There are many styles of designing your Bonsai trees.
Selections include upright, cascading, slanting and wind swept, to name a few.
There are less common styles of designing your Bonsai trees; however, they can be more artistic.
Since this ancient art is designed to miniaturize a species and keep it growing for many years, it is possible that beginners don't understand the many choices for designing their Bonsai trees.
Formal upright style is characterized by a straight, upright trunk, with branches progressing from the longest at the bottom to the shortest at the top of the tree.
Informal upright is similar, but branches may be curved and trained with wire to coil around and change direction.
Bottom branches are still broader than those at the top of the tree, however the exact horizontal angle of the branches is less obvious.
A slant style design includes the vertical trunk of an upright Bonsai tree, but it may emerge from the soil at an angle and branches are concentrated to one side of the root base.
Cascade styled Bonsai trees are similar, but the treetop will extend below the edge of the pot, "cascading" below the base of an elevated Bonsai pot.
This is effective in Japanese gardens, when grown over water or on elevated slabs.
Raft style is similar, with the main trunk growing parallel to the soil surface, much like a tree that has toppled over.
The branches on the top side of the trunk will be allowed to grow vertical, giving the illusion of a forest of trees.
Contorted trunks and gnarly branches are characteristic of the literati style of designing your Bonsai tree.
This requires keeping branches to a minimum, like depicted in many Oriental paintings or wall hangings.
To plant your Bonsai garden forest style, an odd number of trees, are found in the same planter.
Varying heights and age differences replicate how you would find their full sized counterparts, in nature.
Multi-trunk style may appear interesting, with multiple-trunks growing out of one area of the roots.
The largest trunk forms the top, while the rest of the trunks support it.
Growing in a rock or the "root-over-rock" style duplicates trees that are rooted into cracks or holes of rock bluffs.
The roots may be exposed or may traverse the rock to reach the soil below, adding design beauty to your garden.
As you can see, designing your Bonsai trees offers numerous, creative ideas.