The Japanese have a word, 'wa', that roughly translates to 'harmony'. It refers to relations between individuals, and man and nature. But it can also refer to the elements comprising a work of art. The art of bonsai uses this concept when coordinating the choice of species and style with the container in which the bonsai tree resides.

Color, material and above all shape and size are considered when matching the right pot to a given tree. Given the variety of tastes in the world, there are no agreed upon rigid rules, but tradition and a sense of symmetry heavily influence the choice. Each is selected to complement the other, giving balance to the overall design.

But there are practical factors to consider, as well, first and foremost.

The size of the pot must physically balance the weight of the moist soil and the tree. Bonsai are typically displayed on a stand or bench or shelf and, being small, are easily tipped over if the pot is too small and light, or the tree is out of balance.

Style affects not only the aesthetic of the bonsai, but this practical factor as well. A kengai (cascade) or han-kengai (semi-cascade) has a trunk and/or branches that travel out from the 'box' of the pot. In the case of the kengai, it dips below the plane of the base of the tree, emulating a tree near a cliff under heavy snowfall.

As a result of this style, a too small pot - which holds less soil and provides a smaller base - will put the tree and pot at risk of falling off the display. Bonsai are fragile and years of effort can be lost by a simple accident.

Also, the pot must hold enough soil to accommodate the roots with ample space for growth of two years or so. Normally, a bonsai tree will be re-potted after that time, in order to refresh the soil, trim the roots and possibly increase the size of the tree.

A pot must have a hole in the bottom with a mesh screen in order to allow for proper drainage. The screen can become clogged if the mesh is too small, and allow soil leakage out the bottom if too large.

The tray underneath or attached as an integral part of the pot must be large enough to allow for overflow. Under-watering a bonsai tree can easily kill it, just as over-watering can. And, the easiest way to over-water one is to allow inadequate drainage, worsened by having the bottom continually in water from a tray that's too shallow or narrow.

The specific sized pot that's correct for the tree will be affected, too, by species. Flowering and fruiting trees require more water and tolerate wetter conditions. Conifers, such as white pine, do better with a drying period between watering.

Experience and a personal aesthetic will determine the specific pot that's best to choose. But fortunately for the enthusiast, there are many good examples around to serve as a guideline or stimulus to the imagination. Some bonsai trees live as long as 200 years, and photos of them are readily available.

The goal of most bonsai artists is to emulate nature, while at the same time stylizing it. This effort extends beyond the caring and shaping of the tree itself to every element of the display. That includes ground cover. In far too many bonsai simple moss or rocks are used to complement the tree or plant. But with little effort the bonsai enthusiast can expand the choices to include deadwood, ground cover plants, or even entirely artificial miniature sculpture. These, too, occur in natural settings in Japanese gardens.

A popular choice is a plant whose common name is Baby Tears. With small, round, green leaves and a penchant for spreading rapidly, it makes for an easy to start and maintain ground cover for many styles of bonsai. It's also attractive in its own right.

Ground cover helps to keep moisture from evaporating from the soil too rapidly and Baby Tears perform this function well. In fact, over time it can perform it a little too well. Take care not to let the Baby Tears overwhelm the design.

It's rapid spread and thorough ground covering can result in a mass of leafy tendrils lopping over the sides and spilling down onto the display table. Some small amount hanging over the edge of the pot can lend a pleasant touch to the bonsai design. But, the tree should always remain the central focus of any effort.

Baby Tears can be especially prone to distracting the viewer, since its delicate flowers provide color that attracts the eye. It's best used, therefore, with non-flowering bonsai, unless your goal is to create a deliberate color contrast.

Another native Japanese plant that complements a bonsai tree well is the Dwarf Mondo grass. It is a perennial evergreen, meaning that it only needs to be planted once and with proper care will stay green year-round. Some evergreens do brown up slightly in winter, but come back to full color in spring.

Dwarf Mondo does very well in medium-wet, well-drained soil and so is perfect for application to bonsai design. The grass is used in full-sized gardens, as well. It doesn't tolerate full sun well, though, so be sure to keep the pot in a shady spot.

Since Dwarf Mondo grass spreads by underground tubers, you will need to examine under the surface every few years - during re-potting of the bonsai is a perfect time - to ensure that it isn't taking over space needed for the bonsai tree roots.

Remember, too, that a certain amount of sunlight penetrating into the soil is healthy. That provides the warmth and radiation necessary to stimulate growth. As a human example, moderate sunlight helps stimulate the production of Vitamin D in skin cells. So, limit the grass area so that it doesn't cover the ground entirely.

These are just two of the many choices available to heighten the beauty of your bonsai design, while at the same time enhancing the health of the tree. Emulating nature, with an artistic flair, is both lovely and practical!

