25 Best Books for Bonsai Everyone Should Read

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Reading bonsai books can help every beginner and experienced bonsai enthusiast further understand the art form of bonsai, its history, and its philosophy.

Although cultivating bonsai trees is a personal journey, reading bonsai books can still help anyone better equip themselves with the proper knowledge to achieve the results they want.

That being said, here are our top 25 best books for bonsai that can help kick off your journey into the world of bonsai!

16 Bonsai Books for Beginner Bonsai Enthusiasts

To build a strong foundation, you must first understand what bonsai art is and who bonsai artists are. You must learn its history, philosophy, and basic cultivation techniques to create your own system.

If you consider yourself a beginner, here are some of the best bonsai books that provide essential information:

1. Bonsai 101 Essential Tips

This book is popular among bonsai lovers due to its easy-to-follow tips and guides—making it especially convenient for beginner enthusiasts. 

Aside from breaking down the basic bonsai care and maintenance techniques, it provides step-by-step instructions to help growers perform the actions properly and accurately. It also discusses how to style a bonsai, which pot to use, and which tree species suit specific individuals.

2. Bonsai Basics: A Step-by-Step Guide to Growing, Training & General Care

Get this bonsai book if you want to learn how to perform certain bonsai techniques, such as pruning and wiring. You can also learn here the different bonsai styles, what forest groupings are, and how to select a hardy specimen to cultivate. 

It’s also filled with 200 great photos and illustrations of bonsai trees, which can inspire beginners.

3. Bonsai: Its Art, Science, History, and Philosophy

Want to know more about the Japanese art of bonsai growing? Then, grab this bonsai book.

This one focuses on explaining what bonsai is—particularly its history and philosophy. The main reason why this is considered one of the best books for bonsai is the fact that it provides in-depth information about bonsai trees’ horticultural and artistic aspects, which is perfect if you’d like to grow a strong foundation in the field.

4. Bonsai: The Art of Growing and Keeping Miniature Trees

Another easy-to-read bonsai book for beginners is Peter Chan’s “Bonsai: The Art of Growing and Keeping Miniature Trees.”

It discusses many topics, including how to properly perform certain bonsai techniques such as pruning, watering, wiring, and repotting. This book also explains the essential tools and supplies needed to cultivate a bonsai properly. As well as how to pick the right bonsai tree species for you.

5. Bonsai: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide on How to Cultivate and Care for Beginners

If you want a simple yet comprehensive bonsai tree step-by-step maintenance guide, grab this book by Kitaro Takagi.

This book teaches how beginners can properly perform the different bonsai techniques, achieve different bonsai styles, select a suitable specimen, and choose the tools necessary to cultivate a bonsai. It also discusses how you can take care of your bonsai plants depending on the season.

6. Bonsai Survival Manual: Tree-by-tree Guide to Buying, Maintaining, and Problem-Solving

Can’t decide which tree species to select? Then, get this book to learn about 50 popular bonsai varieties. It has information about their profiles, growth habits, and cultivation requirements.

Aside from discussing some basic bonsai care and maintenance techniques, it provides readers with possible solutions to some common problems that growers may encounter when cultivating bonsai, and that’s what allows this book to be among the best books for bonsai enthusiasts.

7. The Beauty of Bonsai

This great book by bonsai master Saburo Kato showcases quality images of many classic bonsai trees. From evergreens to deciduous, readers can fully appreciate and understand the beauty of bonsai.

However, since it was published in 1988, finding it online can take time and effort. You may have to visit your local library to borrow a copy of it. 

8. The Bonsai Beginner’s Bible

Meant for beginners, this book is filled with a comprehensive guide on how to water, wire, prune, repot, fertilize, and treat bonsai trees. It also contains a directory of over 180 popular bonsai tree species with full-color images, descriptions, and basic care requirements. 

9. The Bonsai Book: The Definitive Illustrated Guide

This book is highly recommended for first-time bonsai growers as it has monthly growth schedules, which can help beginners monitor their plants more easily and perform certain cultivation techniques on time.

It also includes fascinating insights and new methods that help achieve quicker results. Different propagation processes and treating sick trees are also discussed to help equip readers with helpful knowledge.

10. The Bonsai Handbook

Want to keep a bonsai tree indoors? Then, grab The Bonsai Handbook. In this book, you’ll know what it requires to grow a bonsai indoors and which tree species suit such conditions.

It also explains the aesthetics and anatomy of bonsai and the different styles of bonsai trees, accompanied by full-color images and artworks.

11. The Complete Book of Bonsai: A Practical Guide to Its Art and Cultivation

This book discusses the different styles of bonsai trees, their inspirations, and how they were derived from actual trees in nature. It also explains the different designs of bonsai pots and their use in different bonsai styles.

Basic bonsai care, maintenance, propagation, exhibition, and tools are also discussed. More so, over 300 bonsai species are introduced with accompanying full-color images.

12. The Complete Practical Encyclopedia of Bonsai: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide to Creating, Growing, and Displaying Bonsai

Growing flowering or fruit-bearing bonsai trees requires extra care and maintenance, so if you want to cultivate such species, get this bonsai book. It provides comprehensive information on cultivating azaleas, fuchsia, wisteria, rhododendrons, and other similar species, making it one of the most sought-after and best books for bonsai care.

