Accent Plants

by Lake Charles Bonsai Society

QUESTION:

I know we've skirted around this before, but I'd like to add to my collection of suitable accent plants. At the moment I'm propagating and growing on dwarf forms of several ferns, hostas, alpines, horsetails and grasses. I'm also experimenting with a couple of smaller Pitcher plants. I'd really appreciate any recommendations of other favourite/desirable accent plants from the list.

RESPONSE:

by Colin Lewis colinlewis.bonsai@BTINTERNET.COM

I think accent plants - in fact, accents in general - can play a more significant role in the display than some give them credit for. The accent, be it a plant, stone, figure... should enhance the display's sense of place. For example, a high-mountain style of bonsai begs for a distant mountain suiseki, or alpine plants in a primitive container. Gentle maples are more comfortable with meadow grasses or flowers.

Small bonsai can also be used to accent larger ones. Their species and style should also complement the main tree.

Accent plants are more than potted dwarf varieties or alpines. They should be little pieces of the countryside or the mountain. Their simplification, in order to achieve the 'whole picture' with the minimum mass, requires the same thought and care as bonsai.

RESPONSE:

by Flex Houvig fwho@snip.net

A bonsai sage here in Eastern Pa. / USA (Dorrie Froning) published a short paper on accent plants in International Bonsai, 1996, no. 1. For larger shohin she recommends Houstonia Caerula (Bluets-floriferous plants with masses of tiny flowers with blue tips. These flower in spring and can be readily collected.) Or Campanula garganica (compact clumps of foliage with light blue flowers). For smallest shohin she recommends Herniaria glabra (a moss-like tiny leafed plant which trails over the container edge; reddish foliage in autumn; Mazus reptans (a small spring-blooming creeping plant with tinyleaves, and minature flowers of lavender and white; Viola verecunda 'Yakushima' (the smallest violet in the world! small white flowers striped with lavender. A nice accent with juniper or trident maple is carex (grass-like foliage, sometimes variegated, sometimes multi-colored, also dwarf rush (Arundo formosana)). Dwarf mondo (Ophhiopgun japonicus) works well with Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii). Another interesting accent plant is a bean fern (Drymoglossum microphyllum).

RESPONSE:

by David Bockman djb@BUNABAYASHI.COM http://www.bunabayashi.com

I am very fond of the following varieties of hosta for accent plants:

€ 'Tiny Tears' - I have a photo of a lovely one at URL http://www.bunabayashi.com/bongal.htm

€ 'Teeny Weenie' - Don't I feel manly discussing this one? About three-quarters the size of Tiny Tears, leaves slightly more lanceolate.

€ 'Venusta' - Only slightly larger, makes a small flattish mound about 5 inches across, lavender blooms. Lovely in stone troughs as well.

€ 'Uzo No Mai' - The smallest hosta. Fleshy leaves erupt without petioles directly from the center of the stem, hence the name which means 'whirlpool' in Japanese. No more than 2 inches across in size, usually much smaller.

€ 'Masquerade' - A rare variegated mutation (some say of Venusta, but I doubt it). I have several that are about 95% white, with only a small amount of green chlorophyll in each leaf, shown as streaks or speckles. Gorgeous in glazed pots, very delicate and small, leaves are lanceolate, about an inch long.