Detailed Explanation of Narcissus Bonsai Styling Techniques and Methods
1. Pot culture: It can be divided into soil culture, sand culture and water culture. Smaller bulbs of size 40 or 50 can be used (main bulb circumference under 22cm). When planting, the bulbs are not carved; plant 2-5 per pot in soil or sand, water regularly with clean water, keep moist, and ensure sufficient sunlight, with the temperature kept at around 15°C. After 35-45 days, the leaves turn emerald green and the scapes emerge and bloom. If water culture is used, first clean off the protective mud on the bulb and the dead roots, peel off the brown outer skin of the bulb, place it upright in the pot, and nourish it with clean water, changing the water every 2 days to prevent root rot. Spread fine sand or rain flower pebbles, small white stones, shells and the like on the bottom of the pot to stabilize the roots and add ornamental beauty. Grown this way, the plant has an upright, tall, sturdy and lush form, a long flowering period, and a shape like a brush rack, so it is called “brush-rack narcissus” or “standing-head narcissus”.
2. Carved water culture: Carved bulbs lose part of their scales and nutrients. If small bulbs are used, insufficient nutrients will result in failure to bloom or a shortened flowering period, affecting their ornamental value. Therefore, for carved bulbs, size 30 or above should generally be chosen (main bulb circumference above 22cm). Carved water culture is a rather unique method in flower cultivation and styling, and is Zhangzhou's unique ornamental art of narcissus. According to the different shapes of the bulbs, combined with the author's intention, through careful conception, skillful force, carved layout, meticulous water culture and gradual trimming, it can become a beautiful artwork with countless forms and full of life. Examples include: “Golden Rooster Crows at Dawn”, “Flower Basket Offers Longevity”, “Jade Pot Produces Saliva”, “Green Dragon Spits a Pearl”, and so on.
3. Combined scene composition: Using several, dozens, or even hundreds of bulbs of different varieties but uniform flower shape, after carving and cultivation, fix them one by one on a pre-designed patterned frame to assemble various large artistic shapes, such as: “Narcissus Tower”, “Galloping Horse”, “Green Dragon Plays with a Pearl”, and so on. This method is novel in shape, strong in three-dimensional effect, magnificent in momentum, and full of fragrance, suitable for flower exhibitions and display in public places.
DIY Narcissus Bonsai: Auspicious Narcissus
Legend says that the narcissus is the incarnation of Emperor Yao's daughters Ehuang and Nüying. The two sisters both married Shun, the elder becoming empress and the younger becoming concubine. When Shun died during his southern inspection tour, Ehuang and Nüying both died for love in the Xiang River. Heaven took pity on their deep love and turned their souls into narcissuses by the river, and they also became the flower gods of the twelfth-month narcissus. Cao Zhi's "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" and Gao Sisun of the Song Dynasty's former and latter odes to the narcissus all praised the narcissus. If their writings are summed up, the beauty of the narcissus is "purity".
Although this is a legend, the narcissus ranks among China's top ten famous flowers, and is a New Year flower offered in Chinese folk tradition, representing the warding off of evil and filth, and symbolizing family good fortune and wishes coming true. The narcissus is also known as "golden cup and silver platform"; the flower lives up to its name, with green skirts and blue sashes, standing gracefully above clear waves. Its pure white flowers are transcendent and refined, elegant and fragrant, like a fairy walking on the waves. It is said that "for narcissuses under heaven, Zhangzhou is the best", so most narcissuses in Guangzhou come from Zhangzhou, Fujian, and the currently popular narcissus carving technique also comes from that place.
If you want to learn carving, it may be a bit difficult. However, to DIY a narcissus bonsai as a New Year flower is relatively simple. Let's get started below!
Materials: several narcissus bulbs, a wide-mouthed flower pot, white stones, colored glass beads, a bucket, clean water.
