Welcome to the A to Z of Bonsai.
We are compiling a worldwide A to Z of Bonsai database. The A to Z is written collaboratively by the people who use it and we would like to encourage anyone reading this page to contribute to what has become the worlds greatest encyclopedia of bonsai terms. Entries when they are made will be added to an editable list which will be checked prior to publication. Photos and images of the bonsai term can be added and links made to relevant web pages.
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GAFU - Tree size sub-CLASSIFICATION in the "Miniature" BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI range, MEasuring 13-20 cms
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GAFU-BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI>GAFU-BONSAI>GAFU-BONSAI - Bonsai sized under 25 cms.
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GAFU-BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI>GAFU-BONSAI>GAFU-BONSAI - Bonsai under 25 cm in height.
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GAFU-TEN>GAFU-TEN - Shohin BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI exhibition held annually in Kyoto in January.
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Galls
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- (Pests and Diseases)
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GALLS - These are swollen, mis-forMEd LEAVES caused by a VARIETY of pests of fungi.
Some are specific to tree types e.g. oak apple or aZAlea gall.
They are generally harmless in themselves and should be removed and burned.
See also "Yew tree gall"
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GARDENIA (GARDENIA JASMINOIDES) - Tender, EVERGREEN shrub with strongly fragrant FLOWERS which appear in early/late sumMEr. LEAVES are glossy green and lance SHAPEd, borne in WHORLs of 3.
STYLE : Suited to informal upright, slanting, semi-cascade, root-over-rock, twin-trunk, CLUMP and multiple trunk.
WARNING : This lime-hating plant needs lime free water and ericaceous soil and fertilizer.
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| Thanks to - Wattston Bonsai for use of the image |
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GARDENING SCOTLAND - Venue for the largest exhibition of BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI in the Scottish Calendar. Gardening Scotland is Scotland's National Celebration of Gardening and Outdoor Living.
If you want to find the best plants, catch the latest gardening trends, find a designer to transform your own garden or ask the experts about anything from growing vegetables to keeping bees, then this is the one Show that you won't want to miss!
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| Thanks to - SBA Bonsai Image Gallery for use of the image |
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GENUS - A group of closely related SPECIES e.g. all chjerries, plums, apricots belong to the genus Prunus.
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GeoMEter moth - These CATERPILLARS eat foliage leaving holes in the BUD>BUDs and silken threads between the foliage and the soil, via which they climb down.
Treatment includes treating with oil-based products at winters end in order to destroy any eggs and applying lindane or PARATHION based INSECTICIDEs in spring.
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GEORGE'S JAPANESE GARDEN - Not really a dealer, nor a club. Site is a walk-through of George's gardens which include many Japanese features in addition to soME BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI.
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GERMINATION>GERMINATION - The point of growth initiation of a seed with the seed developing initial ROOTS.
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GERMINATION>GERMINATION - The process by which a seed LEAVES the DORMANT state and issues ROOTS and SHOOTS
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GESEISHI - Japanese term for a sacrifice branch - a branch grown with the intention to thicken the trunk and then to be removed
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GI SEI SHI (SACRIFICE BRANCH) - Term used to describe a branch left to grow with the purpose of promoting overall growth of the tree as part of the developMEnt of a BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI. Also known as a "sacrifice" branch, this would be removed or pruned once its purpose was served.
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GINGKO BILOBA (MAIDENHAIR TREE) - This is a DECIDUOUSTREE>DECIDUOUS TREE, once thought to be extinct but re-discovered in China in the 17th century.
COLUMNAR SHAPEd tree with dense upright branches which bear distinctively shaped LEAVES which turn from green to pale yellow in autumn. Although the Ginkgo is more like a CONIFER than a deciduous tree it is neither. Recent research suggests that it has a unique position which is much closer to the cycads than to either conifers or deeciduous trees.
STYLE : best suited to formal upright and CLUMP styles.
WARNING : Keep tree from prolonged freezing. Fleshy ROOTS can "explode" as a result of excess water expanding when it freezes.
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| Thanks to - Dan Barton for use of the image |
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GIRDLING - Also referred to as "ring-BARKing". The removal of a band of bark (which can vary in width) from all around the trunk of a tree or branch when air-LAYERING or trying to encourage new ROOTS to form at the point of the girdle.
