Bonsai Book Review #4

This week I will be looking at:

Bonsai Basics – by, Colin Lewis

This is a really great little book, it is quite a small format, yet it is absolutely packed with useful information. It is billed as a “comprehensive guide to care and cultivation” and it is exactly that. The majority of the book is spent looking at almost every aspect you can think of for the care and maintenance of bonsai trees. With each subject, been given ample room, to fully explain all the necessary components. It is written in a very clear and easy to read way, and the bright pictures found throughout the book provide added interest and inspiration for your own work. A useful section is the “buying a bonsai” section, this section looks at what to look for in potential material, but possibly more important, what not to look for. This allows beginner and less experience enthusiasts to begin to understand “undesirable” traits which potential stock may possess, which may in turn mean the tree will never be a good bonsai. It talks through, in detail, the fertilisation of bonsai, and the necessary nutrients that trees need in general. This is also a good explanation of the NPK values of fertilisers and exactly how each of these elements relates to the tree and what effects they produce. To accompany this section there are some useful diagrams that show the annual feeding schedule for different types of fertiliser. These diagrams could be easily re-produced to provide the enthusiast with their own chart to follow for their trees in the early years of the hobby.
Also included in the book, is a very good “tree directory”, this is basically a species guide. Similar to many other bonsai books, the species guide section can be a very useful one indeed. To be successful they must be clear and concise and easy to navigate. This is no exception in this particular book. Included with each tree species are 3 different symbols, these symbols relate to how hardy the species is, how easy it is to cultivate as bonsai, and what level of light it requires. These symbols make it very easy to access suitable species very quickly, and give the reader a quick idea of the trees general requirements. Each species has a picture of a bonsai to again give the reader an idea of what one may look like.
In summary, I really like this book. Its small format makes it an ideal pocket book for the beginner to even carry around nurseries when looking for suitable trees, and its ease of use would suite this role too.

ISBN- 978-0-600-61213-1