French to English: Bonsai, Part 3

 

A Bonsai tree is a WIP (work-in-progress).  Your Bonsai hobby starts somewhere but it never ends.  You start with a seedling or with a small tree.  From there, your personal journey begins.

One important aspect of Bonsai is to convert it from an ordinary looking shrub to one that has character so that it earns the admiration of fellow hobbyists - a work of art deserving praise.

To make that transition, Bonsai disciples believe that an essential accessory is wire.  Yes, wire!

Wire gives your Bonsai tree its shape, scope and direction.  This is why after you've mastered the basics of caring for your Bonsai tree, the next step is to learn good wiring techniques.

In Japan, Bonsai students devote two years to refine their wiring skills.  In the good old days, (circa 60s and 70s), there was no specialized wiring for Bonsai; hobbyists had to content themselves with whatever household wire they could get their hands on (like a clothes hanger).

Today's Bonsai hobbyists can now choose from a few specialized Bonsai wires.  We know of at least three types:

1. Iron - iron wire is inexpensive, but it is also difficult to manipulate.  It rusts with time, so it's not the kind of wire you'd like to leave on your tree for a long time.
2. Copper - this type of wire is used by hobbyists who want to leave it on the tree for several years.  Copper wire is used mostly for coniferous trees but cannot be used on deciduous species because it can scar their bark.
3. Aluminum - this is the softest (and most flexible) wire for Bonsai trees.  Some people have the wire anodized to match the color of the trunk, but many use the clear wire as well.  Aluminum wire is used for deciduous trees - and on younger branches.

Wire can be used  on branches and on the trunk.  Fall and winter time are the best times to wire a tree.  When it's time to remove the wires, use wire cutters so you don't harm the bark when they get stuck.  If you're going to wire the trunk and the branch, wire the trunk first and then the branches.  Observe equal spacing and make sure you use the right thickness of wire.  If the coils are too close or too far apart, wiring won't do the work it's supposed to do.

Time for our French to English Bonsai terms:

FRENCH	ENGLISH
substrat	substrate
mousse de sphaigne	moss (peat moss)
gravillion de granit	granite gravel
terre végétale	topsoil
empotage	potting
rempotage	re-potting
engrais	fertilizer
motte	root ball
semis	seedlings
bouturage	cuttings
arbres caducs	deciduous trees
insecticides et fongicides	insecticides and fungicides
ligaturage	wiring
flétrissement de feuillage	wilting of foliage
pincement	pinching

French to English: Bonsai, Part 2

Thinking of adopting a Bonsai tree and caring for it?  A Bonsai tree hobby is one of the most rewarding experiences; the emotional satisfaction is immeasurable.  It's like owning a dog.  You buy a pup, nurture it, watch it grow to a healthy living thing.  You spend years with your dog, a special bond is formed and the two of you become inseparable.

Owning and caring for a Bonsai tree is the same.  You have this miniature tree - a replica of a much bigger tree - and it's growing and branching out, showing off a rich foliage right under your eyes.  We're not waxing sentimental, but some Bonsai writers have written pages and pages on the link between a Bonsai tree and spirituality.  Even if you're a self-declared atheist, when a Bonsai tree evokes certain sentiments in you, then in a way you have turned into a spiritual being.  If a Bonsai tree gives you moments of joy and a special sense of accomplishment, then yes, there's definitely something spiritual about a Bonsai tree.  I won't get carried away with this idea, so let's leave it at that.

But if you are keen in starting a Bonsai tree hobby, you'll need tools.  Some hobbyists tend to go overboard when they start a hobby and spend needlessly.  For Bonsai tools, you'll need to separate the "must-have" from the "nice to have."   As a beginner, focus on the must-have tools; then when you're firmly entrenched and raring to learn more and develop new techniques, go ahead and make that investment enthusiastically!

Basic Bonsai tools -

FRENCH	ENGLISH
gros ciseaux	large scissors
ciseaux à feuilles	leaf scissors (leaf trimmers)
ciseaux à brindilles	twig scissors
ciseaux à racines	root scissors
pince coupant	pliers for cutting
pince de force	clamps
pince à bec	flat nose pliers
plateau tournant	lazy susan
crochet à racine	root hook
truelle	trowel
balai	brush (small broom)
sécateur	pruning shears
gouge	gouge
pelle	shovel (scoop)

Standard advice from Bonsai experts:  clean your tools after each use and keep them in a bag or box exclusively for your Bonsai activities.  Don't let humidity get to them.

