James Harris wrote:
>I have to second Craig on Amy Liang's book. I find myself referring to
>it quite often. It's available in hardcover and paperback. I also like
>the The Art of Bonsai Design and the Bonsai Survival Manual by Colin
>Lewis. For tropicals/ficus I would recommend Jerry Meislik's new book,
>Ficus, The Exotic Bonsai.
>
These are all good choices. However, growers in North America should
take Amy Liang's horticultural advice with _several_ grains of salt.
The books by Colin Lewis and Jerry Meislik offer excellent styling
advice, as well as solid horticultural information, at least in my
experience.
Another book that is often recommended to beginners is The Japanese Art
of Miniature Trees and Landscapes, by Yoshimura & Halford. I am puzzled
by this, since, although it is a classic work, and an important part of
any bonsai enthusiast's library, the horticultural advice is based on
growing bonsai in Japan in the 1950's. As a beginner, I found the book
fascinating, inspiring, and confusing. Much of the general horticultural
advice and terminology (soils, pesticides, fertilizers, etc.) is either
specific to Japan, out of date, or both. There are detailed tables of
instruction for specific species that might well be useful to advanced
growers, but which I found a bit overwhelming as a beginner. The
information on styles and styling techniques is excellent, however, and
the illustrations are inspiring, although mostly in black & white.
Beginners who purchase this and Amy Liang's books should use them as
inspiration, and get their horticultural advice from people who are
successfully growing bonsai under similar circumstances to their own.
Jay, putting on my asbestos suit...
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