Have you got it wired, or do you shape it by clip and grow?

I have it wired at times. The wire should not stay on there very long. It isn't needed to hold the plants up in this case but does help me position them and gently bend them a bit at a time. Most of the shaping so far has been clipping to slowly expose the 'trunk' and 'branches'. Once these get larger, I'll separate them into two bonsai pots!

If you do need to shift or bend things, make sure you withhold water (or remove from wicking) until the plant is just starting to almost, but not quite, wilt. It makes it much easier to wire and bend, without damaging turgid, brittle, water filled stems. I also use dead soft aluminum jeweler's wire that is very bendy.

Cute idea!

I think I have a stubborn haiku in a terrarium somewhere... would make an ideal test subject :)

Hyn you know how much I love this little thing! Who would have thought a violet could be a bonsai???? I just love it! Keep us posted on how it does and man,,if it flowers I really want a pix of that!!!! It is just too cute!!!! Rosie

Haha, thank you Rosie. Your support and enthusiasm is much appreciated. ;) I'd like to see it flower myself eventually and maybe it will. Meanwhile I still find it charming whether it does or not.

I bonsai all sorts of things around here. In traditional Japanese plantings, grasses and flowers are given such respect, not only trees so it is an old tradition with many names for the various styles and subjects. I already have a number of my adenium seedlings training in little bonsai pots, again not for anything serious, but just because they are so darn cute. Why not focus on and enjoy them as little individuals rather than leave them unnoticed among ranks of hundreds?

I fully agree,,,go with what makes you happy no matter what it is (as long as it is THIS side of the law as my dad would always say!!!! lol) Rosie

get another clone. S/m Kissaway Trail has double bloosoms of actually quite a good size. Every so often a never bloomer finds its way in my house as well.

Yes, I've been keeping an eye out for someone else who has it that hasn't had any trouble blooming it but I haven't found it. I agree duds pop up. Not a high priority.

UPDATE: There is an old saying,,,Be careful what you wish for! You may just get it!

Well Hyn,,,,you know I loved your little "bonsai". I have a Jersey Girl trailer that I just love. She was getting a little bare trunked so I thought I would start trimming her little by little. She didn't have 3 "arms" like a trailer should. Only two, that were kind of going cattywampus. I took off the worst offender. No problem. (rooted it of course!!!)

I was going to wait a while to start pruning the other "arm" when it suddenly occured to me "OMG !!!!! It is growing up like Hyn's bonsai!!!!!!!! " Like the one I wished I had!!!

Soooo, I trimmed off the bottom leaves and just left the leaves on the top! And she blossomed anyway!!!!! I got my wish and it turned out well!!!!! She has always grown on a wick and has done well, but I didn't keep up with the pruning as I should have so that is why things happened the way they did. But the end result turned out very greatl!!!!!!!

Thanks for the idea being planted in my head. I would have never thought of this on my own. Saw yours and loved it!!!! Idea born!!!! Now, because of circumstance, I have one!!! Thanks again!!!! Rosie

I am so glad, Rosie! This makes me really happy! Please post us a photo some time when you are able. I no longer have mine. A very sweet gal who was home bound begged me to sell it to her, so I sent it off to a new home. I intend to do another one for myself later but I'm taking Irina's good advice to find something that is less a dud so I can also enjoy flowers. With cutting my collection way back, even for just this winter, I think keeping only my best favorites will help me renew my enjoyment. But I definitely enjoyed working on the bonsai AV so I'll be keeping an eye out for another one, something with tiny leaves and variegated would be nice.

Hyn the absolutely funny part is it was just a happy accident! I didn't intend for that to happen, I was trying to slowly prune it back into good shape! lol

Awwww, so sorry you don't have yours. I don't have a variegated mini leaf or I would send it to you so you could start it.

Oh wait! I just remembered,,,,I have a very tiny leaved Kentucky Sister! I can send you leaves of that one if you like! They are variegated!!!! Rosie

this is so unique! I wouldn't have ever thought to do this. I really hope they end up blooming. :o) def keep us updated.

Perhaps I will take you up on that in the spring, Rosie. I'd be happy to send you a box of leaves of various things. For now most of my collection is going to Atlanta tomorrow to be dropped off at my local AVSA club because I desperately needed the space. So the last thing I want right now are more plants! But we can see where I am once we get moved into our own place.

