Find the right pottery for your bonsai

Many people are unaware of the importance of the pot for their bonsai.
Very often, they choose a pot that they find beautiful, but without necessarily asking the main question…

Will this pot enhance my bonsai?

This question should not be neglected, because it is of paramount importance for the visual balance of the bonsai.

Very often, the trees are photographed without the pot or with the first few centimeters of the top of the pot.

Let’s take this painting as an example, would you be willing to see only part of a painting you bought? No, surely not! So, pay very special attention to the pots of your bonsai.

The pot must be part of the bonsai, it is just like the frame which is part of a canvas. It is not only intended for a technical side, that is to say, to receive the root system, but it also serves to enhance the criteria of the tree.

Bonsai is a whole. The Japanese have truly perfected this art. All elements of a display are for the sole purpose of showcasing the tree on display.

Remember, a bonsai should give the image of a mature tree and the pot should serve to convey that image.

Here the image represents the tree only. We cannot judge the criterion that the bonsai artist wanted to highlight and the proportions of the composition.

In this photo, we can see that the colors of the pot will look the same colors as the trunks of the trees.

It also has the dimensions of the pot, the color, the shape, all these criteria are directly associated with bonsai.

Take for example the size of the pot versus the tree. This concept will be explained in a future article.

In this photo, we notice that the pot is too small, it gives the image of a tree that is suffering, it is as if it were wearing clothes that were too tight.

On the other hand in the following image it is quite the opposite, the pot is too big, the tree is lost and the whole is disproportionate.

By these examples, you see the importance of the pot and it should not be ignored.

Here are some basic criteria that you can take into consideration on your tree in order to find the right pottery.

• Is my tree a conifer or a deciduous tree?
• Is my tree feminine or masculine ?

What am I going to highlight?

• The color or texture of the trunk.
• Summer or fall foliage.
• The flowers, the fruit.
• The « jins » or dead wood.
• Etc.

These are some criteria that you must observe in order to find the right pot for your bonsai

You have to look at the general appearance of the tree and find the image you want to project by reinforcing it with the pot.

It is to be continued…