The art of bonsai

Bruce Lee movies inspired Terrance Adkins to take up the martial arts in the early 1970s. The iconic films also persuaded Mr. Adkins to consider Asian culture in general, and bonsai trees in particular. Mr. Adkins, 52, quickly discovered what others have known for centuries: Delicate but beautiful bonsai trees are worth all the hard work and dedication they demand.

Bonsai, which means “potted tree” in Japanese, is the ancient art of growing miniature trees. The creations date back to about 200 A.D. in China, but the practice later spread to Japan.

They can be as diminutive as 2 inches tall or grow up to 3 feet, depending on the size of the shallow pot used and how vigorously its growth is stunted by the gardener. The trees’ limbs are pruned periodically during their growing seasons to help limit their size, while the pot’s restrictive dimensions keep the roots thin and short.

The branches can be trimmed to form a variety of shapes, or they can be wrapped in aluminum or copper wire to help create specific looks.

The illusion of an enormous tree reduced to the size of a common houseplant proves irresistible to many.

For Mr. Adkins, the trees set up around his Northeast home can be humbling.

“I think it’s a creator syndrome. You’re controlling another life form. You structure it. … They die so easily and need so much care,” says Mr. Adkins, who won best of show for his bonsai work in a Chicago competition two years ago.

His home features Japanese maples, white pines, black pines and azaleas, all transformed by the bonsai art form.

“People think they can keep them indoors year-round. I don’t bring them in for any more than three or four days at a time,” he says.

Jim Hughes, assistant curator of the National Arboretum’s National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, suggests that beginners try Chinese elms, junipers or trident maples for their first bonsai experience. These trees are a bit more forgiving should mistakes in watering or other treatments be made.

Some bonsai trees require daily watering and plenty of sunshine. The soil bonsai trees sit in is hardly the same the average rose calls its home. The bonsai soil is made up of a mixture of elements that drain quickly, such as crushed granite.

Mr. Hughes, who says the World Bonsai Federation is slated to meet in the District next spring, explains that bonsai trees are meant to be seen from a specific direction, much as a painting needs to be viewed from a certain perspective.

“Bonsai have fronts, backs and sides when they’re designed,” he says. “It’s a three-dimensional art form. It looks like a living sculpture.”

Silver Spring resident Ross Campbell, a member of the Washington Bonsai Club, caught the bonsai bug 15 years ago while browsing at Eastern Market.

“I’m intrigued by the idea of the illusion of them — make something relatively small and young look old and big,” says Mr. Campbell, 42.

He may know his way around a bonsai tree, but that doesn’t make caring for them any less complex.

“I still lose trees every year,” Mr. Campbell says. “Growing them isn’t the hard thing. It’s figuring out how to style them, making decisions about pruning and shaping them.”

A little snip here or there can harm the trees.

“You can overprune,” says Mr. Campbell, who has about 20 trees at the moment, including juniper and beech trees. “You don’t want to shock the plant.”

Many of the pruning choices boil down to aesthetics. That doesn’t make it any easier, he says.

“The biggest debate in my mind is knowing I can’t put it back,” says Mr. Campbell, who describes the routine maintenance part of growing the trees as “calming.”

“I often think about it for quite a while.”

Some tree species might survive the bonsai process, but the overall look might still be all wrong.

“If the leaf is too big, you don’t get that illusion of a large tree,” he says.

Mr. Campbell suggests that those interested in bonsai trees read as much as they can on the subject, but then dig in.

“You really have to do it hands-on,” he says.

Those who stick with it might want to join a local bonsai club. Group members swap tips and often help watch one another’s trees when a member is out of town.

“Going on vacation is always a big dilemma,” Mr. Campbell says. “Getting the neighbor kid to water your tree is a little risky at times.”

Bonsai trees can be an intimidating part of horticulture, says Randall Burney, bonsai specialist with the Wolf Trap Nursery in Vienna.

“People are so tentative when it comes to staring bonsai as a hobby,” Mr. Burney says. “Invariably, they kill their first tree, and it makes them gun-shy. Even people with a so-called green thumb will stay away.”

Part of the blame can be cast on quickie stands that peddle juniper bonsai trees, the kind popularized by the “Karate Kid” film series.

“When they buy these trees, they’re not told to keep them outside,” he says. “A week later, they’re dead. There are many bonsai that will only thrive outdoors.”

It isn’t impossible to grow a bonsai tree successfully, but the homeowner must carefully monitor the amount of light, humidity levels and soil content to keep the trees alive and well.

“It isn’t some great mystery. You just have to have the right information and apply it,” Mr. Burney says. “Anyone who can grow tomatoes can keep bonsai.”

The results speak for themselves.

“To me, it’s a living work of art that encompasses horticulture, science and … the subjective sense of beauty,” Mr. Burney says.

In Japan, the trees — some hundreds of years old — are passed from one generation to the next.

“You feel like you’re in the presence of something holy,” he says. “Another element of what’s beautiful about them is a little bit of immortality.”