A.V. aficionados consider a plant 'undesirable' when it develops a 'neck' (in reference to an elongated stem). This is a good argument to the contrary. I hope that this innovative and artistic endeavor will encourage more tolerant perspectives among those in the A.V. community. Maybe this will be the start of a new way to grow African Violets!

The fact that it won't pass the muster on AVSA show... it is a free country! You can do your own experiments on palm trees.

Sounds like it could be a new show category -- AV Bonsai!

It won't happen. AVSA never changes the rules that significantly. You cannot enter the AV without flowers - and even you can enter the plant with a neck - you will get points off the score.

You probably can be using these kind of AV trees in a dish garden entry or terrarium. I would think it will be very interesting.

Wow! I had no idea that people were doing things like that. Its very innovative and also kind of unique! I like unique!

I think it is kind of cute on small trailers. Palm trees out of rosette type AVs - and we all familiar with this kind of development - are not that cute.

I would be very happy with that Hyn! Will pay postage. Keep me in mind anytime!!!!! Thanks! Rosie

It's definitely cute...might even be adorable if in bloom.

It would work for diminutive trailers, because of their 'branching' structure, but probably not regular, single crown A.V.'s

Actually, it works great on single crown AV's too. If you don't mind going for more of a 'palm tree' look. I've seen a few that looked pretty well done and you can still plant a few to a tray if they are minis or are pruned hard enough to leave only smaller crowns. One I saw really cracked me up because it had plastic dinosaurs under the 'trees'!! So many laughs at that show.

Isn't imagination just great!!!???? Rosie

The best I saw in a design - was Barbie.

I thought that was a doll! (I have a LOT of them in my doll collection!) I will have to look it up! Maybe it will end up on my Wish List. Rosie

Whaaaat? Barbie????

Anyway = returning to the dish garden category. It should be a landscape - the one on a pic is a landscape - it has elevation difference, rock, moss. Need to to have a bloom - a little bit. We put sculptures in our garden - some of them funky, some of them pretty ...and some people put pink flamingos. So the sculpture is appropriate - but it should be a small one and not too bright not to overwhelm the plants. Dinosaur is fine - as long as it is not Barney. But the dish garden or terrarium should have some prehistoric flavor to justify it. I think the one on the pic looks kinda prehistoric.

This has nothing to do with dish gardens, Irina. Those have rather specific rules depending on the society. There are other classes for strange pots, or humor and I've been to a lot of shows besides AVSA and Gesneriad Society. Even State Fair or local club shows don't follow AVSA rules, so it's rather nice to see some refreshing, fun takes on things from very different perspectives, or just to do them for fun and throw the rules out the window. I didn't work on my 'bonsai' African Violet with any AVSA or Gesneriad Society rules in mind and I never bothered to show it. That isn't the point. Sometimes we need to just do things for fun, for ourselves. ;)

Was there some photo I missed? I only see my own photos posted in this thread.

Hyn - no, yours doesn't have a dinosaur. But it can, a little one. I draw the line on Barbies!

Oh Irina,,,not to worry, dolls are just another hobby of mine! See, they kinda go with my needlework. I sew for them. And that is how I can further my hobby of sewing and needlework! And porcelain doll making, and ceramics and, and, and, all of my other hobbies besides av's and other plants!!!! But if they are going to name violets after dolls,,,,,,well,,,,,,. Sure makes life interesting! Rosie

Haha, me too, Irina! I'm so not a Barbie kind of gal. I'm more the sort that loves to shoot shotguns, ride horses and motorcycles, and raise hell. Or watch Firefly. 'We'll call this land ... THIS LAND!" *plays with plastic dinosaurs, grr! ;)

Hey you guys,,,,I own/shoot my guns, rode my horse,,,motorcycles not so much. Believe it or not, I raise hell also. Love dinosaurs, pixies, gnomes, and Shrek! Trolls also. I am a real eclectic mix!!!

Plants are my softer side. Rosie

No wonder we get along so well, Rosie. Plants are about as soft as I get.

hahahahahahahaha!!!!!! You got that right! Rosie

So I’ve never ever seen anyone else do this but here’s mine!!!

Is there a technical name for this? I don’t even know how this happened so I can’t reproduce it.
I took this picture Aug17 th and three days later it died like someone poisoned it. I’m so so sad. If you could help me do it again I would so very much appreciate it!😓