Costa visits the National Arboretum in Canberra to find out how to create and care for beautiful bonsais. Subscribe 🔔 ab.co/GA-subscribe
The ACT is home to the National Arboretum, created in the aftermath of the 2003 bushfires and officially opened in 2013. It’s an undeniably beautiful site with 44,000 trees from around the world including many rare and endangered species. The site includes a collection of trees on a small scale too - the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection of Australia.
Curator of the collection Leigh Taafe says, “Bonsai literally translated means ‘tree in a pot’. It’s the Japanese form of the art. What a lot of people don’t know is that bonsai actually began in China and predates bonsai in Japan by about 700 years.” The term used in China is penjing, which translates to ‘tray scenery’. Whilst bonsai is focused on single trees grown as miniatures, penjing can incorporate many elements of a landscape, including rocks to depict mountains, figurines, and several plants. Each one tells a different story.
Growing Media:
The bonsai and penjing are grown in an inorganic mix which “allow us to have a little bit more control over the growth of the trees.” Assistant Curator Sam Thompson explains the carefully assembled mix includes “New Zealand pumice which has an amazing capacity to hold water but also provide aeration, Japanese fired clay called ‘akadama’ and akadama holds water, but it also splits in half and breaks down. As the akadama breaks down those roots begin to divide and multiply.”
There’s also zeolite for holding onto nutrients and scoria for good aeration. For the home grower, starting with a sandy commercial bonsai mix that has some composted material is a good way to go.
Pruning:
Structural pruning helps to define the overall shape and form of the plant and winter is a good time for most plants as they are dormant. Maintenance pruning is done throughout the growing season to keep the new growth in the shape you’ve developed. Roots are also pruned every few years.
Seasonal Displays:
Bonsai and penjing provide interest all year round. In spring there’s often flowers followed by berries and evergreen foliage is at their peak in summer. Deciduous trees have their moment in autumn with the changing of leaf colours and in winter, you can appreciate the structure and “fine, intricate branching” of deciduous trees.
Australian native species are becoming more popular as bonsai, and offer lots of unique structures, foliage forms and flowers. Banksias, tea trees, melaleucas and ficus are all on display here.
Leigh says, “it’s a real pleasure to share what we have in the collection here. Hopefully, we’ll inspire some new bonsai artists into the future. It’s like having a whole garden in one pot.”
Featured Plants:
SAWARA CYPRESS - Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Squarrosa’
OLD MAN BANKSIA - Banksia serrata
COASTAL TEA TREE - Leptospermum laevigatum *
PORT JACKSON FIG - Ficus rubiginosa
* Check before planting: this may be an environmental weed in your area
Filmed on Ngunnawal Country | Canberra, ACT
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