About the Book
Bonsai - the Japanese art of training plants to form elegant sculptures - is an age-old craft that appeals to gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Bountiful Bonsai presents a radical new approach that applies bonsai techniques to everyday container gardening, instantly turning houseplants and herbs into beautiful and unusual bonsai sculptures!Bonsai expert Richard Bender not only expects his plants to look good but to yield pleasant fragrances, fresh herbs and fruits for his table. He shows readers how to create "instant bonsai" by shaping a range of common house plants, including: Fragrant hibiscus and jasmineKitchen herbs such as rosemary and thyme Luscious fruits like cherries and oranges Medicinals such as tea tree and camphor laurel This beautifully illustrated volume provides all the information you need to get started, from plant choice advice to care requirements and bonsai "carving" tips.
About the Author
Richard W. Bender(1953- ) was born in St. Louis, MO and grew up in an Ozark rural lifestyle yet with a very large high school less than one hour from downtown St. Louis. The combination of a rural life connected to nature and the cultural advantages of the large high school and city provided a unique perspective that is reflected in his writings for several newspapers and magazines including Horticulture, Field & Stream and The Herbal Companion. After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Management and two years in neuroscience grad school he moved to Colorado in 1985 where he operated Bonsai By Bender for more than 20 years, supplying unique bonsai to clients like the Missouri Botanic Gardens, Franklin Park Conservatory(Columbus, OH,) Portland(OR) Classical Chinese Garden and the COMO Park Conservatory in St. Paul, MN. His first book, Herbal Bonsai was in print for 15 years. Bountiful Bonsai was released in January of 2015. Bender is currently writing the book Wild Winemaking for Storey Publishing and is currently writing about several other new projects including life as a musician and joining the circus.
