Stewartia – 42 cm

A Stewartia bonsai, a deciduous species, is particularly prized for its elegant and natural appearance; it evokes a small glimpse of a miniature forest. The foliage, delicate and harmonious, is a bright green during the growing season, before turning in autumn to warm shades ranging from yellow to orange and red, before falling in winter. It is also a flowering bonsai: between late spring and early summer, it can produce delicate white flowers with a golden-yellow centre, resembling small wild camellias. After flowering, small ornamental capsule-like fruits may appear, ripening towards the end of summer. Cultivated in forest style (yose-ue), in which several trunks of varying sizes and heights are arranged in a seemingly random yet carefully studied manner to create depth and perspective. The slender, slightly sinuous trunks contribute to a natural and dynamic effect, whilst the asymmetrical arrangement of the trees faithfully evokes the irregularity of a woodland setting. It is grown in a rectangular blue glazed stoneware pot, chosen to enhance the composition as a whole and provide the space necessary for the ‘landscape’ to develop, creating a delicate visual balance between the container and the vegetation.