Over the centuries the artists of bonsai have developed hundreds of unique styles. But within this complexity there are a few that form the basis of most of the variations. Chokkan (Formal Upright) The simplest, but still exquisitely beautiful, is the chokkan or formal upright. Though still a miniature, this style most resembles the full grown tree. The form is erect and partly symmetrical, roughly classic Christmas-tree shaped, but sometimes with a rounded crown.

Branches are approximately horizontal and the lowest pair are frequently trained to point toward the viewer, with a third pointing away at a level between the two in front.

Though the chokkan is more regular than other styles, it need not be planted directly in the center of the pot. Visual variety can be achieved by planting a third from one end, either left or right as you face the tree.

Smaller branches nearer the base should be trimmed off, and others should be balanced around the trunk. The first branch starts at about one-third up the total height of the trunk.

Remember that to achieve the right result, you must have a good beginning. That starts with selection of the proper species. A tree that, left unmodified, would naturally grow straight is the best choice.

One of the less difficult styles to achieve - no bonsai is easy to train - it nevertheless can exhibit significant variations. Using different species, such as Larch, or Pine, or Spruce can result in distinct looks.

Moyogi (Informal Upright)

The moyogi shares many similarities with the chokkan, but vertical and horizontal regularity is altered. The moyogi is less even in appearance, but to the bonsai enthusiast no less beautiful than its more symmetrical brother.

Branches are trained in the same manner, but the top is modified to bend slightly toward the viewer. The trunk may also be slanted, but not curved, slightly.

Slanting can be achieved by training, or by selecting a type with a natural tendency to veer from the vertical. Check similar instances of a species from the top looking down to detect deviations from the vertical.

To achieve a slant that tilts away from the viewer, plant or train in the pot so that the roots move forward, to the front of the pot. This can be encouraged by wiring and selective watering that favors the front of the container. As the trunk slants backward the roots will point ahead naturally as the tree attempts to maximize its support.

Moyogi, like the chokkan, generally have full crowns with branches that start about one-third up the trunk. Deciduous species, such as the Japanese Maple, or beeches, are naturally well-suited to this style. Some fruit trees, such as Pomegranate or Crab Apple, may also serve the purpose.

All bonsai, regardless of style, require much patience and care over many years in order to achieve health and longevity. But these two styles are the least difficult to attain and may serve as a good beginning for the novice.

Bonsai - Introduction To the Living Art

Say 'art' and most will think of painting or sculpture. There is a kind of sculpture, though, that takes as its raw material not stone or wood but a living tree. That is the art of bonsai.

From the Japanese word for 'tree in a tray', Bonsai is the art and product of shaping trees by careful pruning to produce a miniature tree or bush. Not produced from genetic dwarfs, bonsai are the result of years of patient shaping of ordinary species by master artists.

Because they are grown and shaped in a small pot, but are produced from ordinary species - pine, maple and many others - extreme care is required to keep the delicate plants healthy.

Soil type and temperature must be just so - conditions that are only within the artist's control within a certain range. Pruning techniques take years to master and are only possible to a certain kind of temperament. Potting and re-potting practices must be learned and they are many and varied.

Watering alone is a complex science for these small trees and bushes. Too much and the bonsai will become water-logged and develop fungi and root rot. Too little and the soil quickly becomes dry and leaves wilt and the tree dies.

Soil and potting practices overlap with watering needs since drainage is critical. Pruning habits interact with shaping techniques, which in turn are affected by soil maintenance and watering practices.

Bonsai are among the most difficult products of art to create as all these elements and many more have to be carried out to near perfection merely for the plant to survive. Add to that complexity the goal of creating pleasing shapes, styles and colors for both plant and pot and you have a high art.

On top of the inherent horticultural difficulty of learning and mastering a dozen sub-sciences, there is the need to master the artistic vision and skills to produce any of several basic or advanced styles.

There are five basic styles alone: formal upright, informal upright, slanting, cascade and semi-cascade. From that base branch out a dozen advanced types, including the literati and other difficult forms.

An art of that kind is not mastered in a month.

Craftsmen labor for years to produce a single tree, which may last a hundred years or longer. The trees are then often passed down from generation to generation, each successive artist adding his or her own distinctive style. As the tree is lovingly molded according to the personal aesthetic of each caretaker, past efforts are venerated and learned from.

Years of training and experience are required to become a skilled bonsai grower. Ordinary horticulture is by itself a difficult craft. But to produce a miniature tree from ordinary species takes a lifetime of patience and learning.

The results are widely regarded as well-worth the effort, though. Bonsai are admired the world over for their uniqueness, their longevity, variety and beauty and for the skill that goes to produce them.

In an age when brilliant technology can mass produce global cell phones and self-diagnosing automobiles, these individually designed and hand crafted, miniature works of art continue to inspire awe and admiration.