For beginners, I'm happy to share some Web resources that will further your Bonsai education.  Visit your city library as well; they'll have an armful of good books that you can pore over!

Here are those web sites of interest:

http://www.bonsai-nbf.org/site/mission_nbf.html (this is the National Bonsai Foundation)

http://www.absbonsai.org/ (this is the American Bonsai Society)

http://www.bcbonsaisociety.org/ (this is the BC Bonsai Society in British Columbia)

http://www.bonsai.asn.au/ (this is the Australian Bonsai Society).

PS:  Before you buy a Bonsai tree, find out if it's an indoor or outdoor species, and ask the nursery if it will survive inside your home.  You'll need to get as much information as to the kinds of living conditions your particular tree will thrive in.

French to English: Bonsai, Part 1

 

 

I couldn't decide what my next theme would be and took an extra day to think about it.  Then it hit me.  I had just finished a report and three articles on Bonsai trees for a client and my research yielded plenty of information so I thought, why take up unnecessary brain energy when the answer's right there? 

I cannot and will not reproduce any of what I wrote for my client for ethical and copyright reasons, but given the amount of Bonsai education I acquired - not to speak of the enlightenment - I could blog about those things that were not covered in my client's articles and report. 

If you read books and online articles on Bonsai, one of the first things you'll learn is how the name "Bonsai" came about. This beautiful art form originated in China; the Chinese called it "pen-jing."  Soon afterwards, this practice reached Japan and "pen-jing" gave way to "Bonsai."

If you view the slide above, you only see one object - a tree - and it's sitting on a pot.  Whatever tree you see is the miniature version of the actual tree; meaning, the tree that's on your street or in the park or in the mountains with the huge trunk and the rich foliage.  Bonsai then means a miniature tree ("sai") that grows in a pot or container ("bon"). 

Bonsai tree hobbyists number in the millions.  It has become so popular since it was introduced in the West right after the second World War that numerous societies and federations dedicated to promoting this art have proliferated.  Anyone who wants to start a Bonsai hobby will have access to resources - the Internet, local libraries and staff in botanical gardens.  Even your local nursery and garden center will be able to tell you about how to get started.

For part 1 of this lexicon, I will focus on the different shapes (some Bonsai writers call them styles) of Bonsai trees.  But before I give you the French and English words, some things to mull over:

• Your Bonsai tree must be a replica of the same tree growing outside;
• Bonsai trees are generally of two types:  indoor and outdoor;
• In terms of care and maintenance, outdoor Bonsai trees are easier than indoor trees.  This is because indoor Bonsai trees have to grow in an environment that is identical to the natural environment of the tree.  If there is a lack of light and humidity levels are slightly off in your home, there's a strong chance that your Bonsai tree will struggle.  And as some experts say, a  Bonsai tree that struggles to survive is likely to die;
• Bonsai trees can be grown from any tree, shrub or houseplant.  They are not genetically modified;
• Not all plants or trees growing in a container can be called Bonsai.  For a tree to qualify as a Bonsai tree, it must be a miniature size and must grow in a container.
• And this one is from Peter Chan, well-known Bonsai expert who owns a Bonsai shop in London:  "A Bonsai must be a work of art.  If it has no artistic merit, it is just an ordinary plant in a pot.  The beauty of Bonsai is that, unlike a painting or sculpture, it lives, breathes, grows and changes - it is always a 'work in progress.'" (Peter Chan, Bonsai Secrets, 2006).

FRENCH	ENGLISH
rigoureusement vertical	formal upright
souplement vertical	informal upright
penché	slanting
cascade; demi cascade	cascade; semi cascade
troncs doubles et multiples	double and multiple trunks
groupes et paysages	group or landscape
battu par les vents	windswept
balai	broom
lettré	literati
le style aux racines apparentes	exposed roots
le style racines sur la roche	root over rock
sur rocher	planted on rock
tronc enroulé	coiled
tronc écorcé	driftwood

According to Peter Chan, no shape or style is superior than the other.  The Literati and driftwood styles, however, appear to be favorites.  The root-over-rock and cascade styles are difficult to create so they fetch a steeper price.

For part 2, we'll look at some of the tools that are used by Bonsai tree growers.