Production of French Bonsai
Inseparable from the traditional Japanese-style garden, the NIWAKI leave no one indifferent by the aesthetics of their silhouette cut into trays or clouds. But do you know what they really are, what they are not, and how to care for them?
What is a NIWAKI?
Niwaki is a Japanese term meaning garden tree (NIWA 庭 garden and KI 木 tree), but in the same way that a potted tree is not necessarily a bonsai, a garden tree is not necessarily a NIWAKI. Because it is also an art of pruning that has a lot in common with the art of bonsai. This is referred to as cloud pruning or tray pruning. This style is said to represent the quintessence of the tree.
But first and foremost, it's important to define what a NIWAKI is not. Because very often, in magazines, on the internet or in garden centers, we see trees that bear the name NIWAKI when they are only a pale interpretation of it in bad taste.
No, these trees with stiff branches like stakes, completely bare, with only balls of vegetation at the end are not NIWAKI. You can like this style or not, that's not the question, but they are far from having the essence of Japanese-style pruned trees. This style was certainly invented by people who wanted to ride the Japanese wave, and with a few strokes of pruning shears they remove branches and form a pompom at the end under a false name.
So what is a NIWAKI? Picture a picture of a large bonsai tree and you'll already have a first idea. These are trees on which the branches have been pruned and formed for a very clean and airy style. The vegetation is arranged in separate, tiered plateaus and the foliage often begins in the first third of the branch.
The shape of a NIWAKI takes up most of the aesthetic codes of bonsai : a trunk with taper, often with a nice movement (except in a strictly straight style), the lowest branches are the largest and most developed and they become thinner and thinner as they go up towards the apex. Finally, the top forms a roundness which is a characteristic of an old tree. Because yes, a NIWAKI must also give the appearance of a venerable tree that has survived the centuries.
» Fancy a NIWAKI? Take a look at what we produce at the nursery
What plant can you make a NIWAKI with?
The two main species used are maple and pine. These are the ones that are often found in Japanese gardens. But it is theoretically possible to form a NIWAKI with any type of tree. There are yews, junipers, cypresses, etc.
Many varieties that are used in bonsai can also be used for NIWAKI, but shrubs or small trees should be avoided. Because a NIWAKI has to have a certain height. There are no specific rules, but generally these are trees that are more than a meter tall.
Should you plant a NIWAKI in a grow box or in the ground?
Both solutions are possible, each with its own advantages and constraints.
If it is planted in a container, it will be raised and you will be able to appreciate it better. But when you need to trim it, you'll quickly need a ladder to reach the head. A NIWAKI of 1m50 planted in a container 80cm high, we arrive at 2m30 in total height. Growing in a container is similar to growing in pots, the substrate dries out faster than in the ground and it will also be necessary to repot the tree regularly to prune the roots and leave space for new ones. This is an operation that is more spaced out than for a bonsai, you can leave the NIWAKI in its pot for more than 10 years without any problem.
Planted in the ground, cultivation is easier but for the aesthetic effect to be interesting it is still necessary to have a minimum height of 1m20, especially if the tree is planted in isolation. But in the ground, nature quickly reasserts itself and the tree will grow much faster than in a pot. Maintenance will therefore be more frequent, especially with deciduous trees, which will require several prunings per year. It is especially on the head that you must be vigilant, because the apical tendency makes the tree try to go higher and higher and it is this part that is the most vigorous.
How do you make a NIWAKI?
The creation of a NIWAKI is very similar to that of a bonsai, simply because most of the techniques we use to train our potted trees are directly inherited from the techniques used centuries ago in the art of gardening, first in China and then in Japan.
We therefore start with plants that have grown in the ground but that we have pruned every year to give movement to the trunk and branches. Then comes the work of branching, branch selection, densification, etc.
It takes years to form a NIWAKI, it takes decades to form a beautiful one like the ones we see in Japan.
How do you prune a NIWAKI?
You can choose to buy a garden tree pruned in clouds, plant it and let it grow. But in a few years you will lose the well-defined plateaus, nature abhors a void and it will quickly fill the empty spaces.
A NIWAKI is maintained by applying a few essential principles:
- It should be light and airy, with few branches but developed branches. The Japanese say that a bird should be able to pass through the tree without its feathers touching a leaf.
- To form the trays, cut off any shoots that are clearly facing down or up. They are cut back because over the years they will form unsightly branches
- In winter, on a deciduous tree that has lost its leaves, look at the structure of the branches, remove those that cross each other. When there is a fork with 3 or more starts, keep only 2.
- On a pine tree, you prune the candles in the same way as a bonsai of the species. At the end of winter, you can also lower branches and place them horizontally using guy wires.