HOME LEARNING - THE ART OF BONSAI - DISTANCE EDUCATION
LEARN TO MASTER THE ART OF GROWING BONSAI SUCCESSFULLY
Join the many who are learning the ancient oriental art of bonsai through this practical and comprehensive course . Eight practical lessons cover the selection of plants suited to bonsai, understanding the history and classic shapes which form the basis of the art, techniques of planting, training, pruning, watering & feeding and ways of using bonsai both indoors and outdoors.
- You will create several bonsai of your own during the course and receive constructive criticism from your tutor as they help you develop your own personal bonsai style and techniques.
- Save yourself time and money by learning the correct techniques
Eight lessons each with a set task and Eight Assignments designed to teach you.
Lesson Structure
There are 8 lessons in this course:
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Introduction
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The study of Bonsai begins with a lesson in plant taxonomy. We will look at plant families and botanical classification. There is also a list of organisations that you will find useful to source information from.
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Propagation
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Different methods of propagation from raising seed to taking your own hardwood cuttings. You will aslo learn about creating suitable potting mixes.
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Plants for Bonsai
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We look at the various types of plants that are actually suitable for growing for Bonsai and selecting the right plant.
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Bonsai Styles and Techniques
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This lesson includes classification of the various styles of Bonsai there are and we also look at important wiring techniques.
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Creating Bonsai
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Pruning and shaping Bonsai, creating branch patterns, evaluating the root system, and potting up of Bonsai.
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Bonsai Culture and Maintenance
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Specifics of Bonsai culture, soil maintenance and nutritional qualitites are discussed. Also pest and disesases that effect Bonsai, and techniques for controlling and shaping Bonsai growth to achieve that special look.
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Landscaping Principles for Bonsai
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Principals of Landscape Design with Bonsai and the applications they can have in creating your garden.
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Special Project
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
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Demonstrate knowledge of the plant kingdom, an understanding of the taxonomic hierarchy, and an appreciation of the types of plants suitable for bonsai.
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Explain the methods of propagation used in bonsai.
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Select species of plants most suited to bonsai.
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Describe a range of bonsai styles and techniques used to achieve them.
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Demonstrate the process of creating bonsai.
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Explain the basics of successful bonsai culture.
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Discuss landscape design principles to better create bonsai landscapes.
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Carry out research into a particular aspect of bonsai.
What You Will Do
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Develop plant review sheets for different plants suitable for bonsai.
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Make up a list of resources/contacts useful to a bonsai grower.
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Research what constitutes a good propagating mix.
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Visit a nursery and observe the nursery stock present to assess suitability for bonsai production.
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Propagate different species of plant that have the potential to be used as Bonsai.
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Select different plants and determine the style of bonsai each plant lends itself to.
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Make a list of the most commonly grown varieties of plants you consider as being used for bonsai today.
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Visit a bonsai house, bonsai farm, bonsai nursery or other facility where bonsai are available for viewing and classify the style of different bonsai plants.
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Evaluate, prune, wire, shape and pot different plants as bonsai
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Obtain soil from two different types of soils; test the soils for drainage, and name the soils.
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Obtain (or make up) a potting mix which you consider appropriate for growing bonsai in.
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Conduct tests to name the potting mix you have obtained. Test the drainage of the potting mix.
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Visit a nursery or garden growing bonsai plants to assess the plants for pests, diseases and environmental anomalies.
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Design a miniature garden pot incorporating a bonsai plant
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Using your knowledge of landscaping principles, decide on the best outdoor locations three different bonsai, and the optimum indoor locations for short term display. Take photographs or sketch the locations in which you would place the bonsai. Submit these photographs with your assignment.
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Obtain plants of different varieties and using what you have learned in the course, turn your chosen plants into bonsai and either photograph or draw what you have created; then report on this work.
An Art, A Science, A Culture - Where You Never Stop Learning
Creating bonsai is often considered to be a complex skill which requires many years of practice and devotion to attain desirable results but this is not strictly true. Of course, is does require knowledge and commitment but it is possible to achieve worthwhile results in a relatively short space of time whether as a hobby or on a commercial scale. You just need enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.
Before you can start to understand bonsai, you need to obtain a basic understanding of growing plants (horticulture); how to identify and select appropriate species of plants for bonsai, and how to keep them healthy. Plants which are suited for bonsai in one location may not necessarily be suitable in another place. Not all plants are suited to bonsai; but with hundreds of thousands of plants to choose from, it would take several lifetimes to explore all of the possibilities with all of the different "suitable" plant species available to you.
Different Styles
There are many different sizes and styles on bonsai. Small bonsai may be up to twelve inches or 30cm in height, whereas medium sized ones might be as high as two and a half feet or 90cm. Bonsai do not have to be small. Indeed, there are some magnificent specimens six feet or more tall and hundreds of years old on display at Tokyo's Imperial Palace.
Style is of greater importance, though it is possible to create bonsai without knowing all the different styles which are commonly identified. Nevertheless, an understanding of what constitutes a particular style will make it easier to understand literature on the subject as well as to help describe one's own specimens to others.