DIY steps: 1. Wash the flower pot clean and set aside; the pot is best with a large mouth and shallow depth;
2. The number of narcissus bulbs depends on the size of the pot. If you want a styled look, at least 5 bulbs are needed;
3. Single-petaled ones are easy to handle; just peel off the blackened dead outer skin. If they are multi-petaled (the reporter chose narcissus bulbs cultivated by an experienced Zhangzhou master, generally reaching 8 petals or more), then take an even number, break off the excess leaf petals at the front and back, and remove the dead skin before setting aside;
4. Wash the white stones with clean water and spread a thin layer on the bottom of the pot;
5. Plant 4 flat-shaped narcissus bulbs along the edge of the pot;
6. Plant the narcissus bulb in the center;
7. Fill with clean water;
8. Finally, add the colored glass beads, and a beautiful narcissus bonsai New Year flower is born.
Reporter's Notes
DIY narcissus bonsai has three major difficulties. The first is the choice of flower pot. If it is Chinese style, there are many on the market, but if you want a modern minimalist style, there are only glass pots, and large-mouthed narcissus pots are hard to find. As for European style, there seem to be none. It is said that the narcissus has long crossed the oceans and is famous worldwide, yet in Guangzhou I really have not seen a European-style narcissus pot. I wonder what style of pot Europeans use when they want to place a narcissus bonsai at home? I am looking forward to it.
The second is the choice of bulbs. Narcissus bulbs are divided into multi-petaled and single-petaled. Industry experts remind us that many narcissus bulbs that look beautiful on the market actually cannot bloom. When purchasing, gently pinch the junction between the root stem and the leaf surface; those with a swollen feel generally will bloom.
The last is styling. Depending on the master's skill, wide flat fan-shaped bulbs are suitable for placing at the sides, while the central narcissus bulb is best slightly round and taller than the surrounding narcissus bulbs. If you have the skill, arranging a step-by-step rising shape is not difficult either.
How to Carve Narcissus Bulbs: Zhangzhou Narcissus Bulb Carving and Styling Techniques
Narcissus is a bulbous flower. The bulb has already stored a large amount of nutrients and completed flower bud differentiation. With timely water culture and certain environmental conditions, potted narcissus can be made to bloom. The purpose of narcissus carving and styling is to use knife carving or other means to make the leaves and flowers of the narcissus dwarf, curve, orient and take shape, make the roots grow vertically or horizontally, and maintain and fix the bulb or side bulbs according to the styling requirements. Next, taking Zhangzhou narcissus as an example, the editor will introduce the unique carving techniques of narcissus.
I. Selection of the flower head：
(1) Choosing flower heads by fixed styling: This means we first determine a certain styling and then choose narcissus flower heads. This generally refers to masters who have already mastered the art of narcissus carving. To participate in competitions or hold exhibitions, specific styling is needed, so one must choose flower heads with a basic form in order to carve and shape a satisfactory work. For example, if you are determined to create a festive flower basket, you must choose a flower head with symmetrical basal shoots, otherwise where would the basket handle come from later? If you want to create "Mandarin Ducks Playing in Water", you need to select a small spherical basal shoot of appropriate size. Only after carving can a matching body shape be cultivated. For the "Peach and Plum Competing in Spring" styling, you need to select a large and a small bulb growing together on one basal plate; the large one is the peach and the small one is the plum. Without these basic forms, no matter how good the carving technique is, it will be hard to create a lifelike work. To borrow an old saying, this is "a clever housewife cannot cook a meal without rice". The basic elements are: imagine the basic outline of the work you want to create, and let the bulb or the structure of the bulb basically match it. It is like a painter painting; the first few strokes always set the outline, and then the details are developed. Later carving and styling are the development of the details. Only by combining the two can the outline be accurate and the details rich. Only then can a work perfectly present the artistic conception the creator wants to express, and only then can it possibly be a work with life.
(2) Choosing styling by looking at the flower head: This is what happens when appreciating at home. You only have a few narcissuses sent by relatives or friends from afar, or a small number of flower heads you picked up while casually wandering the flower market. At this time, you cannot create whatever you want at will. However, the principle is still the same: look at the narcissus flower heads in your hand and imagine what their basic outlines resemble. In fact, narcissus carving is just this magical, similar to painting Chinese ink paintings, emphasizing artistic conception. Whether figures or landscapes, it does not seek realistic resemblance; spiritual resemblance is more important. Everything is between likeness and unlikeness, and this is precisely where the charm of narcissus carving art lies. A specific example of flower head selection is: symmetrical bulb basal shoots are suitable for carving and styling into flower baskets, dragon heads, two snakes emerging from water, and so on. Asymmetrical ones can imitate birds and beasts or landscape bonsai. Use your imagination, and you can find a suitable styling. If you really cannot think of one, as long as you carve out a crab-claw narcissus and place it naturally, with a suitable pot, it is also a very good natural scene.
