How to Landscape With Bonsai Trees
Bonsai trees add a unique element to landscape design. But not all bonsai trees are suitable for outdoor growth. Most of the bonsai you find in nurseries or garden centers are tropical species like umbrella trees or Hawaiian azalea. These plants are ideal for bonsai beginners because they are slow growing and do well indoors. But they are not suitable for growth outdoors anywhere outside the tropics. Only deciduous or evergreen bonsai can survive the temperature fluctuation of most European and North American climates. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Place your potted bonsai on your balcony or terrace and create the illusion that your home's landscape extends right to your front (or back) door. Choose a spot easily and often visible. Ensure the view is not obstructed on any side by columns, features or larger plants. Bonsai are best viewed at just below eye level (3 or 4 feet off the ground). Consider placing your bonsai on a railing or decorative plant stand where it's easy to see and unlikely to fall.
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Place potted bonsai in the garden. Bonsai make beautiful garden accent plants. Make your bonsai stand out by placing them on large decorative boulders. These are especially beautiful in rock gardens and rustic, irregular garden beds. Place them on a plant stand for a more polished look, or line the garden wall with several pots to create a "wow" factor.
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Plant your landscape bonsai in the ground. Mature bonsai that only require minimal trimming and pinching can be grown directly in the ground. And while best viewed at eye level, they can still turn heads on the ground. Bonsai trees when planted en masse make great rock or flower garden borders. Or plant a single tree in the center of your rock garden or in a little clearing in the middle of the flower bed.
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Bring landscape bonsai inside when temperatures drop in late fall. A cool, unheated garage or shed is ideal. During the winter, the bonsai does not need sunlight or fertilizer and only needs water once every two weeks, or just enough to keep the soil moist. Bring them back outside when temperatures warm in the spring.
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Tips & Warnings
Ideal species for landscape bonsai: juniper, larch, elms, and pines including blue spruce, cypress and cedar. For an extra pop of color, try azalea, Japanese red maple, boxwood, Okinawa holly or flowering crabapple.
Wherever you place your landscape bonsai, it must receive six to eight hours of sunlight daily and afternoon shade if possible.
Once your bonsai is acclimated to outdoor growth, never bring it indoors for more than three to four days at a time. The sudden change in atmosphere will send it into shock.
References
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