The following books about bonsai trees and plants are hardcover books. We have chosen these not just because they are good sources of information but can be kept for a long time. Soft covered books don't last as long or do they tend to stick around that long. It just seems that soft covered books are not taken care of, as well as hard-covered ones and we wanted to make sure you got good value for your money.

Bonsai books about the care of bonsai trees and bonsai plants

hardcover bonsai book The Secret Techniques of Bonsai: A Guide to Starting, Raising, and Shaping Bonsai by Masakuni Kawasumi II and Masakuni Kawasu III

"Incorporating advice from his son, a tree doctor, the author teaches how to produce splendid specimens." -- The Washington Post

The Japanese art of bonsai is practiced worldwide, but while basic techniques have been effectively taught, recently invented ones, have not. THE SECRET TECHNIQUES OF BONSAI remedies with the thoughtful instruction by second and third generation experts.

SECRET TEACHINGS is by the author of the groundbreaking BONSAI WITH AMERICAN TREES, one of the first books to unveil the secrets of the trade. This time, Masakuni Kawasumi II and his son, Masakuni III, offer the basics for creating a perfect bonsai tree Masakuni III, the first qualified tree doctor for bonsai in Japan, adds his unique insights.

Their techniques are simple yet have been developed only after decades of practice. Detailed information is provided in this bonsai tree book to start, nurture, and shape bonsai. A number of secret techniques are introduced for beginners and experienced growers. They also delves into bonsai tool usage, giving you a clear sense of how to use specialized bonsai tools. All these make this an invaluable book for beginners.

Topics included in this book;

Growing bonsai from seedlings or cuttings
Secret techniques and new shortcuts to better bonsai
Techniques for shaping, pruning, training, grafting, and repotting
tep-by-step photos
Expert advice from Japan's first bonsai tree doctor
Detailed advice for using numerous bonsai tools to perfect bonsai work

Book on Bonsai Landscapes by peter adams

Because miniature gardens are becoming increasingly popular. Bonsai Landscapes shows you how use the bonsai tree to create small garden landscapes. The author, Peter Adams, has 40 years experience in bonsai design and growing and has created some of the bonsai held in the British National Collection.

bonsai landscapes The book will take you through the process of creating these landscapes. 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. Many details are given including the container used so that you can recreate a similar effect.

The book does begin with the basics, listing the tools and materials you will need to create. How to 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.

Bonsai with Japanese Maples hardcover book by peter adams

bponsai book about japanese maples If your interest is in Japanese maple bonsai trees this book is a must have. Japanese maples are among the most popular and suitable plants for bonsai design.

Expert Peter Adams discusses the specific horticultural needs of Japanese maples as bonsai subjects and illustrates proven techniques for creating and maintaining beautiful specimens.

Peter Adams began his art career in the 1950's at the age of 12 in England gaining a graduate degree from the Farnham School of Art followed by a post-graduate degree in painting from the Royal Academy Schools in London in 1962.

He now lectures worldwide and is a best selling author on the subject of Bonsai as an art medium. Japanese maple bonsai trees are one of the most favored of all outdoor bonsai used in landscaping or in small gardens.

Classic Bonsai of Japan by the Nippon Bonsai Association

This beautiful hardcover book focuses on examples of classic bonsai that will inspire growers and collectors. It is not instructional but is one of the better coffee table books.

The Nippon Bonsai Association, Japan's preeminent voice of the bonsai tradition, introduces a collection of the finest bonsai to be found in Japan. Over 130 full color and 48 black-and-white plates of priceless specimens with informative commentary provide a definitive tour of the bonsai world-from a 15-year-old flowering cherry to a majestic 1,000-year-old Yezo spruce. The notes for each piece offer insights into the balance, style, harmony, and overall aesthetic effect along with comments on the history of its cultivation at the hands of several generations of bonsai masters. John Bester brings his intimate knowledge of Japanese culture and sensibility to an elegant interpretation of bonsai art specifically adapted to Western readers. Essays on appreciation, history, and aesthetics further invite readers to enjoy this "natural" art on an informed level. A feast for the eyes as well as a lasting monument to the history of an artistic tradition, this deluxe volume is sure to delight the bonsai enthusiast, garden hobbyist, lover of things Japanese-indeed anyone with an interest in looking at art and nature in unison.

This bonsai association is the single largest public bonsai organization in Japan. Initially begun as the Kokufu Bonsai Kai in 1934, the association has become increasingly active in bonsai circles over the years. As an artistic and cultural ambassador, the association has sought to develop a high standard and to foster a broader awareness of the art of bonsai. Toward this end the association sponsors the annual Kokufu Bonsai-ten (the largest bonsai exhibition in Japan), publishes such periodicals as Bonsai Shunju, and conducts lectures and seminars on bonsai technique in Japan and abroad.

Book review From Publishers Weekly

It is not only the length of its lifespan that distinguishes the immobile tree from birds that fly, fish that swim, and men and beasts that walk over the earth; it is also the only living thing that creates, within itself, annual rings spelling out the history of its life." Bonsai, dwarf trees, contain "a record of our ancestors' trials and tribulations" in "less space than a man can encompass with his arms." This (ironically) oversize book includes 200 full-color and black-and-white photographs of Japanese specimens ranging in age from a mere five to 1000 years, and from the cheerful winter jasmine, bedecked with yellow blooms, to wizened junipers with twisted limbs. Bonsai specialists Naka, Aragaki and Marushima detail history, cultivation and stylistic nuances. Presented in an oddly luxe fashion for such an understated art, the trees bathed in light, appear larger than life.

Book Review From Library Journal

The photos illustrate bonsai of various ages, including examples that are hundreds of years old. A narrative section provides background on the history of Japanese bonsai and good descriptions of growth styles of various types.