The Pot
by R.E. Sant

When it comes to bonsai, tree is only half the word, and while most enthusiasts agree the container is secondary, choosing the wrong pot will surely detract from the overall aesthetics. Face it; sometimes choosing the right pot can be more daunting than cutting the first branch. Buying a pot, only to decide later that it doesn’t “work” for one reason or another is frustrating. Like the rules of bonsai, rules for pot selection are general guidelines that can be bent as needed to achieve the desired effect while maintaining the health of the tree. Color, style, and texture depend largely on the style and species of tree. What follows are a few general guidelines to help as we move into spring transplanting season.

First, consider the dimensions of the tree. The size of the bonsai determines the size of the pot. Measure its height, width and trunk diameter. The length of the pot should be roughly 2/3 of the predominate dimension of the tree. Pot width should be slightly less than the front to back branch profile. Depth rules are less stringent since the health of the tree comes first. Cascade pots are traditionally deep, but can be also be shallow. In general, the pot should be no deeper than the width of the trunk at its base, but certain species such as Shimpaku Juniper require deeper pots to keep the roots cool.

Ginko Biloba (from Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection) with guides showing pot length in relation to tree height.

Examine the image to the right (click on it to enlarge the image). Beside the photograph are two guides, the shorter measured to pot length, the longer to tree height. Note also, pot depth is slightly less than trunk width. 

Next, observe the overall bonsai appearance. The shape and style of the tree dictate the style of pot, usually, the more formal the tree, the more formal the pot required. Upright trees (formal, informal, slanting and windswept) displaywell in rectangular and oval pots. Square and round containers complement cascading styles (formal, informal, and semi-cascade). Group plantings sit well in shallow containers that are longer than they are wide, and literati look best in small containers that accentuate their trunk.

Eastern White Cedar (Tower Hill Botanical Gardens 2003) in unglazed rectangular pot

Use of an oval or rectangular pot is largely a matter of taste. A rectangular pot conveys strength, the oval pot, grace. Conifers are frequently (but not exclusively) planted in rectangular pots, while deciduous trees use both. For overall guidance, older (thicker) bonsai favor a heavy rectangular pot, while an oval or light rectangular container accentuates a thinner trunk in the younger tree. The artist chooses which image he or she wishes to convey. 

Examine the image to the left. I shot this picture at the Tower Hill Botanical Gardens (in Boylston Mass.) during the 2004 exhibition.  This striking little bonsai belonging to Sally Cartright was originally designed by Nick Lenz (my thanks to Doug Taylor of the Bonsai Society of Greater Springfield for this information). The actual tree is shohin, around 6” tall, but at first glance its illusion is much larger. The rectangular pot complements this bonsai well, adding strength to an already powerful little tree. 

After determining size and desired style, next determine the desired color. Proper color coordination is a highly subjective area, sometimes requiring nothing more than a “good eye”. A color wheel can be a useful tool for determining a color-scheme with two general types available. When choosing between a Red-Yellow-Blue and a Red-Green-Blue color wheel, I prefer the RGB because the human eye uses red, green, and blue receptors. 

The color wheel (shown below) is divided into primary, secondary and tertiary colors. Complementary colors are opposites on the wheel (e.g. Red-Cyan, Blue-Yellow, Green-Magenta) each calling attention to the other. Analogous colors are adjacent colors (e.g. Periwinkle, Blue, Light-Blue) that blend, often found together in nature. Complementary-analogous colors are colors adjacent to the complementary color (Yellow with Light-Blue or Periwinkle) to create a less pronounced contrast than the complementary color.

To simplify what can be a complex topic, choose the feature (foliage, bark, flowers, or fruit) you wish to emphasize or de-emphasize. To bring it out, use the complementary color, to hide it, use something analogous. Examine again the Ginko Biloba (above) from the Pacific Rim Bonsai collection. Summer leaves are a light green, but in the fall this tree becomes a striking yellow. To emphasize the yellow, use a blue pot. But since the autumn color season is very short, consider a color that doesn’t clash with its summer foliage. Blue also works here since it complementary-analogous the light green. 

Expand this thought process to include your evergreens. Conventional wisdom is to use unglazed earth tone pots for conifers. While this is true, not all clays are the same. Clay colors vary from off-white to near black. There are grays, browns, purples, reds, oranges, yellows and light greens. Consider this…for species possessing light-blue foliage (Colorado Blue Spruce, certain cultivars of Japanese White Pine, some Chinese Juniper)…try a deep-colored purple or reddish-orange unglazed pot to bring out the blue even more. 

Literati Larch (from Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection) in rough stone pot

Finally, consider the pot’s texture and how it reflects the bonsai it holds. A rugged tree, one that speaks of long days on a barren mountain, struggling to survive year after year needs a pot testifying to its fortitude. A beautiful example of both tree and the pot can be found in this literati larch in a stone pot from the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection near Seattle Washington. To place this same bonsai in a small, smooth pot would not do it the same justice. 

In review, pot selection does not need to be hard and confusing. Using the above guidelines to aid in determining size, style, color and texture will make your bonsai experience more rewarding.

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