Bonsai
About Bonsai
Bonsai are plants grown in pots or trays and trimmed using a special method full of aesthetic elements.
While a Bonsai just looks like a small tree, it is really a type of art, and the Bonsai masters who care for these trees are no different from a painter or a sculptor. The beautiful trees they have created are the pinnacle of extensive time and effort.
Types of Bonsai Trees
As you’ll see in our photo gallery of bonsai trees below, there are many types of bonsai trees.
The types are generally classified by the growth shape of the bonsai. 
Formal Upright
A formal upright bonsai tree is one that is ramrod straight and becomes thinner toward the top.
Informal Upright
An informal upright bonsai tree is one that grows upright but the trunk may zig zag a little on its way up.
Slanting
A slanting bonsai tree is one that grows in a leaning direction.
Cascading
A cascading bonsai tree is one that bends part way up and then grows downward extending below the pot
Semi-Cascading
This type of bonsai bends partway up and then grows sideways at pot level.
Literati
This style is one where leaves only grow at the top.
Windswept
The windswept bonsai appears like a leaning bonsai except the branches all grow on one side giving an appearance of a sail.
Double-Trunk
A double-trunk bonsai is one where 2 trunks grow from the main trunk.
Growing on a rock
A bonsai growing on a rock is the bonsai’s roots growing around the rock to reach the soil. Very cool.
Culture of Japanese Bonsai
The Beauty and Mystique
The art of Japanese bonsai embodies the Japanese spirit with philosophy, religion, and aesthetics harmonizing and complimenting each other. Bonsai is more than just an art form – it is a way of life and thinking; a way of cultivating patience, nobility, and sympathy – and this is the reason why bonsai is important for Japanese culture. Therefore, to understand bonsai art, you must learn and understand each of its core values in order to experience it with a calm and open mind.
Our bonsai in Gresham Japanese Garden
If you are interested and want to learn more about bonsai, we would like to invite all visitors to the Gresham Japanese Garden located in the middle of Main City Park in Gresham, Oregon. Main City Park and Tsuru Island are open daily from sunrise to sunset. This is a public garden created and maintained by dedicated volunteers. We ask that all visitors follow our rules so everyone can continue to enjoy our treasure.
We are pleased to invite you to visit 2 organizations in Oregon are Gresham Japanese Garden and Bonsai Society of Portland.
Tsuru Island
Gresham Japanese Garden
