Choosing the right pot for your bonsai
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The
literal meaning of bonsai is 'plant in a tray'. While the tree itself
contributes to one half of the composition, the pot completes the
overall image. The 'bonsai' in it's literal sense is judged by the
visual impact of both the tree and the pot.
Unfortunately, choosing and locating the correct, or the best, pot
to plant your tree into is not easy. While a well-chosen pot will
enhance a bonsai and strengthen a design, a poorly chosen or unsuitable
design will actually lessen the impact of the tree. Ultimately, until
the 'right' pot is found the tree will never reach it's full potential
as a bonsai.
A
pot can be expensive investment for your tree; buying an unsuitable
pot for your tree can mean having to find a more suitable pot in the
future. Finding the right pot, first time, is not only satisfying
but saves money and helps avoid ending up with a pile of pots that
don't quite seem to suit any of your trees!
This article is written to help the enthusiast understand how to go
about choosing the correct pot for their tree. My express thanks go
to Vic Harris of Erin Pottery for his help in writing this guide and
for providing images of some his pots to illustrate this article.
Choosing
the right pot for your tree
Choosing
the best pot for a particular tree is not easy. As well as the more
mundane factory-made Chinese and Korean pots there are a number of
bonsai potters and potteries throughout the world that are able to
offer individual and diverse pot designs and glazes to the enthusiast.
There are so many available colours, sizes and designs that it can
become very difficult to identify exactly which one(s) are best for
your tree.
Pot choice is also subjective, ultimately some of the final decision
will be made according to your own personal tastes. Some enthusiasts
prefer more conservative pot shapes, textures and glazes, other enthusiasts
prefer to make more unusual 'individual' choices.
In an effort to help choose the correct 'type' of pot for your tree
I have asked Vic Harris to help me draw up some basic guidelines when
choosing a new pot for your tree.
To arrive at a good decision, it is useful to break down the choices
into 4 parts. Pot dimension, pot shape, pot colour and Texture
Choice
1: Pot Dimensions
The
first thing to consider is the size of the pot that you will need.
The correct pot dimensions can be achieved using some basic rules
according to the dimensions of the tree itself.
The
general rule of thumb is that the pots depth should be
equal to the diameter of the trunk just above soil level.
For oval or rectangular pots, the length of the pot should be
2/3 the height of the tree.
For round pots, the diameter of the pot should be 1/3 the height
of the tree.
For trees with especially wide canopies a wider pot can be necessary
and this can be compensated by using a slightly shallower pot.
As equally, a tree with a very thick trunk (in comparison with
the height of the tree) may suit a slightly deeper but narrower
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It
should be remembered that these guidelines are based on aesthetics
only. For horticultural reasons, some tree species require larger
or smaller pots. Species with very fast growing roots such as Trident
Maples often require deeper pots whilst flowering and fruiting species
such as Crab Apples require more root run and therefore deeper pots.
Choice
2: Pot Shape
The
style of pot that you choose will need to harmonise with the tree.
You need to take a look at your tree and evaluate it's characteristics.
Try to decide whether your tree is masculine or feminine. Many trees
are a combination of both although usually one is dominant than the
other. This is very subjective; for some people a tree may be masculine,
for others, it might be feminine. Ultimately as the owner of the tree
it is for you to decide. It should be noted though that a firmly masculine
tree will never look right in a very feminine oval pot; in turn a
feminine tree will always look awkward in a masculine pot.
What
makes a tree feminine or masculine?
A
masculine tree gives an impression of strength, it might have a heavily
tapered trunk, have craggy, mature bark, strong angular branching,
it may have deadwood. It may have a straight, powerful trunk or a
dense canopy.
A feminine tree will have a more delicate appearance, a smooth trunkline,
smooth bark, sinuous movement in it's trunk and branches. A light
canopy and slow taper.
Some tree species are predisposed to being considered feminine or
masculine; Pines or angular Hawthorns are often considered masculine
whereas delicate Japanese Maples will be considered as naturally feminine.
However, a strong, heavily tapered Japanese Maple with delicate leaves
and branching could be considered to be a feminine species with masculine
features, whilst a tall Hawthorn with craggy, rough bark, gentle curves
and very gradual taper could be considered a masculine species with
a feminine characteristics. With trees such as these it is necessary
to identify which is the strongest feature and reflect it. Is it the
craggy, fissured bark of the hawthorn or the gentle curves of the
trunk that have the strongest visual impact? Is it the delicate branching
of the Maple or the powerful tapered trunk that attracts your eye
most?
