Recently I visited the beautiful Japanese Gardens in Sydney. They are located at Darling Harbour and are right in the middle of the hustle and bustle. Very much a secluded, peaceful oasis in the heart of a big city!
Now here in lies my dilemma…I really struggle with the concept of Bonsai! I understand that it is such an ancient art form and the process is just so meticulous…I also appreciate that many bonsai are very old and truly are breathtaking. But….a lot of the time I feel the practise is kind of barbaric! There I said it! I mean the whole clipping of the roots, wrapping them in wire, totally manipulating their growth, etc. Sometimes I feel it is a bit like the ancient practise of foot binding.. I just wanna jump in there smash the pots and release them into the wild!! 
Now I’m really interested to know, what are your thoughts??
Yes, when you put it that way, kind of barbaric ripping the roots apart and artificially pruning the trees to keep them small, but what a wonderful bit of art. A tradition really. This garden must have been incredible in person.
I say yes to bonsai, but no to pots!
I think it has something to do with he fact that I am not at all able to take care of indoor plants in small pots… Ouch!
Greetings from the other side of the world
Hilde
Well, I don’t know much about the practice other than what you described, but I don’t think I’d worry as much about plants as people having such things done, if that makes sense. There are people who suffer these sorts of things in truth! Off topic some, yes, but I mean that perhaps it doesn’t hurt the plants (I don’t know for sure-I’m no expert at all) and probably helps the plants become as beautiful as they are. Maybe it’s like the saying goes, “No pain, no gain” for the plants. They must suffer this treatment in order to give such beauty? Just a thought. Hope it makes sense. BTW, thanks for posting such a nice pix-it is truly lovely! And for the information about the trees-I never knew any of this before, about the roots, etc.
I was just thinking about bonsai when I was camping in the mountains last weekend. At the top of the treeline in the subalpine zone, the trees get shorter and more stunted. They call them Krumholtz or kruppelholz. They have been dwarfed by the wind, erosion and harsh conditions. Some of the trees are many years old, but might be only 1 m (3 ft) tall. They are sort of like wild, free range bonsai. : )
I think that if I don´t have enough space or some trees are too tender in my area, this is great way to enjoy them as well. Giving bonsai a right shape is a real art, no doubt. By the way, beautiful picture!