The art of bonsai: Mimicking the shape and scale of a full-grown tree

A bonsai tree can in principle live as long as a tree growing in nature – hundreds of years. — Jan Woitas/dpa

Bonsai is an ancient art form dating back over a thousand years. The trees themselves can live for a long time – between 200 and 300 years – while there are even vines grown according to bonsai techniques that are significantly older.

“Bonsai means ‘tray planting’, ” explains bonsai specialist Martin Mueller. So a bonsai tree is a tree sculpted by human hands and planted in a tray or a container. But bonsai master Werner Busch points out that not every potted tree is a bonsai.