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| Thanks to - Wikipedia for use of the image |
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GIRTH - The circumference of the tree trunk as MEasured just above the root base.
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GISEISHI - This is the Japanese term for a sacrifice branch e.g. a branch grown specifically to help thicken the TRUNK OF THE TREE but which will not form part of the final image and so will be removed when the desired trunk thickness has been acheived.
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GLABROUS LEAF - Smooth - without hairs
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BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAIGROUP>GLASGOW BONSAI GROUP - Glasgow Group not currently running. Nearest groups are Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.
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GLAUCUS - Grey-blue. Often used to describe foliage e.g. Cedrus glauca atlantica
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| Thanks to - SBA Image Gallery for use of the image |
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BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAICENTRE>GLENBROOK GARDEN BONSAI CENTRE - No specific site. Looks like this may now be closed.
Location : Glenbrook Garden Bonsai Centre
Stone-Edge Batch,
off Clevedon Road
Tickenham
Clevedon
BS21 6SE
Tel: 01275 858596
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GO-KAN - A BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI style with five trunks. The individual trunks may be upright, slanted or curved.
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GO-SHIN - NaME given to a planting of JUNIPERS donated by John Naka to The Washington Collection - considered a masterpeice. The term means "guardian of the spirit".
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GOAT MOTH - Also known as Leopardmoth. These are red or yellow CATERPILLARS that burrow into BARK or LEAVES, tunnelling upwards and leaving a small mound of sawdust at the entry point.
TreatMEnt involves CUTTING>CUTTING away the infected part of the tree and insertion of iron wire with carbon disulphide soaked cottonwool attached.
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GOBO-NE - Japanese term for tap root. See also "CHOKKON".
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GOHAN YOSE - GROUP PLANTING of 5 trees
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GOHON-YOSE - A GROUP PLANTING of 5 trees.
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GOKAN - Denotes a "5 trunks on the saME tree" style.
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GOLDEN LARCH - Isn't a LARCH (LARIX) at all and is more closely related to Keteleeria, Abies and Cedrus.
Officially known as PSEUDOLARIX AMABILIS it is the sole MEmber of the SPECIES.
The LEAVES of Pseudolarix are larger than Larix (Larch).
Called the Golden Larch because of its autumn colours which helps lead to the confusion.
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| Thanks to - Wikipedia for use of the image |
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GORO TSUCHI - The coarse BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI MEdium used at the bottom of the pot to provide good DRAINAGE and aeration.
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GOSHIKI - Five-color SUISEKI stones (Traditionally a mixture of red, yellow, and green with either gray, blue, purple, white or black.)
Other CLASSIFICATIONs of suiseki by colour are :
Kuro-ishi Black stones
Maguro-ishi Jet-black stones
Aka-ishi Red stones
Ao-ishi Blue stones
Murasaki-ishi Purple stones
Ogon-seki Golden-yellow stones
Kinko-seki Yellow-red stones
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GoyoMATSU - Japanese term for Japanese white pine (pinus parviflora).
"Matsu" MEans pine, “Goyo” means “five-NEEDLE"
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GoyoMATSU - The Latin naME for Japanese white pine (aka Japanese five NEEDLE pine) is Pinus parviflora. The Japanese name is Goyo Matsu. Matsu is pine, “Goyo” means “five-needle”.
See Pine - Whiter (Pinus parviflora, PINUS PENTAPHYLLA) for details.
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GoZA Kake - Referred to as "ELONGATED style" in the West. Distinguishing feature of this style is an exageratedly long number one branch.
This style is often placed over water in Japanese gardens
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| Thanks to - SBA Gallery for use of the image |
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GRAFT>GRAFT - To join a stemof one plant with another so they grow together. Grafting is used both to propogate plant SPECIES and to add foliage where none previously existed on a BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI.
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GRAFT>GRAFT - When a stem of one plant is joined to another to grow then this is terMEd a graft. There are various methods of grafting , see : THREAD GRAFTING and APPROACH GRAFTING
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| Thanks to - Wikipedia for use of the image |
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GRAFT>GRAFTINGKNIFE>GRAFTING KNIFE - Sharp knife use seperate stems from one tree and for CUTTING>CUTTING a notch in the beneficiary tree in which to insert the cutting.
