When bonsai are being displayed in a show, they
are commonly accompanied by “companion” or
accent “ plants. These plants are not “bonsai” but
are present to enhance the display of the bonsai.
The Japanese name for these plants is shitakusa,
which is translated from the Japanese shita, below or
under, and kusa, grass. The plant should be
something that might grow under the tree. More
recently, kusamono have become popular.
Kusamono is derived from the Japanese kusa, grass,
and mono, thing. Kusamono are arrangements of several different wild
grasses and flowers in unique pots or trays. Some compositions are
designed to include plants that will look good in several seasons.
It is important that the plant be appropriate to the bonsai on display.
Thus the seasonality of the plant and the natural locality of the plant
should match the bonsai. Companion plants should suggest a specific
natural habitat--such as a wetland, meadow, woodland or timberline.
Alpine plants would be appropriate with a contorted juniper or pine while
lowland bog plants might be appropriate
with winter berries or larch. A well-
designed companion planting also reflects the
season in which it is displayed. Lush green
plantings from a greenhouse are not appropriate
in the middle of winter. Dry grasses are not
appropriate in the middle of summer even if it is a
very dry summer. The companion plant should
also be appropriate to the bonsai in size. While
blood grass and some other grasses can look
quite nice, they are generally of a scale that
goes only with the very largest bonsai.
It is important that the planting look nice as a
stand-alone planting. The planting should
appear quite healthy. Usually, there should not
be any soil showing in the pot though there are
occasions where the soil might become an
important feature. The planting should appear
to be wild, but not untidy. Immediately prior to
showing, clean out dead or damaged foliage.
The pots can be quite rustic and are often free-form.
Glazed or showy pots are not the best choice since
they tend to overpower the display. The same thing is true for
clumps of flowering plants in a planting. If flowers are present
there should only be a few and they should be small and
interspersed with less showy types of plants.
There are three basic styles of planting: moss-ball, slab, or
container. A moss-ball is much as it sounds. A ball of clay and
peat moss is compacted into a ball and carefully covered with
moss. There is generally no more than one plant growing out of
the ball and the ball is placed on a small round plate that barley
shows from under the ball. In the slab planting, the irregular
slab is more visible and contributes to the overall composition.
Finally, in a container planting, the pot is quite apparent.
Summer
meeting
of
the
Brandywine
Bonsai
Society
devoted
to
kusamono
planting.
It
was
led
by
Pat
Morris
(standing
in
the
striped
shirt).
Dorie
Froning is shown working on her planting.
Brandywine Bonsai Society is an educational organization and as a result, the material in this site may be copied for
educational purposes. If large portions are copied, we would appreciate attribution. We welcome links to this site.