Limited Edition Metal Bonsai Tree Sculpture. Signed "P. Marshall" and numbered 5/250 on the side of the bowl. Ever wanted a bonsai tree but your ADHD won't allow you to remember to prune it? Well, want no more! 

Size: 12 x 14 1/2 in. 

#4414 . 

Bonsai (translated as “tray planting”) is the Japanese art of growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural history, and terminology derived from its evolution in Japan. Similar arts exist in other cultures, including Korea’s bunjae, the Chinese art of penjing, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese Hòn non bộ. The loanword bonsai has become an umbrella term in English, attached to many forms of diminutive potted plants, and also on occasion to other living and non-living things to describe virtually all miniature container trees, whether they are authentically trained bonsai or just small rooted cuttings. Technically, though, the term should be reserved for plants that are grown in shallow containers following the precise tenets of bonsai pruning and training, resulting in an artful miniature replica of a full-grown tree in nature. Purposes of bonsai are primarily contemplation for the viewer, and the pleasant exercise of effort and ingenuity for the grower. In contrast to most other plant cultivation practices, bonsai are not grown for the production of food or for medicine. Bonsai can be created from nearly any perennial woody-stemmed tree or shrub species that produces true branches and can be cultivated to remain small through pot confinement with crown and root pruning. Some species are particularly popular as bonsai material because they have specific characteristics such as small leaves or needles or aged-looking bark, making them appropriate for the compact visual scope of bonsai. When the candidate bonsai nears its planned final size, it is planted in a display pot, usually one designed for bonsai display in one of a few accepted shapes and proportions. From that point forward, its growth is restricted by the pot environment. Throughout the year, the bonsai is shaped to limit growth, redistribute foliar vigor to areas requiring further development, and meet the artist’s detailed design. The practice of bonsai is sometimes confused with dwarfing, but dwarfing generally refers to research, discovery, or creation of plants that are permanent, genetic miniatures of existing species. Plant dwarfing often uses selective breeding or genetic engineering to create dwarf cultivars. Bonsai does not require genetically-dwarfed trees but rather depends on growing small trees from regular stock and seeds. Since World War II the art of bonsai has become increasingly more accessible outside of Japan, appreciated for its aesthetics and connection to meditation and self-discipline.