The Best Plants for Bonsai Trees
The simple beauty of a lone bonsai tree and the quiet calm of caring for a plant relaxes you, but few people know where to start with these miniature gardens. The process of selecting the type of tree, style of pot and pruning schedule seems overwhelming, but it doesn't need to be. A wide variety of trees easily adapt to growing in the bonsai style. Does this Spark an idea?
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Indoor Bonsai
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Get lucky by planting the ever popular Money Tree or Jade plant. Eastern tradition teaches that these plants bring luck and prosperity into the home, making them popular as a bonsai presentation. The glossy green leaves and thin, easily braided trunks make this plant a good choice for interior decoration. This is a great choice for northern climates or indoor growing because Jade trees require very little light.
Evergreen Bonsai
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Plant Junipers in wide flat dishes or inside puffy lava rocks. The natural inclination of Junipers to form graceful teardrop-shaped groups of branches and twigs makes pruning almost unnecessary. Simply trim the outer edges every few weeks for a perfect looking bonsai. The number of Juniper species available allows you to grow whole gardens of impressive bonsai. Visit your local garden center to see which varieties are best for your area.
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Flowering Bonsai
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Watch your bonsai burst into color when you plant Bougainvillea. This hardy shrub blooms almost constantly and requires minimal watering. Bougainvillea are available in a number of colors and prefer warm, dry climates. Bring them indoors in cooler climates. Many garden centers feature these bonsai already started, taking a lot of the work out of growing a bonsai tree.
Citrus
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Grow your own fruit tree inside. Citrus trees make rewarding houseplants but tend to be slightly larger than the typical bonsai at a little less than 2 feet tall. Dwarf or small citrus varieties, such as Key limes, Meyer Lemon trees and Kumquats, grow best as bonsai. Citrus bonsai need well-drained, alkaline soil that borders on being sandy. While citrus bonsai do not need frequent pruning, cut back the upper branches to keep them short.
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References
- Virginia Cooperative Extension; The Art of Bonsai; Diane Relf; May 2009
- University of Kansas Center of East Asian Studies; Juniper as Bonsai; David J. Bockman; February 2001
- Penn State; The Jade Plant; Katie Sanford
- University of Florida Cooperative Extension: Bougainvillea--A Robust and Spectacular Climbing Vine
- Washington State University; Meyer Lemon; Cheryll Greenwood Kinsley
- The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University; Subtropical Bonsai for Indoor Gardening; Constance Tortorici Derderian
Resources
- Photo Credit Bonsai image by Grafvision from Fotolia.com
