Displaying Your Bonsai Outdoors
Your beautiful bonsai can greatly benefit by the right setting. Here are some examples outdoor displays.
Outdoor Display
If you grow just a few bonsai plants, you will have no problem displaying them. All you need is something that elevates the pots so that you can view them from the front rather than from the top down. A patio bench, for example, will accommodate one or several bonsai plants, and can also define the edge of a deck or serve as seating.
Benches and Shelves:
You can put together a simple bonsai bench in a matter of minutes. Select a sturdy wooden plank, such as a 2 x 12, and raise it on concrete blocks, bricks, or flat stones. If you use slats (2 x 2's, or 2 x 4's) instead of a single plank, water will drain through the bench.
If you display bonsai on shelves placed against a wall or fence, remember that the heat reflection from light-colored walls can seriously damage bonsai plants in the summer. Make sure these displays are sheltered from direct sun during the warmest part of the day, usually late morning through afternoon.
Tables
Outdoor tables will certainly hold a collection of bonsais trees, but they may not display them to their best advantage as all the pots rest on the same level. If you do keep your collection on a table, choose one just wide enough for three plants, then place the larger specimens in the center, with smaller plants on the outside rows. Stagger placement so that no plant is directly behind another one.
For better display, construct a unit along the lines of a patio table that has built-in benches. Make the center section (table) just wide enough to hold a single or double row of plants; the two lower sections (benches) can be just a bit wider to show off a number of smaller specimens on each side.
Outdoor Bonsai Maintenance Tips:
- Don't crowd bonsai plants. You should leave about 8 - 12 inches of space between the outspread branches of adjacent plants so that each plantcan develop independently.
- Make sure the plants receive at least morning sun, more if climate permits. This is particularly important in spring when plants are putting out new growth.
- Rotate containers about a quarter turn in the same direction every other wekk to expose all sides to the same conditions. Otherwise, new growth will be strongest on the side facing the light while roots will tend to grow away from the sun. Specimens placed too close to a wall or fence can become one-sided as rear branches dwindle from lack of light.
- Rotating small containers is easy; turning larger specimens is more difficult. Use a lazy susan-type turntable, and you'll be able to turn the largest bonsai with the push of a finger.
"Additional Training Techniques" & "Outdoor Display" pages courtesy of
Sunset Bonsai: An illustrated guide to an ancient art
Bonsai Display Tables
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