II. Narcissus carving tools:
As the saying goes, "To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools." A good narcissus carving knife makes the process of carving narcissus handy and effortless. Tools used for carving narcissus vary from place to place, but they are largely the same. The traditional carving knives of Zhangzhou, Fujian, can generally be divided into:
(1) Main cutting knife: The knife is 18 cm long, of which the handle is 10 cm and the blade edge is 8 cm. The knife shape is a long triangle, with the widest part 1.5 cm, the blade edge flat and straight, and the spine 3 mm thick. It is used for making the first cut and opening the cap. It is the most basic narcissus carving knife, and some masters can complete all carving tasks with just this one knife.
(2) Oblique carving knife: It is the main tool used together with the traditional carving knife for fine carving. It is used for processes such as peeling, paring, scraping, shoveling and shaping.
(3) Right-angle gouge: Generally made by the carver himself, using a 2~3 mm steel plate with the end ground sharp and bent into a right angle. It is used to dig holes and hollow out cavities, and is extremely convenient for carving shapes like teapots and gourds.
(4) Small scissors: Ideally medical stainless steel small scissors. The blades are slender; one pointed and one curved small scissors each. Used for trimming leaves and scales. Used together with carving. During water culture, used to cut off moldy and rotten scales, leaves, roots, flower stamens, and so on.
(5) Tweezers: One pointed and one curved, ideally medical stainless steel small tweezers. Used for cleaning carved fragments, arranging leaves, flower stalks and stamens, and for deep carving, covering with cotton, and cleaning dirt.
III. Basic steps of narcissus carving:
(1) Cleaning the bulb: Break off the root-protecting mud, use a bamboo board to remove dead roots and rotten impurities, taking care not to damage the bulb, and peel off the brown dried outer scale skin of the bulb so as to make cutting easier.
(2) Cutting the scales: Formerly called opening the cap, this means longitudinally cutting away about half of the bulb to expose the bulb buds. The method is to use a cutting knife to make a curved horizontal line 1 cm up from the basal plate, then along the line use the carving knife to peel away the scales layer by layer into the bulb until all bud bodies are exposed. The technique is: when the knife cuts in, the index finger presses on the scale and follows; when withdrawing, bring the scale out with it. The bulb only needs to be cut to half.
(3) Clearing the scale gaps: To make it easier to carve the leaves and flower stalks, carve away the scales sandwiched between the bud bodies.
(4) Peeling off the bracts: Open the bracts from the end of the bud, then peel them down toward the base.
(5) Trimming the leaf edges: According to the styling requirements, determine the position and width of the leaf cut. First make a cut at the leaf tip, then peel along the leaf edge toward the base. Peeling the leaf must be done carefully; never damage the flower bud.
(6) Carving the flower stalk: According to the styling needs, determine the amount and direction of the flower stalk to be cut, and carve from the stalk end toward the base. If it needs to be cut all the way to the bulb, a pointed triangular knife can also be used to pierce the bulb along the thin skin of the flower stalk. If carving in November~December, the flower stalk has not yet grown at this time, making accurate cutting difficult and possibly cutting off the tender small flower stalk. The bulb can be soaked in water until it sprouts and the flower stalk swells a bit more before cutting.
(7) Carving side buds: Side buds are mostly on both sides of the mother bulb; some have flowers, some do not. According to the planned styling, either do not carve them and keep them as basket handles or bird heads, or slightly trim them to keep them as rooster or goldfish tails, or carve them as above so they grow into crab-leg shapes and are shaped into other forms.
(8) Trimming the cut surfaces: Trim and smooth all cuts, which is both neat and beautiful, and can also prevent fragments and residue from rotting and contaminating the bulb.
(9) Special knife techniques:
1. Vertical carving: Use the carving knife to cut vertically downward directly into the bulb. It is generally used in large-scale water culture. This kind of carving only releases the bulb's constraint on the buds and serves to promote growth and make the plant dwarf and sturdy. When it first grows, it looks a bit like a penguin, hence it is called "standing-head narcissus".
