Bonsai Landscapes (Hardcover)
Amazon.com Review
The book is designed to take the enthusiast through the process of creating these landscapes. Adams begins by looking at the different examples of miniature landscapes, using plants including Japanese and trident maples, “Seiju” elm, and American larch. He includes some interesting examples from both well-known growers and amateurs, using plants from a variety of nurseries worldwide. All of the landscapes featured have been planted for a number of years. Adams gives the height and age of the plants as well as details of the container used so that you can recreate a similar effect.
The book begins with the basics, listing the tools and materials you will need to create your bonsai landscape. Adams considers the differences among accent plants that define the landscape, accessory plants that create surface texture, and rocks that are brought in to suggest cliffs and ravines. Soil type, container, and tools and sundries are all listed for a successfully completed project.
Adams goes on to offer advice on choosing and shaping plants and includes a glossary of the most commonly available bonsai plants and how they will work within a miniature landscape. The back of the book has a tree-care directory. Adams’s methodical analysis of 13 projects, with accompanying line drawings and photographs, makes it easy for anyone to achieve this novel effect. –Karen Homer
January 13th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
This book was terrific for me both as a beginner and to my friends, Who are long-time Bonsai enthusiasts. The wonderful photography made the reading very enjoyable and also illustrated the topics well.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
nice arrangement with colourful pictures . easy diagrams with simple explanation . recommended for starters and pro .
January 14th, 2010 at 1:51 am
Peter Adams has achieved international stature as one of the finest bonsai practitioners alive. Classically trained as a studio artist at the Royal Academy of Arts, Mr. Adams essentially pioneered the art of bonsai in the UK in the 1950s. What distinguishes him both as a bonsai artist and author is his vast knowledge of horticulture combined with his grasp of bonsai aesthetics as expressed through Western art doctrines. His ability to communicate those two integral disciplines clearly and powerfully in his writing and drawing contributes to the value of his work.
Bonsai Landscapes is first and foremost a guide book. It is a reference from which bonsai enthusiasts can draw inspiration and salient information concerning the creation and maintenance of miniature landscapes. As is typical of Mr. Adams, the subjects are examined and discussed using the universal language of aesthetics rather than a culturally-oriented system of artistic ideals. When needed for emphasis or clarity, the author will of course make note of a certain form or composition that evokes an Eastern locale or style. However, he is just as likely to create the image of a British hedgerow or American rainforest when the material and potential allow.
Thirteen plantings of a wide variety of materials are reviewed by the author. A history of each planting is presented and consideration is given to the original artist’s intent. Then the landscapes’ forms are tuned and adjusted by Mr. Adams to create more harmonious designs. Mr. Adams’ pen and ink sketches give a clear sense of the desired refinement for the future. Liberally sprinkled throughout the book, horticultural notes on the species used as well as viable design choice alternatives enrich the text. The reader is left with the notion that beauty in bonsai is not an end goal, but rather a transitory state through which the trees will rise and fall over the course of their lifetime.
Later chapters discuss topics such as tools and materials and sources for plant materials. In an especially helpful chapter titled `Styling The Plants’, the author outlines basic to intermediate pruning and styling techniques and why they are appropriate. Of particular interest is the chapter ‘Making a Rock Planter’ in which the artificial rock construction developed by Mr. Adams and Bill Jordan is described. Although some detail is offered, it would have been of more use if the descriptions went a step further and provided more in-depth instructions on textures and coloring of the cement. (Bonsai enthusiasts eager to try such a project can look to Chase Rosade of Rosade Bonsai Studio, New Hope, PA who regularly teaches these techniques in classes and workshops.)
The book concludes with a hands-on step by step ‘how to’ section about recreating each of the thirteen plantings. Each planting is carefully described and materials needs and their sources are fully and clearly presented.
This 128 page volume, a fine addition to any bonsai library, has been illustrated with Bill Jordan’s excellent photographs.