Fortunately, it is possible to find pot designs that can reflect both
femininity and masculinity.
Pots
are considered feminine or masculine. Deep pots with strong angular
features are considered masculine whilst more feminine pots are shallower
with softer lines.
For instance, strong chunky, deep rectangles with sharp corners are
very masculine pots, as are square pots. These are suited to thick
heavy trunked masculine trees, especially conifers.
For thick-trunked deciduous trees, the corners of the rectangle can
be rounded thus reducing the masculinity of the pot a little.
Working down through the scale of masculinity, deep chunky ovals come
next and then we have drums/round pots that are androgynous i.e are
suitable for a masculine or feminine tree.
After this we move into the feminine pots which are shallow delicate
ovals and very shallow round literati pots.
Pot
Shape Basic Guidelines
Rectangular
pots
are suitable for coniferous species and big deciduous trees
with very pronounced taper, wide base, heavy buttressed nebari.
These are used for masculine trees to add a feeling of strength
in the tree
Oval pots
Suitable for reflecting the femininity of deciduous trees,
clump style bonsai, groves and forests. The less taper the
tree has the more feminine it tends to become, sinuous curves
can also dampen the masculinity of a tree.
Round. Suitable
for coniferous or deciduous feminine trees, particularly (but
not exclusively) for literati/bunjin trees. Tall straight
or sinuously curved trees with very little taper are the most
feminine and the pots that tend to suit these trees are very
shallow rounds.
Pot
Lip or Rim
A
lip on the upper rim gives additional strength to a masculine
tree.
A straight rim is softer for more androgynous trees
A bowl/convex side is more suited to feminine trees
Pot
Corners
Sharp,
right-angled corners are masculine and suitable for masculine
trees
Indented corners on a rectangular pot soften the masculinity
of a pot.
Rounded corners softens the pot further, beginning to resemble
a oval pot and more suitable for masculine deciduous trees
Feet of pot
The
main purpose of feet on a bonsai pot is to allow for good
drainage and airflow, but feet can also be used to change
the pots appearance.
Feet can be subtle and decorative or strong and robust.
These qualities can be used to influence the over all feel
of the pot, big chunky feet can add strength to the design
and understated delicate feet will have the opposite effect.
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Choice
3: Pot Colour
Once
you have decided on the shape of the pot, next you need to think of
the colour and texture.
Every tree is unique, although it is possible to generalise about
a particular species, each individual tree will have something to
pick up on as no two trees are exactly the same and there are always
small variations that can be brought out in the pot colour and texture.
The
colour of the pot can be used to pick up on a feature of the tree
and therefore helps the tree and pot colour 'work' well together.
The colour in the tree that is complimented can be that of the bark,
for instance an unglazed red/brown pot picking up the bark of a Juniper.
It can compliment the colour of the leaves through the summer or the
autumn colour. On fruiting or flowering trees, the colour of the pot
can be used to compliment the colour of the flowers or the berries.
Pot
Examples
A masculine pot with sharp corners, an outward square lip
and strong feet.This pot would suit thick trunked junipers/pines
the blue green glaze harmonizing with the blue green foliage
and the dark brown/rusty red of the textured lower portion
of the pot picking up on the trunk coloration.
Slightly less masculine pot ,Soft cornered rectangle, no lip
, inconspicuous feet, this pot with it's gray glaze would
suit a heavy trunk oak or hornbeam.
This pot although an oval still has
some masculine qualities, it is deep and has a strong outward
square lip , with it's dark green glaze a heavy trunk red
maple would suit this pot, the dark green contrasting well
with the red leaves in a similar way to blue, or a thick trunk
Chinese elm, here the dark green would blend with the dark
green of the leaves.
Next we have a drum, suitable for masculine or feminine trees,
but with this glaze, it would be most suitable for deciduous
species like acers, gingko.
Here we have a feminine oval with gentle outward flare and
soft rounded lip with a cream glaze, any of the lighter colored
more delicate trunk deciduous trees,with smooth bark would
look good in this pot, acers, beech, ash.