2. Oblique carving: The basic use is similar in effect to "standing-head narcissus", and it is also a carving method used by growers doing large-scale water culture or not wanting to spend much labor. The method is to make one cut on each of the two sides of the bulb from top toward the sides, allowing the flower buds to grow out smoothly.
3. Digging a cup: Remove the upper half of the narcissus bulb, keep the flower buds, retain the two outer layers of scales, and hollow out the inner scales to form a cup shape. The flower buds are carved along the leaf edges and flower stalk as above, and when grown the shape is like a silver cup producing flowers.
4. Hollowing out: To preserve the basic bulb shape, do not damage the outside of the bulb; use special tools to hollow out the inner scales and release the flower buds, letting the flowers accompany the bulb on either side. This type of knife technique is needed for "Peach and Plum Competing in Spring", "Gourd Reveals Auspiciousness", and so on.
IV. Water culture of carved narcissus:
In the narcissus carving process there is a saying of "three parts carving, seven parts cultivating", which shows that cultivation is more important than carving. The water culture of narcissus, also called soaking and nourishing, is described below:
(1) Soaking and washing: After the narcissus flower head is carved and slightly air-dried, the flower head can be placed in water to soak. However, sometimes for a uniform flowering period and because of a shortage of labor, carved narcissuses are also left for a few days and then put into water together, because once a narcissus enters water, the flowering process cannot be stopped. If a uniform flowering period is desired, they need to enter water at the same time. The water for soaking is best natural spring water; for small-scale water culture in city life, drinking mineral water can be used. Tap water contains bleaching powder, so the water should first be left standing for a day before use. (If dwarfing treatment is needed, it is also done at this time: soak "narcissus dwarfing agent" into a solution according to the instructions and use it as the narcissus soaking liquid; dwarfing agent dealers generally provide the formula.) After carving, the narcissus flower heads are soaked and rinsed for two days. During soaking, place the carved side of the flower head downward into the water, and gently press the flower head with a heavy object to prevent it from floating. After soaking for one day, take out the flower heads and wash off the mucus one by one. When washing, you can hold the flower head with your hand, gently strike the water with the carved side facing down to rinse it, or use tap water with appropriate pressure to wash the mucus clean, and at the same time clean off the remaining mud, residual roots and dead skin on the flower head; then place the flower head in clean water to soak again. On the second day of soaking, the flower head still exudes mucus, and this method must be used again to wash it clean. The purpose of soaking and washing is to prevent the flower head from rotting and changing color. The transparent mucus in the narcissus bulb contains certain nutrients and is easily invaded by fungi and becomes moldy; if the mucus is not washed clean, it will also stick to the carved flower head, and with sun exposure and fungal invasion the pure white flower head turns brown and black.
After the flower head is taken out, it is best to spray and wash it once more with clean water, and use your fingers to touch the wounded areas (because the mucus is transparent and not easy to notice); if there is still mucus, wash it clean with your hands. After the washed flower head has been soaked in water for 2 days, it has absorbed enough water and also stimulated the root points to sprout. In order to protect the roots of the flower head from turning yellow from sun exposure, to make them quickly grow roots, and to induce root development, cotton (absorbent cotton, commonly called medicinal cotton) or gauze (absorbent gauze) should be used to cover the basal plate area below the bulb cuts; and the cotton or gauze should hang into the water to absorb water for the roots and provide warmth.
Some stylings, such as "Jade Elephant Carrying Treasure", require the flower head to be placed upside down in water culture, and the cotton should cover the depression of the basal plate on top and wrap the roots down into the water; if the styling mainly appreciates the bulb, such as "Peach and Plum Competing in Spring", then for the whiteness of the bulb, its upper part can be covered with thin cotton or gauze to avoid yellowing from sun exposure.
(2) Potting: After the narcissus flower head is carved, soaked, washed and wrapped in cotton, it is potted for water culture. If there are many carved ones, they can first be water-cultured in a coarse basin, or in a larger basin or square tray. Nowadays many commercial water cultures use 10 cm wide wooden boards nailed into a square frame, covered with plastic film, which can be large or small as needed; when the narcissus is about to bloom, it is then moved to a fine pot for display or sale. If the number is small, it can be directly water-cultured in a fine pot. The choice of pot should be coordinated and harmonious with the styling, meeting the requirement of "a matching pot". For example, the "flower basket" styling should use a round or flower-pot-shaped narcissus pot; "Two Phoenixes Facing the Sun" is better with a square or oval one; if mainly appreciating the root system, a transparent tall cylinder should be used, or it should lean on rockery. In short, the choice of pot should be coordinated with the styling.