This book also explains using different bonsai pots, display stands, figurines, and accent plants when displaying bonsai trees. 

13. The Little Book of Bonsai: An Easy Guide to Caring for Your Bonsai Tree

The Little Book of Bonsai is best recommended for those who want simple, step-by-step instructions on properly caring for and maintaining bonsai trees.

Beautifully photographed images accompany every guide to help readers visualize the actions and results. It provides information on selecting, cultivating, maintaining, displaying, and treating bonsai.

14. The Living Art Of Bonsai: Principles & Techniques of Cultivation & Propagation

Get this book if you’re interested in the works of Amy Liang, as it contains full-color images and descriptions of some of her best bonsai masterpieces—including her stunning flowering and fruit-bearing collection.

Aside from that, it discusses the history and philosophy of bonsai art, as well as the basic cultivation techniques needed to grow a thriving bonsai tree.

15. The Ultimate Bonsai Handbook: The Complete Guide for Beginners

This comprehensive bonsai book follows the “learn by imitation and observation” approach, which explains their over 1,000 demonstration images and artworks. Like other books, it provides a basic bonsai care and maintenance guide that beginners can easily follow.

It’s also among the favorite bonsai books of bonsai growers who want to learn how to cultivate pines, maples, flowering, and fruit-beating tree species.

16. Freestyle Bonsai: How to Pot, Grow, Prune, and Shape

Freestyle Bonsai is a great book for every beginner bonsai enthusiast wanting to learn the basic techniques of cultivating bonsai trees. This book also recommends some of the best bonsai species that are the best for beginners.

More importantly, it encourages beginners to be creative by telling readers that it’s okay to bend the rules along the way.

9 Bonsai Books for Advanced Bonsai Growers

Do you consider yourself an experienced bonsai grower? Then, these are the books you should check out. 

Unlike the above, these are considered the 9 best books for bonsai since they provide an insight into more advanced techniques to achieve better results and cultivate difficult-to-grow species:

17. Bonsai Techniques I

Bonsai Techniques I by John Naka is a favorite bonsai book by many beginner and experienced artists. It’s considered one of the “bibles of Western bonsai.”

It provides more in-depth and advanced instructions on cultivating bonsai trees that require experience and expertise in using bonsai tools and supplies. One of the book’s highlights is troubleshooting certain faulty parts of the specimen.

18. Bonsai Techniques II

Unlike the first book, Bonsai Techniques II dwells more on cultivating shohin bonsai trees, California juniper species, and indigenous trees from different parts of the world.

It also provides tips and advice on formally displaying bonsai trees using accent plants and suiseki viewing stones.

19. Bonsai Techniques For Satsuki

If you want to know everything about growing a satsuki bonsai tree? Then, this bonsai book is for you.

This one focuses entirely on propagating and cultivating satusuki bonsai—from watering, repotting, pruning, fertilizing, and wiring the tree. It also provides general information about satsuki trees, accompanied by stunning full-color images.

20. Bonsai Master Class

Aside from providing advanced bonsai techniques and guides for different climates, this book is a good way to introduce yourself to some of the renowned contemporary bonsai artists in the world. 

This book introduces notable contemporary bonsai artists and their remarkable bonsai techniques, which can help other bonsai growers advance their works and processes.

21. Forest: Rock Planting and Ezo Spruce Bonsai

This bonsai book focuses on creating forest bonsai and rock planting and cultivating Ezo spruce trees.

In this book, you’ll learn how to create a forest bonsai or rock planting, from selecting a suitable bonsai species to maintaining the trees as a group. It also includes photos of Saburo Kato’s iconic forest bonsai and rock planting to provide inspiration and examples.

22. The Bonsai Art of Kimura

If you’re interested in the works of renowned bonsai master Masahiko Kimura, this book is for you!

This book talks about Japanese artist Masahiko Kimura, his bonsai journey, and his award-winning bonsai masterpieces. It also discusses Kimura’s bonsai cultivation techniques that became controversial during his early years.

23. The Magician: Bonsai Art of Kimura 2

Another book you can get if you want to know more about Masahiko Kimura is The Magician: The Bonsai Art of Kimura 2.

Compared to the first book, this one talks more about Kimura’s notable bonsai masterpieces—including their backstories and cultivation processes. Kimura has also mentioned here some of his thought processes when creating and styling bonsai trees.

24. The Master’s Book of Bonsai

The Master’s Book of Bonsai provides practical advice on growing bonsai from seeds, cuttings, and grafting. It also provides guides for layering and dividing, as well as creating forest bonsai and root-grown bonsai.

Extensive bonsai care and maintenance guide, examples of different bonsai styles, and an introduction to necessary bonsai tools can also be found in the book.

25. John Naka’s Sketchbook

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If you want to see the behind-the-scenes works of Western bonsai master John Yoshio Naka, check out this book.

This one contains several bonsai sketches of John Naka, so anyone can have a glimpse at how he initially planned to cultivate and design some of his popular and treasured bonsai masterpieces.

Conclusion

These 25 best books for bonsai are designed to help beginners and experienced bonsai enthusiasts alike learn more about the art of bonsai and how to cultivate one successfully.

Each book is equally helpful, depending on what information you need. When looking for one, choose one that suits your need and level of expertise.