What is penjing?
A landscape-in-minialture. This project is a great idea for gardeners with balconies, courtyards or limited time to spare. Part of the appeal of penjing is that it is not restricted by guidelines such as those found in bonsai. The scene can portray whatever you wish, a representation of a traditional landscape, your favourite holiday spot or a total flight of fancy.

The miniature desert island above is just a large flat tray without drainage holes so care must be taken with watering. Soil is mounded to form the island and keep the plant roots out of the water. Tiny river pebbles are used for the beach and crushed glass for the azure sea.

Step 1 The materials required for penjing are available trom bonsai specialists and garden centres.

Step 2 To create the river valley for the forest, mound the potting mix on each side to form mini hills.

Step 3 To control trees, don't water for a day before using, then remove from pot and tease out the root-ball with a plastic fork.

Step 4 Gently prune the roots, first reducing the larger, thicker roots then the finer roots.

Step 5 Develop a compact root-ball with trimming over time.

Step 6 You can tip-prune your trees to keep them compact and give them a more tree-like form.

Step 7 Position landscape elements first. An ornamental stone represents a rocky outcrop, a piece of driftwood takes the place of an ancient tree stump. Then position your mini-trees, we used Picea gluaca the Alberta or white spruce.

Step 8 Serissa is perfectly in scale with the miniature landscape elements.

Step 9 Moss creates a lush green groundcover. You'll find it at bonsai nurseries by the sheet.

Step 10 The completed tranquil forest, a true penjing landscape in miniature.

In a wet penjing, the low marble tray is filled with water. The towering rocks, available from specialist bonsai suppliers, are known as 'Dragon bone' rocks, which absorb water providing the plants with moisture.

A bonsai-pruned Morion Bay fig adds to wind-swept look of the scene. Moss around the roots helps to retain moisture and adds to the overall effect.

The bubbling brook above is created from decorative crushed blue glass. Plants such as mini mondo are used to mimic bamboo.

Maintaining your penjing
- Water penjings weekly in cooler times, daily in hot weather.
- Spray with a mister to keep your penjing looking fresh.
- Position in a spot with good air circulation and the right level of sun, wilting or scorching means too much direct sun.
- In late spring to early summer add a slow-release fertiliser by poking small holes into the soil and dropping in down a funnel.
- Apply rnild liquid feed across peak growing times to keep your penjing lush and green,
- Select plants suitable for bonsai work or those which have the appearance of a larger plant. Species with smalt leaves are ideal.

History
Around 2500 years ago the emperor of the Q'in (pronounced Chin) dynasty. Q'in Shih Huang Ti, wanted to view all of the cantons, or regions, within his empire. This was not possible for him to achieve himself, so he directed artisans and scholars to visit the cantons and create miniature living lanedscape replicas displaying the features characteristic of each region.

In the Forbidden City the emperor had a map of the empire carved into the marble floor of his private courtyard. A bench was positioned on each canton. Once complete the potted landscapes, penjings, were placed on these benches. Every morning the emperor would walk through his entire empire in miniature and marvel at the beauty and diversity of its landscapes. The emperor left behind quite a legacy. Foremost, his empire took his name, Chin, to become the country of China. Then he was buried with the famous 7000 strong Terracotta Army, and his penjing lives on as a garden-art form, which evolved into the better known bonsai.

Shopping from www.bonsainet.com.au

Source: Better Homes and Gardens July 2004