(3) Placement: Generally, narcissus flower heads are potted mainly in the upward-facing and vertical positions. The so-called "upward-facing" means the wounded side faces upward and the roots face forward; "vertical" means the wounded side faces forward and the roots face downward, which is also "upright placement". Upward-facing is suitable for "crab-claw narcissus" and the like; vertical is suitable for "Jade Pot Spring Colors" and the like.
For special stylings, "inverted" and "reversed" potting can be used. "Inverted" means the leaf body is below, the roots face downward, and the root part faces upward, such as in the "Jade Elephant Carrying Treasure" styling, mainly to highlight the bulb and side bulbs with a realistic inverted form. "Reversed" means "face-down placement", with the wounded side downward and the uninjured side of the bulb facing upward, such as in "Crab Walking Sideways", where the complete round bulb surface faces up, symbolizing the crab's "iron armor", while the flower scape and leaves curl and grow sideways around it, closely resembling crab claws.
However, whenever the wound faces downward and is immersed in water, care should be taken to prevent the flower scape and bulb from rotting. The method is to prop the flower head up above the water surface, letting only the roots hang down to absorb water. If necessary, the flower head can also be disinfected with chemicals after carving. Most narcissuses potted in the upward-facing and downward-facing positions do not change position from beginning to end. But some stylings need to be turned and changed during cultivation, such as the elephant type and crab type; generally they are first water-cultured upward-facing for 5-7 days, until the bud bodies curl upward freely, which can also avoid the bud bodies (especially flower buds) rotting easily when they enter water early after initial carving.
Management after potting carved narcissus is very important. Because the bulb has been carved, the leaves, flower scape stalks and bulb are all cut and wounded, the wounds have high evaporation and are susceptible to infection, and new roots are growing, warmth is needed. At first it can be placed in a cool place for 2-3 days, and the plant should be frequently sprayed with clean water. After the wounds gradually heal and new roots grow, move it to a place with ample sunlight for full photosynthesis, so that the leaves turn green and do not grow leggy, which helps fix the styling.
(4) Water management: Every day pour out all the water and replace it with fresh water, soaking up to below the wounds. Under southern climate conditions, for Spring Festival flowers, from carving and soaking to flowering generally takes about 30 days. In the first two weeks, change the water once every day and spray clean water 1-2 times; in the latter two weeks, change the water once every 2 days. When encountering higher temperatures, add one more water change and spray water 1~2 times.
(5) Light: Narcissus growth needs ample light; under appropriate light it grows sturdy and upright. However, in the early stage of water culture, because the bulb buds have just been exposed and are very tender, they cannot withstand strong sunlight, so in the early potting stage they should be maintained in a shaded place for a few days. Only after the leaves turn green should they slowly receive full-day sunlight. For home water culture, a south-facing window is best. Large-scale water culture can be maintained in a greenhouse.
(6) Temperature: When cultivating in the south, be careful of excessively high temperatures; in the north it is just the opposite. Although narcissus grows at temperatures between 4-25°C, a temperature between 10~18°C is most suitable for narcissus growth. Appropriate low temperatures can prolong the flowering period. Narcissus is a cold-natured plant and is not afraid of cold, but carved flower heads have lost half or even more than half of their substance, lack nutrients, and have fragile callus tissue, so they cannot withstand frost damage; in the north, attention should be paid to open-air freezing. The most suitable temperature is 10-18°C.
(7) Prolonging the flowering period: Narcissus goes from first opening to full bloom to withering, generally lasting a relatively long 12-15 days. If care is poor and temperatures are high, the flowering period is even shorter, and a short flowering period lowers its ornamental value. How can the flowering period be prolonged and the flowers made more luxuriant? "Flower Mirror" and "Guang Qun Fang Pu" contain records such as, "I (Yu Ruoying) every year beg three or four stems from friends and place them at my study head; the fragrance lasts ten days", and also, "Gardeners near the river in Hangzhou grow them into groves; because the soil is close to salt brine, the flowers are luxuriant", and "For placing in a vase, it is suitable to nourish with salt water". The specific method is: before the flower buds split open, put a little table salt in the flower pot, and the flowering period can be extended by 2-3 days.