Lastly, we have a shallow round literati style pot, although
this a feminine style, often the trees used for this style
have masculine features i.e rough bark and this is taken into
account by adding a rough texture to the pot. This pot would
suit literati style junipers and pines with the rusty red
unglazed finish.
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Examples
of tree and pot colour combinations
Derek's
Juniper, picks up on the bark with a very close match of colours
Richard's
pine, the dark green of the pot highlights the lighter green
of the needles, this illustrates a contrasting tone.
Harry's
hawthorn, the off white glaze picks up on the bark coloration.
Harry's
Parthenocissus, the pastel green of the pot contrasts nicely
with the more vibrant green of the foliage.
Harry's
cascade elm. Here the glaze picks up on the bark of the tree.
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Although
you generally want the colour and texture of a pot to match some characteristic
of the tree, sometimes contrasts can work very well, for example,
the red leaves of a red-leaved trees work well with a blue pot.
The
colour can also be used to accentuate the energy of the tree. Warm
colours such as browns, reds, oranges and yellows provide a feeling
of warmth and stability to the tree whereas cold colours such as blues
and greens can balance and refresh the overall composition.
Warm and cold colours can be used to contrast with a bonsai. Warm
colours can be used for tiny (mame-sized) bonsai to exaggerate their
colour whereas cool colours can be used to tone down bright-leaved
species.
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Basic
Guide to Tree/ Pot colour combinations
This is a very basic guide designed to be a starting
point or general guide to colours that can be suitable for any
given tree and of course the final choice can be altered to
suit the individual characteristics of any given tree.
Light
browns/Oatmeals-
Acer, Elm, Beech,Oak,Larch,Hawthorn,Ash ,gingko
Off whites/Greys-
Hawthorn,Oak,Acer,Ash
Light
greens
Acer, ash ,beech
Dark
greens
Acer, Azaleas, Chinese elm, cotoneaster
Medium
Browns-
Elm,Birch ,Mountain Ash, Acer
Dark Browns/Red Browns/Unglazed Reds/Browns
Pine,Juniper,Cotoneaster,Larch and other conifers,Azaleas
Light
blue
Azaleas, Malus and other flowering species
Matt Blues-
Acer,Juniper,Pine,Azaleas
Matt Blue/Greens-
Pine,Junipers,Acer, Azaleas (this combination
will also suit just about any tree as they are the colours that
you see most trees framed by when in their natural state )
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Choice
4: Pot Texture
Textures
in a pot are again used to compliment a tree. Smooth clay finishes
are suitable for more feminine trees whereas heavily textured pots
bring out the masculinity and wildness in a tree.
Texture
examples
This
pot is very textured, it has a very coarse, gritty feel to
it and would be suitable for most pines.
This pot has a smooth glaze but lots of texture added to the
lower portion of the pot, this is an interesting way of adding
texture to a pot and mirrors the composition of the tree itself,
with the glaze complementing the foliage and the unglazed
portion picking up on the trunk and this pot would suit cascade
style junipers or pines
This pot has texture within the glaze
itself, the texture is not coarse or rough as with the examples
above, here it is much more subtle, the sort of softer textures
found in some deciduous trees, again here the dark blue/purple
glaze would suit a tree with dark red foliage Acers, copper
beech or maybe an azalea with red flowers, all of these trees
can develop subtle texture as they mature.
This pot is very smooth and has quite gentle feminine feel
to it and would suit Acers, beech or ash
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Conclusion
As
can be seen in this article, choosing the correct pot is not simple
but it can be learnt. Ultimately, a combination of personal tastes,
knowledge and experience makes the process much easier.
When buying pots for your bonsai try to make sure you know the pot
measurements needed for a tree. It is no good buying a suitable pot
only to find it is too big or small for your tree.
Have a good idea of the shape that will suit the masculinity or femininity
of your tree.
Have a good idea of the colours and textures that will suit your tree.
Don't
be embarrassed to ask the advice of the bonsai nursery or the potter
you are buying from, an experienced potter or bonsai nursery will
always be able to give you a choice of suitable pots to choose from.
However, always try to have a picture of your tree to hand as this
makes the nursery or potter's job much, much easier!
Copyright
© 2005 Harry Harrington and Vic Harris. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part in any form or medium without permission prohibited.
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