Known for its eruption of flowers in the spring the mimosa can make an attractive flowering bonsai.
The mimosa was brought to the US from parts of Persia and Asia in the 1700s and became popular in many southern states.
The large fernlike leaves give this tree a feminine graceful look. We recommend this drought tolerant bonsai be grown outdoors in full sun in USDA zones 6-9. Learn more about this mimosa silk tree.
Here is a list of bonsai that make great mother's day gifts. If you are in need of mother's day gift ideas check out this list!
The Powder Puff, calliandra haematocephala, is a pretty flowering tree that loves heat and sun. This tree will be easiest to care for if your mom lives in hot tropical zones (USDA 9-11) such as Florida and Texas. It has a fragrant pink bloom that can appear all year in hotter areas. The powder puff is tolerant of underwatering as well. This tree will do well on a sunny patio.
This jasmine, trachelospermum jasminoides, bonsai is normally a bushy vine, but is trained into tree form here. They have fragrant white flowers that cluster in groups of 3-12. They are also very fragrant and tend to turn pink as they age. This is another good pick for warmer climate zones because they will bloom continuously throughout the year there. This can be kept indoors in very sunny locations although it will have best results outside. Trachelospermum jasminoides goes by the common name of confederate jasmine or star jasmine. This bonsai will do best in USDA zones 8-10.
This rather unique wine grape bonsai (cabernet) is a remarkable gift to help celebrate any occasion. Bearing tiny edible grapes, this stunning Wine Grape Bonsai Tree is a living masterpiece and an endless source of delight. It has been skillfully cultivated, pruned and shaped over the years to produce a classic wine grape which hangs in clusters from this vineyard treasure. This tree is deciduous and should be kept outdoors. Due to its seasonal nature it will not have foliage in the winter months.
Another great outdoor pick, the gardenia (jasminoides radicans), fills with fragrant blooms May through August in the right zones and care. Gardenias very popular in Florida. Try placing in an area with air flow to distribute the fragrance of the flowers for the most enjoyment. They can be grown in sun or partial shade and tend to prefer acidically balanced fertilizers.
Flowering bougainvillea bonsai tree. The navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811) gave his name to this genus. Originally from tropical and sub-tropical America. Popularly known as the "Paper Flower" with very delicate deep pink flowers that look like paper. Actually, the flowers are bracts of leaves at the tip of the stems that turn a brilliant pink in color. Can bloom for most of the year if given sufficient sun. Can be grown indoors in sunny locations.
Although not really a bonsai, this red anthurium planted in lava rock makes a very nice flowering plant to give as a gift. It does well indoors and the flower lasts a long time. Keep in a saucer or tray filled with water and place in direct sun.
I just received word from an email from the Bonsai Society of Florida that Ed Trout's buttonwood was stolen.
"I have some very bad news. Last night, some low life stole my ( our ) logo buttonwood from my back yard. It was no more than 8 feet from my back door. I am sad & sick, and feel like someone has kidnapped a family member. Please help me get the word out. Ed"
This was the signature bonsai of the Gold Coast Bonsai club. I've personally seen Ed Work this tree and it is amazing. Here is a picture I took approximately two months ago of Ed working on this tree at our Gold Coast Bonsai meeting. Get the word out. Let's find who took this tree!
The chinese elm grows fast and is easily trainable into bonsai form. It has naturally small leaves and can grow in a variety of different areas and conditions. In warmer climates it is only semi-deciduous and is fully deciduous in colder climates. It is hardy to climate zones 5B-10A.
The chinese elm is a recommended tree for beginners to bonsai and can be grown in sunny or shady locations. With proper lighting and care this bonsai tree may also be kept indoors. Learn more about this chinese elm.
Knowledge of Bonsai is having two major bonsai contests in 2008. The first is a Progressive Styling Contest which this year also includes categories for forest and tanuki designs. Prize categories for the styling contest include best bonsai from collected stock, raw stock, and pre-bonsai stock as well as overall winner, most original, and best solution to a problem.
Entrants need to submit 3 before, 3 progression, and 3 final photos of their entries. The before photos must be received by July 31st 2008. Read the official rule list here.
The other contest is an article contest. Paul at KoB reports that this is the first article contest that they have ever held. The winner may be published in the American Bonsai Society Journal. Entries must be received no later than June 30th 2008 and must be a minimum of 800 words. In addition, the article must not be published anywhere else until after the contest is over.
Prize categories include best overall article, best article dealing with artistic principles, history, or art theory, and best article dealing with collecting, cultivation, or styling. A full rule list is available here.
This flowering native to Japan, China, and Korea is a deciduous shrub that has distinctive wings of corky tissue attached to either side of its green twigs.
The burning bush's attractive foliage turns red in the fall. It likes a good amount of indirect sun.
Learn more about the burning bush shown here.
Horrible timing for a bug infestation is right when your tree is weakened. I just repotted this gardenia to have it attacked by aphids. I've been lucky actually that this has been my first issue with them.