V. Styling of carved narcissus:
Carving narcissus is actually achieved by using natural forces plus a small amount of artificial embellishment. These are explained separately below:
(1) Natural forces: The reason narcissus carving art is magical is that in excellent finished works, the carver, according to a predetermined conception, uses natural forces and guides them according to the situation, so that almost no trace of artificial carving can be seen; everything is naturally formed, with very little artificial forcing. Excellent narcissus artistic shaping should use natural forces as much as possible. The so-called natural forces are, first, using the unbalanced growth after cutting wounds to bend and shorten flower stalks and leaves for styling. Second, the above-ground parts of plants grow upward away from the ground. Third, the roots grow downward. In addition, the intensity of light has different effects on roots, stems and leaves. By using these appropriately, one can achieve the desired result. The roles of these forces in narcissus artistic styling are briefly described below:
1. In the basic steps of narcissus carving in section three, "trimming the leaf edges" means cutting one side of the leaf edge so that it is wounded and growth stops, while the other side grows normally; the unbalanced growth on the two sides makes the leaf curl. Similarly, "carving the flower stalk" has the effect of bending and shortening the flower stalk. Through appropriate deep or shallow cuts, the degree of bending and the length of flowers and leaves can be controlled, and the positions of flowers and leaves can be reasonably arranged. Master the measure well, and you can be like a painter with a brush, splashing ink and wield the brush, with appropriate density.
2. The geotropism of plant growth is also a force that can be used in narcissus styling. For arranging relatively large numbers of flowers and leaves, geotropism is quite efficient. The placement method has been discussed earlier. By placing the bulb upward, downward, upright or slanting, the direction of all flowers and leaves can be conveniently arranged. Things like the beautiful tails of peacocks and roosters, and the handles of flower baskets, all require appropriate placement to achieve the desired result.
3. The gravitropism of roots can also be induced to bend and twist, clinging to water-and-stone bonsai like a mountain stream waterfall, remarkably true to life.
4. The effect of light: stronger light can dwarf the plant and make it sturdy and upright. Appropriate shading makes narcissus roots dense and snow-white. For works appreciating the roots, planting the bulb in rice husk charcoal ash can cultivate roots as white as snow.
(2) Artificial embellishment:
Although narcissus carving art emphasizes natural beauty, appropriate artificial embellishment can play the role of the finishing touch. A flower basket handle cannot become a flower basket without being tied; a goldfish cannot become a goldfish without having its eyes dotted. Using small accessories as the eyes, head crowns and clothing of pictographic works to beautify them is also indispensable. Commonly used ones include buttons, pins, head ornaments and so on; you can also make your own. Use your imagination and use all usable small accessories. The principle is: as long as it adds color to the work, use it boldly; try to avoid gilding the lily.
VI. Classification of narcissus artistic carving works:
(1) Single-head narcissus: The work is carved and styled from a single narcissus head; it can only be tied and bound, and cannot be joined or combined with other flower heads. Generally birds and beasts can be carved from a single one, such as "A Rooster Crows", "Peacock Spreads Its Tail", and so on.
(2) Multi-bulb combination: Generally, several narcissus heads are each carved into shape and then combined, such as: "Jade Pot Produces Saliva", composed of one teapot and several teacups; "Mandarin Ducks Playing in Water" is composed of two water birds matched in body shape.
(3) Combined bonsai: Using "crab-claw narcissus" as the basic styling, after certain changes in placement and matching with water-and-stone bonsai and ornamental stones, it becomes a very good narcissus bonsai.
(4) Combined scene composition: Using dozens or even hundreds of bulbs of different varieties, carved and cultivated to have uniform flower shape, fix them one by one on a pre-designed patterned frame to assemble various large artistic shapes, such as: "Narcissus Tower", "Galloping Horse", "Green Dragon Plays with a Pearl", and so on. This method is novel in shape, strong in three-dimensional effect, magnificent in momentum, and full of fragrance, suitable for flower exhibitions and display in public places. The basic skeleton is steel, wrapped outside with water-absorbing material; the narcissus roots fixed on it can grow down and bloom very well.
Summary: The above is an introduction to narcissus bulb carving techniques. We hope it is helpful to the many flower-loving friends.