With the onset of cold weather, bare trees and a grey landscape that matches the cement buildings on your street, adding some greenery into your life at this time of year is good for the soul. The care and cultivation of bonsai trees is one hobby that keeps you in touch with the natural world and has the range of being a simple pastime or a lifelong passion.

Bunjae is the Korean word for this practice of artistic principles and horticulture. Bunjae trees are not miniature hybrids; they are normal trees intentionally dwarfed into an aesthetically pleasing shape by constant pruning and training with wires.

Nature is not allowed to take its course; every bud, twig and branch is cut back or shaped to achieve an elegant and dignified style that suits the particular species of tree.You can develop a bunjae tree from seeds or cuttings; however, you will spend most of your lifetime watching it grow. It is a slow process and prized specimens take decades of care and attention.

Another way is to transplant a tree found in the woods that already has some of the stunted, twisted characteristics of the boonjae form and then prune it into shape. Korean bunjae cultivators tend to focus on using native species ? namely pines, juniper, hornbeam, zelkova, azaleas and painted maples. Small leafed trees are preferred because leaves stay in proportion to the tree trunk.

The easiest way to get started with bunjae cultivation is to buy a tree. Prices range from 50,000 won for a small tree to over 1 million won for an aged tree pruned and trained to exemplify the proper aesthetic shape. Like the market of the art world, collectors and connoisseurs determine the value based on details an ordinary person would never notice. Bunjae can be purchased throughout Korea and nearly each community has some local greenhouses that sell the trees.

A place to observe bunjae in its finest display is the Korean Bunjae Museum, located in the Yangjae neighborhood of Seoul. Upon opening the front door, you taste the humid warm air, so rich and sweaty; that green moss grows on the indoor stonework in midwinter.

Weathered wood planks and beams support the vinyl rooftop and pebble lined paths weave through the hundreds of boonjae trees. Some on display are over 200 years old and there are many smaller trees on sale, perfect for the beginner to try the hobby.

With the wide variety of species and ages, the museum is an ideal place to see the various styles applied to different trees. Once you are interested in bunjae trees, you never look at trees in the same way.

Copyright © James Card.