Fortunately, they were not too hard to get rid of and it looks like my gardenia bonsai is going to make it. Learn more about getting rid of bonsai aphids here.
The Chinese Fringe Flower (loropetalum chinensis) has naturally small oval leaves that are dark green to purple in color. It is considered an evergreen shrub and may produce deep pink, fragrant, flowers. It tends to form a wide profile as its branches spread.
It does well in full sun and is cold hardy in temperatures above 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant in a bonsai soil that balances toward acidic. The Chinese Fringe Flower does best in soils with large organic content that still drains well.
Learn more about the chinese fringe flower shown here.
The hinoki cypress is a Japan native held sacred to devotees of Shinto. It is hardy in the US in zones 4A to 8A. The featherleaf variety of the hinoki cypress has softer and more narrow leaves. New growth starts as a golden yellow color that matures to green. The species has a red bark that peels in strips.
Although very attractive, this tree can be a challenge for beginners to keep in bonsai form. Additionally, care must be taken to ensure the tree receives full sun and that it is never allowed to dry out completely.
Learn more about the hinoki cypress shown here.
Rediscovered in China over 60 years ago the Dawn Redwood or metasequoia is a deciduous tree with needle-like leaves that turn from yellow to bronze before falling off in the winter.
Enthusiasts enjoy the dawn redwood for its thick trunk that is orange to brown in color. They are extremely hardy and grow well outdoors in full sun.
Learn more about the dawn redwood.
The hawaiian umbrella tree, schefflera arboricola, forms a nice dense canopy of dark green leaves year round which make it great for forest banyan plantings as the picture to the left shows. One of the best aspects of using this species in bonsai is how easily it can grow indoors (lower lighting) and at the hands of beginners. Read the following article to learn why the hawaiian umbrella tree is great for beginners.
The yaupon holly, also known as cassena, is an evergreen bush that has an irregular branch pattern and small oval leaves.
An interesting fact about this tree is that although parts of the tree are poisonous, especially the berries, the Seminoles have made tea from the leaves. The leaves of the yaupon holly have a high caffeine concentration. The tea occasionally caused vomiting giving it the scientific name vomitoria.
It takes pruning and shaping well which is a good characteristic for a bonsai tree to have. This outdoor bonsai grows in USDA zones 7a-10b and is a Florida native.
Learn more about the yaupon holly.
Against the advice of everyone and my own research I am going to try and bonsai this interesting juniper torulosa, hollywood, tree that I found at the home improvement store.
Apparently their branching and foliage are not very interesting to most experts. Consequently, most agree that your time can be better spent on other species.
I am going to give it a shot anyway for some practice at the very least.
Here is a picture of a much older one created by artist Shig Mia.
So I started by seeing what the most interesting branches were and thinned out the others. After, I took 2mm gauge aluminum training wire and wired the branches. Admittedly, I was very sloppy with the wire, but it got the job done. I stopped here because I don't like doing too much at once. This still needs a lot more work.
The trident maple has shallow root system that does well in compacted and poor soils which makes it great for bonsai. This bonsai should be kept outdoors in full sun to partial shade.
It naturally forms a pyramid shape as it grows. Trident maple are not known to have many serious pests and grows in USDA zones 4B through 9B which allows it to grow in most parts of the country. The trident maple is known for its Autumn colors eventually losing all its leaves in the winter.
Learn more about trident maple bonsai trees.
This is a good primer on Juniper Bonsai from bonsaisite forums
Why Can't I Keep My Juniper Bonsai Inside?
Many bonsai vendors tell beginners that Junipers can be kept inside year-round. Unfortunately, this just isn't true. Keeping your Juniper inside permanently will result in your bonsai developing a sickly appearance over time and dying. If your juniper’s needles have turned yellow and are falling off, it probably died weeks ago.
Junipers need a dormant period (a state of growth where the plant rests and grows very little, if at all). Juniperus communis, or the Common Juniper, grow as far north as Greenland, Newfoundland, and northwest Alaska. In the Northern Hemisphere, the farthest south a Juniper can survive is Houston, Northern Florida, or in the mountains of Mexico. They are not a tropical or sub-tropical plant and should not be treated as such.
Some people who live in areas that receive heavy snowfall during winter, where temperatures frequently drop below freezing, might be advised to keep a Juniper indoors to protect it over this short period. To do this, you must simulate its natural environment. If you have an unheated room, it can be closed off from the rest of the house and the window left open. A garage can also be used. Remember to keep your Juniper away from any heat vents of any kind. Exposure to heat during a juniper’s normal winter will prevent the plant from going into dormancy.
If you are keeping your bonsai outside (probably the best option) and are afraid of it getting harmed by the winter weather, there are several things you can do to protect it:
1) place it in a flower bed and bury it until just the pot is covered with soil (this will insulate it from the cold)
2) place it in a sheltered area, i.e. under a low-hanging tree, or anywhere else where it will be protected from the weather such as a shade house.
3) make a frame for it and cover the frame with shade cloth so heat won't build up inside it and place mulch around the bottom edge. Generally if you live in a warmer climate (like USDA zone 6-7), you shouldn’t have to worry about winter protection.
If you keep you Juniper in a garage or closed off room, you should be careful how you introduce it back outside. Place the Juniper in a location that doesn't get much sun and out of the wind. Over a period of a few weeks slowly move the Juniper back to a more open location.
Why Did My Bonsai Die?
Your bonsai may have died as a result of negligence from yourself, or negligence before you bought it. The majority of bonsai sold in malls or by small-time bonsai vendors are sold only as a novelty and are only grown to look good at point of sale. These are commonly known as ‘mallsai’.
When you purchase a bonsai, make sure to get it from a genuine bonsai dealer, or at least someone how knows what they are talking about. They will be able to tell you how to properly care for your bonsai and can help you pick out a plant that is suitable for your location. They will also know what species of plant your bonsai is, which is the first thing we want to know when you are asking a question about your bonsai on the forums!
The worst places where you could buy a bonsai are malls, department stores or anywhere else where the people selling the bonsai know little or nothing about their care. These are normally mass-produced bonsai that have been shipped over from one climate to another. Placing the bonsai in a warm environment at this time can disturb its dormant period and send it into shock.
The manufacturers of these ‘mallsai’ may have placed tags that read "indoor bonsai" on the Junipers even though they are outdoor bonsai. They may place them in a pot that doesn’t have a drainage hole, plant them in the wrong type of soil, and place a layer of gravel on the surface and glue it down to stop the soil from falling out of the pot during shipping. The layer of glue and rocks prevent the water from getting to the soil and can kill the plant if not removed after purchase.
Juniper care
There are some basic requirements that need to be adhered to so that your bonsai can survive and grow well.
1) Your bonsai needs to be in good soil. Proper bonsai soil does not contain any peat material at all. This is because peat retains too much water. It also hardens if dried out and once this happens is very difficult to get wet all the way through again. The best soil to use is a loose, free draining soil. You need one part fine pine bark to one part small gravel (such as small aquarium gravel) for this. Otherwise, try to buy a bag of ‘bonsai mix’ from your local nursery.
2) Feeding your bonsai is important. Fertilize your Juniper with a weak slow-release fertilizer of 10-10-10.
3) Non-tropical bonsai should be primarily kept outdoors and need a period of rest each year during wintertime known as dormancy. The easiest way to ensure your Juniper receives a dormant period is to keep it outside.
4) Water your Juniper regularly, but make sure you do not over-water. How often you water depends on where you are, how hot it is, and what season. Watering could happen every day or it could happen every three days. If you are not sure on when to water your juniper, feel the soil by poking your finger in it. If it feels dry or nearly dry, you should water.
5) Lighting is important: Keep your Juniper bonsai in either full sun or partial shade.
6) Repotting your Juniper depends on how old it is and how long it has been in training. For a young bonsai – less than six years old, you ideally should repot every year. Repotting involves changing the soil (although keep it in the same type of soil) and trimming the roots. This encourages growth. If the bonsai is older, you should repot it every 3-4 years.
The fukien or fujian tea tree makes an excellent starter bonsai. This native to the Chinese Fujian province can grow well in areas without freezing winters, but it also makes a good indoor bonsai if you provide it the right conditions. This bonsai is not as picky as others to keep alive and can be shaped into most styles. The most common form you will see for sale is the ehretia microphylla. It produces red berries, white flowers, and naturally small leaves. Learn more about fukien tea bonsai trees here.
The japanese black pine bonsai is distinguished from other pine trees by its large, candle-like buds which are silvery white and showy. The kotobuki is known to have short and dark green needles with white winter buds.
Its fragrant needles are twisted in groups of two. This tree is considered an evergreen and should be kept outdoors. It does well in USDA hardiness zones 6A through 8B and is not native to North America. It can tolerate drier soil and can be grown in a clay, sand, or loamy bonsai soil mixture that is well draining.
Learn more about the japanese black pine.
The branches of the schilling holly are gray with small oval leaves with sawtooth edges. Female plants have white blooms and red berries. These bonsai do best outdoors in USDA zones 7 through 10 and can be found natively in Florida. It has good drought tolerance and does best in part shade and part sun. It is not particularly sensitive to any known insects or disease. The schilling holly can be grown in a sandy, loamy, or clay based soil which makes them great for bonsai.
Click here to learn more about schilling holly
Serissas make excellent bonsai with the right care and shaping. They are an evergreen shrub native to China, Japan, and Indochina (Southeast Asia) where it may be found growing in the woods and wet fields. The serissa foetida has small oval leaves which are slightly larger than the serissa japonica's. It may erupt with small white flowers several times per year giving it the nickname the "thousand star" serissa. Additionally, it naturally grows surface roots and an interesting bark pattern on the trunk which give them the desirable appearance of age.
Click here to learn more about serissa bonsai trees.
Here are some definitions of some common bonsai classifications
Mame - tiny bonsai
Shohin - small bonsai
Kifu - medium bonsai
Dai/Daiza - large bonsai
