BOOK REVIEWS

Pop Bonsai
Fun with Arranging Small Trees and Plants

Lisa Tajima
Distributed by Bookwise
$NZ42.95

WHAT exactly is "pop bonsai"? It's bonsai like you've never seen it before - a freestyle version in fun containers that reflects the author's breakaway approach to this ancient art.

Flick through the pages of Pop Bonsai and you can't help but be inspired by the quirky designs within - a ball of moss on an aluminium can, a miniature rose in a ceramic dish, a tiny garden in an egg cup. For this author you get the impression that simply buying a plant and displaying it is sacrilegious.

"Ten different people will create ten different pop bonsai and display them in at least ten different ways. You too should use your imagination to experiment."

To begin with, Tajima explains the structure of plants and how each plant part functions. She doesn't do this simply to crow about her extensive knowledge - rather to explain what the effects of snipping and shaping will have on your plant and how different plants grow. She goes on to explain the basics of bonsai (which branches to prune and which to leave), the significance of choosing the right materials (soils or sphagnum moss, for example) and showcases the tools of the trade. Then come the delightful displays of this unique craft, beautifully presented in colour and black and white.

Pop Bonsai is an engaging book for the crafts-minded and those seeking another dimension to gardening. It's well set out, easy to follow and lots of fun.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH