The purpose of bonsai is primarily contemplation for the viewer, and enjoyable exercise of effort and ingenuity for the grower.[4] Unlike other plant growing methods, bonsai is not intended for the production of food or for medicine. Instead, bonsai practice focuses on the long-term cultivation and shaping of one or more small trees growing in a container.
The source specimen is shaped to be relatively small and to meet the aesthetic standards of bonsai, which does not emphasize the entirety of grand landscapes but rather just the tree itself. As the candidate bonsai approaches its planned final size, it is planted in a display pot, usually one designed for bonsai display in one of a few accepted shapes and proportions. From that point on, its growth is limited by the pot environment. Throughout the year, the bonsai is shaped to limit growth, redistribute leaf power to areas that require further development, and meet the artist’s detailed design.
A bonsai is created starting with a specimen of source material. This can be a cutting, a seedling or a small tree of a species suitable for bonsai development. Bonsai can be created from almost any perennial woody tree or shrub[5] that produces true branches and can be grown to remain small by potting enclosed with crown and root pruning. Some species are popular as bonsai material because they have characteristics, such as small leaves or needles, that make them suitable for the compact visual scope of bonsai.
