Breathe new life into an ancient art form

Just as tropical houseplants are considered by many to be the official gateway drug for new gardeners, the art of bonsai also attracts new plant and gardening enthusiasts. As plants have again become a more important part of creating beautiful indoor spaces, the art of bonsai is benefiting from a resurgence of interest. Homeowners and designers are seeking out natural, yet sculptural elements to accent living spaces, and bonsai plants can be a perfect fit.

The art of creating bonsai is also attracting younger plant enthusiasts as they look to bring a small piece of nature to their apartments or balconies. Bonsai allows gardeners with little to no outdoor garden areas cultivate a living piece of nature in a tiny and controlled space. This blossoming interest in bonsai means opportunity for many IGCs.

A 1,000-year-old art form, bonsai can be both mysterious and challenging to the inexperienced enthusiast. While the concept of bonsai basically translates to “growing in miniature,” the goal isn’t to create a dwarf plant specimen. Rather, the goal of a well-executed bonsai specimen is to reproduce a natural scene from nature in a container. That means everything is grown to the scale of the chosen container in a manner that creates a scene in miniature.

Some garden centers have successfully capitalized on bonsai as a niche category, such as Portland Nursery in Portland, Ore. According to store manager George Bowman, doing so requires giving the category prominent positioning in the garden center for both indoor and outdoor specimens.

Strategic merchandising has also helped Portland Nursery develop a good business in related accessories, such as bonsai pots, tools, special soils and ornaments.

“Having a knowledgeable staff, offering classes and putting on a bonsai show has resulted in an increase in sales and requests for the product and ancillary items,” Bowman says. He says it’s a growing trend.
 

Indoor vs. outdoor

Bonsai plants generally fall into two categories: indoor and outdoor. Indoor bonsai can be created using tropical plants that tolerate lower indoor light levels. They can be grown in a bright sunny window or with indoor grow lights. These bonsai can often be moved outdoors during the mild seasons but must be kept indoors during cold weather.

Outdoor bonsai are created using cold hardy specimens that should be kept outside year-round, or most of the year, depending on your location. Most outdoor bonsai are crafted using woody plants such as junipers, maples, crabapples and elms, to name a few. While such woody plants can tolerate indoor conditions for short periods of time, they can often develop pest or physiological issues if kept indoors under low light conditions for too long. These specimens can be grown indoors for longer periods with supplemental grow lights and favorable indoor environmental conditions (cool temperatures, low humidity).
 

Starter vs. mature

Plants for bonsai can also be broken into categories based on how they will be trained. Bonsai starter plants are typically young seedlings or saplings that will need to be wire trained and pruned as they grow. It can take many years to grow a starter plant into what one would consider a successful bonsai. Starter plants are attractive to beginners, offering them a less-intimidating way to learn the craft.

You then have mature plants that are “trained down” versus “trained up.” These larger nursery plants, or wild-collected specimens, will typically have to endure significant root pruning and reduction as well as branch removal to achieve the desired form. Cultivating these mature specimens can be trickier as it will take more time for the plant to adjust to its new and much smaller environment. Mature plants offer a good challenge for more experienced bonsai enthusiasts.
 

Recycle and repurpose

Don’t forget about your “nursery dogs.” You know, the plants that have seen better days and are headed for the write-off sheet. When it comes to bonsai, one man’s trash is another’s treasure. Either starter or older plants that are misshapen or have lost their luster in their nursery container could be great opportunities for bonsai enthusiasts.

Know that many of the grand bonsai specimens you see at the expert shows were created from mature plants collected in the wild. Many are very old plant specimens that may be down to only a few living limbs. In the spirit of repurposing, it’s possible to market some of your non-landscape worthy woodies as prime bonsai specimens. Some of the most beautiful bonsai specimens have been created from just such nursery rejects.
 

Mini goes micro

The “mini” trend has infiltrated many segments of garden center retail; fairy gardens have been rebranded as “miniature gardens” and terrariums have been reduced to the size of wearable jewelry. Bonsai hasn’t been immune to this trend and the result is ultra-cute and affordable. If you haven’t yet been introduced to the art of “cho-mini bonsai,” then be prepared to get out your tweezers. Cho-mini bonsai, or micro-bonsai, involves creating bonsai no bigger than a thimble. Teeny tiny pottery is used to pot up small tree seedlings, succulents or any other tiny plant that can survive in such a small space.

