What makes Japanese bonsai different to European bonsai? The term ‘bonsai’ is used by the landscaping industry to describe trained and pruned plants, however in Japan bonsai refers to trees grown in pots whereas those grown in the ground are referred to as niwaki. In my previous blog on bonsai I mentioned a £35,000 Japanese pine, whereas European options can be two or three times less expensive.

Japanese bonsai prices reflect the skill and time the nurseries invest over many years to create and craft individual specimen plants. As a result Japanese bonsai generally have more interesting trunks and stems with tightly clipped / pruned canopies, with the overall effect creating a smaller version of a much larger established characterful tree. They often look more impressive than European alternatives from nurseries that produce a finished and saleable plant in a short period of time.

Some of my favourite Japanese bonsai include Taxus cuspidate and Pinus parviflora var. pentaphylla. Both are evergreen and lend themselves to fantastic sculptural shaping. This requires dedicated attention to detail, however. An example is candle pruning where new growth is trimmed back to create space between branches, usually in May every year. With a tree perhaps 3m tall x 2m wide this is a labour of love but it gives the client real ”wow factor” certain to impress visitors.

Wonderful European bonsai include Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra. Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) can be shrubs or large evergreen trees, developing a pleasing irregular outline with age along with bundles of long needle-like leaves. Pinus nigra (black pine), aptly described by the Woodland Trust as “looming and handsome” occurs across the Mediterranean.

When sourcing bonsai in Europe I have built really good relationships with specialist German suppliers who I feel have the edge on producing high-quality plants. Decades of experience lead us to choose these rather than the cheaper versions sold by Italian or Dutch nurseries.

Specialist clipping … It is our invaluable trade knowledge combined with our specialist clipping service that sets us apart. In a future blog I’ll talk about topiary more widely, but in the meantime this photo is a fabulous example of a precision clipped Taxus hedge. The hedge is 4 metres wide and clipping is a two-person job: you can see one person using the hedge clippers while the second holds a spirit level for an accurate vertical cut.