Discover The Different Bonsai Types

The word bonsai, pronounced as bone-sigh, means tray tree, bon is tray, while sai means tree. There are many bonsai types and one is probably perfect for you. The longer the life of a bonsai tree, the greater its value.

All bonsais have varying styles, some are informal upright while others are upright cascade, semi-cascade, literati and raft. Also ranging in size, between miniature to small and medium to average, they can have small fruit or small flowers. There are really only two types of bonsai trees, indoor or outdoor. Doing research on both types will help you to have a healthy tree for a long time.

The tropical and sub tropical trees are the easiest bonsais to grow indoors and require to be cared for only as much as any house plant. It will be a good idea for absolute beginners to choose one of these for a bonsai, as it will give a good result with less effort. They respond best if they get the morning sun and afternoon shade. Some trees survive the sun all day ,but it is best to know and carefully watch how your bonsai is growing in its location. The bonsai can be moved outdoors in late spring bordering on summer but should be brought back indoors when temperatures drop below 55 degrees.

There are many trees which can be trained into artistic looking bonsais, for a beginner some of the suitable bonsai types include baby jade, Hawaiian umbrella and ficus. Some indoor bonsai trees are serissa, sago palms, fukein tea aralias, brush cherry, money tree, schefflera gardenias, bougainvillia and elms. These too can be adapted to homes. The out door variety of bonsai trees have two species, these are evergreen trees and deciduous trees. Some names in the former category are pine and junipers . Elms maples and ginko are the deciduous types.

What’s beautiful about evergreen bonsais trees is their foliage, which lasts the duration of most seasons. This would include azaleas, boxwoods, junipers, and many pines. Many bonsai lovers favor juniper for its lovely appearance and its ease of training. To preserve the health of an evergreen bonsai, rest periods or dormancy in winter are necessary. Signs to watch for are yellowish or dull green tint to the foliage, but don’t be worried; this means it’s dormant.

Deciduous trees are those trees which lose their leaves in the fall or go into the dormant stage and start re-budding in the spring. They are not suitable for growing as indoors bonsais since they go dormant in winter. These have to be placed carefully in a shed garage or near a cool window sill during winter. It is best not to let them have too much sunlight and water during these months. Fertilizers should be given every few weeks. Bonsais have different varieties such as larch, apricot, hornbeam, ginko, maple, crabapple and elm species. Japenese maple is the most challenging of all the outdoor trees. They have their foliage changing color in spring and the fall, and the colors range from yellow to orange to a beautiful deep red.

There are a number of outdoor bonsai types one can choose from. These options include the Chinese fringe flower, Chinese elm, Japanese red maple, blue moss cypress, star cypress and soft touch holly. If you intended to grow a bonsai, note that all outdoor bonsai need to be treated with care (particularly in the wintertime). Overall, it is important to ensure that they are properly protected.