There are many different ways of classifying the styles of bonsai. A broad classification is based on single trunk, multiple trunk and group plantings. Another way is to group bonsai into 5 main basic categories in accordance with the angle of the trunk compared to the container:
FREQUENT QUESTIONS
Why Choose This Course
- Unique course materials (developed by our staff) and more current than some colleges (many reviewed annually); as a result, ACS graduates can be more up to date.
- We work hard to help you understand and remember it, develop an ability to apply it in the real world, and build networks with others who work in this field (It’s more than just serving up a collection of information –if all you want is information, buy a book; but if you want an education, that takes learning to a whole new level).
- Start whenever you want, study at your own pace, study anywhere
- Don’t waste time and money traveling classes
- We provide more choices–courses are written to allow you more options to focus on parts of the subject that are of more interest to you; a huge range of elective subjects are offered that don’t exist elsewhere.
- Tutors are accessible (more than elsewhere) – academics work in both the UK and Australia, 5 days a week, 16 hours a day. Answering emails and phone calls from students are top priority.
- We treat students as individuals –don’t get lost in a crowd. Our tutors communicate with you one to one.
- Extra help at no extra cost if needed. When you find something you cannot do, we help you through it or will provide another option.
- Support after you finish a course –We can advise about getting work, starting business, writing a CV, etc. We can promote students and their businesses through our extensive profile on the internet. Graduates who ask will be helped.
- Support from a team of a dozen professional horticulturists, living in different parts of the UK, and in both temperate and tropical climate zones of Australia.
About ACS
ACS was started in 1979 by John Mason, who at the time was a gardening author, horticultural consultant and lecturer in horticulture at several colleges across Melbourne (in Australia). Over the summer that year John discovered that there were thousands of applicants going to be turned away from horticulture courses at Burnley Horticultural College (now Melbourne University). There were simply too few courses being offered for the number of people wanting to study horticulture in Australia. This situation prompted a move to establish a correspondence course at Burnley; but after months of unsuccessful lobbying for support from government; John wrote a course, and with help from a colleague at Council of Adult Education, marketed it.
Standards were originally set in line with what were seen to be the standards of Australia's top horticultural college; and over the years, those standards have never been reduced. This makes our courses longer and more demanding than some other colleges; but it has also led to us building a credibility that stands tall in the horticulture industry across the world.
In the early 1990's John started visiting the UK and becoming involved with the horticulture industry there. Around the mid 1990's ACS began offering RHS courses, and in 2003, John was formally recognised for his contribution to British Horticulture by being made a fellow of the Institute of Horticulture. ACS, as a school, established an office and staff in the UK in 2001, and has expanded considerably since then. Today it is formally affiliated with five other colleges in the UK (including Warwickshire College); all of who license and deliver ACS courses.
A team of leading horticulturists work for the school's horticulture department, including 12 faculty members in both the UK and Australia
How You Study
- As soon as you enroll, we send an email to explain it all.
- We direct you to a short orientation video (downloadable over the internet) to watch, where our principal introduces you to how the course works, and how you can access all sorts of support services
- You are either given a code to access your course online, or sent out a CD or course materials through the mail (or by courier).
- Work through lessons one by one, each lesson typically having four parts:
- An aim -which tells you what you should be achieving in the lesson
- Reading -notes written and regularly revised by our academic staff
- Set Task(s) -These are practicals, research or other experiential learning tasks that strengthen and add to what you have been reading
- Assignment -By answering questions, submitting them to a tutor, then getting feedback from the tutor, you confirm that you are on the right track, but more than that, you are guided to consider what you have been studying in different ways, broadening your perspective and reinforcing what you are learning about
- Other - Your work in a course rarely stops at just the above four parts. Different courses and different students will need further learning experiences. Your set task or assignment may lead to other things, interacting with tutors or people in industry, reviewing additional reference materials or something else. We treat every student as an individual and supplement their learning needs as the occasion requires.
- We provide access to and encourage you to use a range of supplementary services including an online student room, including online library; student bookshop, newsletters, social media etc.
- We provide a "student manual", that is a quick solution to most problems that might occur
Recognition
- ACS has a highly respected international profile: by employers and academics alike. People are more aware of us than many other distance education schools –just do a search for “horticulture distance education courses” and see what comes up on the internet; or search for ACS Distance education on Facebook or Linked in, and see how many connections we have compared to other colleges.
- Recognised by International Accreditation and Recognition Council
- ACS has been educating people around the world since 1979
- Over 100,000 have now studied ACS courses, across more than 150 countries
- Formal affiliations with colleges in five countries
- A faculty of over 40 internationally renowned academics –books written by our staff used by universities and colleges around the world.
Extra Books or Reference Materials
- The course provides you with everything that you need to complete it successfully.
- Assignments may ask you to look for extra information (eg. by contacting nurseries, visiting gardens or searching the internet), but our school's resources and tutors are always available as a back up. If you hit a "roadblock", we can quickly send you additional information or provide expert advice over the phone or email; to keep you moving in your studies.
- Some students choose to buy additional references, to take their learning beyond what is essential for the course. If a student wants to buy books, we operate an online bookshop offering ebooks written by staff at the school. Student discounts are available if you are studying with us. The range of e books available is being expanded rapidly, with at least one new ebook being written and published by our staff every month. See www.acsebook.com
