Bonsai Tree Guide
Many people nowadays, who always had an inclination for gardening and horticulture, have taken up the art of creation of bonsai as a hobby – an art that owes its origin to the mystical oriental – Japan, where it has been practiced for the last 2000 years. Bonsai has also been popular in China.
The art of bonsai involves stunting the natural growth of plants and growing miniature but identical forms of trees and plants and shrubs in a pot or tray by clipping, pruning and training the branches and roots and wiring them to impart a particular shape and design.
In this article I will take you through a bonsai tree guide so that you may kick start your latest horticultural hobby.
Bonsai tree guide
There are both indoor varieties of bonsai as well as outdoor species.
Indoor bonsai tree guide
Boxwood
Gardenia
Serissa
Norfolk islands pine
Azalea
Aralia
Ficus
These plants feature a wood stem and they are susceptible and respond well to wiring technology. So you can easily wire their branches and roots to let them grow in a direction of your choice. If you select subtropical or tropical tree species, you have to make sure that the temperature does not fall below 50 degrees or 40 degrees F.
If you find that the temperature is hovering above this limit, you can let these bonsai plants stay outdoors. Don’t leave these bonsai plants directly under harsh sunlight. Filter the sun rays through a glass window and the sunlight should stream in from a westward or eastward or southward direction.
12 hours of sunlight per day are more than sufficient. During summer months you can keep these varieties in partial shade.
Outdoor bonsai tree guide
For indoor bonsai plants, choices are a bit limited. But with outdoor bonsai plants, you have a huge variety to pick and choose from. If you want to maintain a good health for your outdoor bonsai, then capitalize on the hibernation or dormant period of the winter which is essential for the plant.
However if you live in the extreme north where you experience severe inclement winter weather, you have to protect your bonsai from freezing and drying winds or else the bonsai may perish in the icy gales.
Seek out unheated areas like cold frame, breezeway, shade and unheated garage to keep your bonsai safe.
The following trees are suitable for outdoor bonsai –
Flowering crab apple
Hawthorn
Ginkgo biloba
Pines and their sub varieties
Elms and their sub varieties
Maples and their sub varieties
Junipers
The commonly seen bonsai trees are pines, junipers, maples and elms.
Hederas, Tamarix and grapevines are pretty rare but they have their own charm for the bonsai enthusiast.
Some other trees that you may try out for creating a bonsai are
Judas tree
Hackberry
Horse chestnut
Hazel trees and their sub varieties
Jades
Smoke tree etc