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GRAFT>GRAFTINGKNIFE>GRAFTING KNIFE - Used for grafting, preparing CUTTING>CUTTINGs and and any other jobs requiring a fine cutting edge. CoMEs in both right handed and left handed versions since only one edge is sharpened.
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| Thanks to - Kaizen Bonsai for use of the image |
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GRAHAM POTTER VIDEOS - Collection of instructional videos and various aspects of BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI presented by Graham Potter of KaiZAn Bonsai.
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| Thanks to - Kaizen Bonsai for use of the image |
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GREEN DREAM - Slow release compound fertiliser with an analysis of N.6% - P.5% - K.7%, containing only natural ingredients (organic matter from blood MEal, feather meal, cocoa shells, dried organic seaweed and vinasse).
Applied to surface soil, providing season long nutrient release without risk of scorching.
Available in different varieties : Original/Seaweed/Fish Emulsion, Liquid Organic and ericaceous.
Photo courtesy of Kaizen BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI where more info is available.
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| Thanks to - Kaizen Bonsai for use of the image |
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BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI>GREEN LAWNS BONSAI - In operation since 2000 and now has a large indoor area for Bonsai trees, pots, tools and other MErchandise. No online offerings.
Contact - Green Lawns Bonsai
Hadleigh Road
Boxford,
Nr Sudbury
CO10 5JH
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| Thanks to - Green Lawns Bonsai for use of the image |
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BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI>GREENWOOD BONSAI - Originally established by the renowned bonsai artist and author, Harry Tomlinson, in 1978 and now run by his sons Corin and Paul providing the bonsai community with quality trees and bonsai care / styling advice.
Contact - Greenwood Bonsai Studio
Ollerton Road,
Arnold,
Nottingham,
NG5 8PR
Tel: 0115 9205757
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| Thanks to - Greenwood Bonsai for use of the image |
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GREY MOULD - This FUNGUS (Botrytis cinerea) appears on the LEAVES of plants and is caused by high HUMIDITY.
TreatMEnt: increased ventilation around the plant and the application of a systemic FUNGICIDE are the recommended remedies.
Image shown by kind permission of RHS.
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| Thanks to - RHS for use of the image |
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GRIT - Horticultural Grit is a grit with neutral pH which is used for improving soil DRAINAGE, top dressing lawns and as a planting base for alpine, cacti and rock plants. It is used also in BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI but has tended to be replaced by lighter materials (such as PUMICE/moler clay) which do the saME job.
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Ground LAYERING - This is the process of creating new plants by lowering branches of existing plants down into the ground and pinning them in place so that they will root at that point and can then be separated from the parent tree.
This is most suitable for plants with low hanging branches e.g forsythia, pyracantha, and pine
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GROUP PLANTING - Any odd number of trees more than 9 in number planted as a grove or group rather than a forest.
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Growing MEdium - BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI trees can be grown in almost any type of soil but to keep them in the best of health they must be grown in a suitable soil mix.
The soil's function is to hold sufficient nutrients, water and air to provide a regular supply of these three vital components to the ROOTS of the tree.
In order to achieve the optimum conditions to match tree requirements and local climatic conditions the GROWING MEDIUM is often a mix of two or more key ingredients with growers developing their own special recipes. The basic consituents potentially include GRIT (which can come in several grades), LOAM and humus - or one of several different mediums imported from Japan (Akadama, Kiryu, Kanuma).
Given that these imported mediums can be quite expensive, a number of growers have developed the use of alternatives, one of which is cat litter (see cat litter for more information).
There is an exCELLent article on the Kaize Bo9nsai web site which you will find linked from the Web Link above.
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EDA>EDA>GYAKU EDA - Branches (called "gyaku eda") growing in the opposite way (i.e. backwards) to the branch they are growing from should be removed from your BONSAI>BONSAI>BONSAI tree.
See Branch PRUNING.
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| Thanks to - cutebonsai.com for use of the image |
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GYMNOSPERM. - A tree or bush where the seeds are encased in a hard outer shell e.g pine
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