Shaping Up Your Houseplants

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Julie Bawden-Davis

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Bonsai – the craft of growing carefully trained, dwarfed trees or shrubs in small containers – is a unique blend of horticulture and art. In order to create that “natural” look within proportion of these miniature landscapes, plants require regular foliage and root pruning, as well as frequent shaping of their young branches. (Creating that windswept look of some bonsai plants actually involves a variety of techniques, including root binding and branch training with stout wire.)

Through careful and regular pruning, this ivy will maintain its form. The plant’s lower half is being trained down to grow over the pot.

Use sharp, small pruning shears to shape a topiary or bonsai planting like this miniature juniper.

Although bonsai is usually linked with Japan (and the term itself is Japanese), historians believe that the craft actually originated in China, and the Japanese are believed to have adopted the art form in the 8th century. Since then, the rules and methods for bonsai have evolved. Today, Japan has entire nurseries dedicated to this plant form. Slow-growing species of pines and bamboos are popular subjects, as are many flowering trees and shrubs.

Indoor bonsai growing is a relatively new idea – plants used for indoor bonsai are actually different from those grown outdoors. In general, plants that do well as indoor bonsai are woody and come from the Mediterranean region, the tropics and subtropics. Some – including Ficus species, fuchsia and Murraya paniculata – are known as traditional houseplants.

Topiary is a related form of plant art, employing decorative shapes fashioned out of plants. Egyptians and Romans created topiaries, which were an integral feature of ancient gardens. Today, rosemary and ivy hoops and hearts are common indoor topiary subjects. You can also find topiary in a variety of animal shapes. As is the case for bonsai, topiaries need regular pruning so they keep their desired shape. Training – directing the plant around and through a frame – is also necessary.

You can create your own indoor topiary by sculpting wire into a geometric or animal shape and training your plant (try ivy or privet) to grow along that form. But be patient: Topiaries often need time to fill in and take shape – usually 6 months up to a year, depending on the support frame and the type of plant you’re growing.

Bonsai, topiary and espalier (another plant-training technique used to grow plants flat against a wall, fence or other structure) all share similar methods for shaping and guiding the growth of woody shrubs and trees. Keep a clear picture of your final result in mind as you pick branches and foliage to keep or remove, clip to a form, or bend and fix in desired positions.

Care to do a little practicing? The following photos and captions offer a few tips on how to get started with various techniques. You’ll need sharp bypass pruners, plastic plant tape, stiff wire rods and, of course, a plant you’re willing to experiment with. Just be careful – once you start clipping and training, you might find it hard to stop!

Facts

Plants grown within a definite framework – espaliered plants, bonsai and topiary – need frequent growth-tip pinch training.

Tips

When potting a bonsai plant, place a layer of pea gravel, 1 inch deep, in a decorative container, then add potting soil, mounding it in the center. Remove your dwarf plant from its nursery container and use a gentle stream of water to wash away soil from around its roots. Fan the plant’s roots over the soil mound in the decorative container and fill with soil. Tamp gently to compact, then water the planting in well.

Tools

Bonsai tools look a little different than most other gardening tools. A basic set might contain curved tipped tweezers, a butterfly shear, concave cutter, root rake, mini leaf trimmer, wire cutter and a mini broom. Of course, there are other tools that can be purchased as the level of interest increases. (Remember, you get what you pay for: It’s always best to purchase the highest quality tools your budget permits.)

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