What Are the Classifications of Bonsai? A Full Breakdown of Common Bonsai Types

Bonsai are mainly divided into two major categories: tree bonsai and landscape bonsai. These schools had already taken shape by the Song Dynasty, and with people's constant innovation, many new categories of bonsai have emerged. They are mainly divided into the following seven major types - let's learn about them together!

Tree Bonsai

Using trees as the main material, paired with rocks, figures, birds and animals as small accessories, and shaped through techniques such as bending and wiring and pruning, a simple pot can express the scene of open wilderness and forest. The raw materials for tree bonsai are mostly collected from the wild, so it is also called stump bonsai.

Landscape Bonsai

Using rocks as the main material, modeled on natural mountains and waters, and through techniques such as cutting and joining, paired with simple flowers and grasses, it creates various steep mountain-and-water scenes such as cliffs and precipices and perilous peaks and ravines. It is also called rock bonsai.

Water-and-Land Bonsai

Water-and-land bonsai mainly uses plants, rocks, water and soil as materials, with clear primary and secondary elements. Through processing and layout, the rocks are separated from the water and soil, expressing in a shallow pot a scene that combines water surface, land, and trees and rocks all at once.