Cho-mini bonsai are particularly popular with the youngsters. For those with only a small space or window sill to house their bonsai collection, cho-minis are almost irresistible.
 

Go round

The moss-ball technique is another trend on the rise. Rather than planting the plant specimen in a bonsai pot, the plant’s roots are instead wrapped in a ball of dense soil and moss, then bound together with thin thread or fishing line. The soil typically contains some clay in order to mold the ball into an appropriate shape or mound. You can create moss-ball bonsai with both indoor tropicals and outdoor woodies.
 

Pottery trends

Recently, it seems there may be a renaissance happening for bonsai pottery. While there may be less traditional or mass produced bonsai options on nursery shelves, there is more handmade pottery available. This could stem from a shift in customer demand and aesthetics or a supply chain problem or both.  

When I asked Bowman if there were any challenges for Portland Nursery within the bonsai category, he said they were struggling to find quality natural unglazed pots and even outdoor bonsai tree starts, and that their supplier list seemed to be dwindling.

I smell an opportunity for both nursery growers and potters.

Historically, it was frowned upon to use more decorative pots for bonsai, as they tend to draw attention away from the plant specimen and intended natural scene. But over the past few years, more creative handmade bonsai pots have become more acceptable and desirable. The National Bonsai Foundation holds an annual bonsai pot competition and exhibition. Entries are displayed during the summer at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.  If you’re looking to grow your bonsai category it would be worth checking out the entries.
 

Tools and accessories

Bonsai isn’t just about the plants and pottery. There are a myriad of specialized hand tools required (or simply desired) to create beautiful bonsai. Individual tools and tool sets can range from inexpensive plastic options up to pricey imported pieces. A beginner will probably spend $10 to $20 on a pair of plastic handled snips to start, while a hardcore hobbyist could throw down $600 for a single pair of imported Japanese solid steel scissors.

There are many good, better and best options available to you when creating your product assortment. Consider your customer base as to the products you feel will sell best on a daily basis, but don’t miss out on the opportunity to sell high price point items to your local bonsai society members.

You’ll also need to carry special bonsai potting soils and amendments. Don’t forget about the baubles: Many bonsai enthusiasts want to accent their “scenes” with miniature decor, much like you would offer for terrarium projects.
 

Educate and exhibit

Bonsai is an art form and hobby that can take years to master. That means you can look forward to a long and healthy relationship with your customers who practice bonsai. Providing classes and workshops in conjunction with your local Bonsai society or visiting teachers is key to growing the category.

Bonsai shows and contests also seem to be making a comeback. Portland Nursery hosts a bonsai contest for its customers each June. Bowman says they’ve seen the show get a bit larger every year. They even bring in the Bonsai Society of Portland to provide live demos and answer questions. “We offer a three-day sale of tools, pots, soils and certain bonsai. It is fun to see our customers come to our class and learn about the hobby then enter one of their projects in the show” Bowman says.

Due to growing demand, this is the first year Portland Nursery is allowing bonsai society members to enter the contest in a special separate category. In terms of how they judge the contest, Bowman says, “This year we went to a customer choice format for all prizes except the lottery drawing. Prizes are in the form of gift cards ranging in value of $25 to $100.” Good prizes are always the key to boosting entries in customer contests.
 

Partner for promotion

Just as with any special sales niche, you have to build it, then tell people you’ve built it, in order for them to come. Connect with your local bonsai society and let them know you’ve invested in the category so they’ll promote you to their members. Support their local events and offer them event space for shows at your garden center. Sponsor their newsletter and ask them to provide workshops and demos. Piggyback on existing promotional opportunities provided by the National Bonsai Foundation such as the annual World Bonsai Day, which was May 9 this year, to attract new customers and bonsai enthusiasts.

Leslie (CPH) owns Halleck Horticultural, LLC, through which she provides horticultural consulting, digital content marketing, branding design, advertising and social media support for green industry companies.  www.lesliehalleck.com