never have too many Bonsai containers! I would rate these as a Can't Go Wrong purchase!
Bonsai Potting Soil
A final potential Bonsai gift is specialty potting soil. As you may already suspect Bonsai have different soil needs than other plants. (Are you beginning to see a pattern here? LOL)
While many enthusiasts have their own special recipes, often, this may not be practical. For the Bonsai lovers who can't mix their own potting mix, there are a number of pre-mixed Bonsai potting soil options available these days.
As you can see, Bonsai gardeners can be pretty easy to shop for… if you know where to find the supplies.
