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Bonsai

Bonsai section

Bonsai is a way of growing, not a species. Every guide links to the botanical entry for its species.

Guides by species

Level · Intermediate · Indoors or outdoors depending on climate
Bougainvillea bonsai
Bougainvillea glabra
Growing Bougainvillea glabra as bonsai: full summer sun, a cool bright winter, measured watering, pruning after bloom, wiring young twigs and repotting.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Beginner · Indoors or outdoors depending on climate
Buddhist pine bonsai
Podocarpus macrophyllus
Buddhist pine (Podocarpus) bonsai: outdoors in summer, frost-free in winter, careful watering, feeding, shoot pruning, wiring young wood and repotting.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Beginner · Indoors or outdoors depending on climate
Chinese elm bonsai
Ulmus parvifolia
Growing Ulmus parvifolia as bonsai: outdoors or in a very bright room, watering by observation, feeding, frequent pruning, wiring and repotting.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Beginner · Indoors
Dwarf schefflera bonsai
Heptapleurum arboricola
Dwarf schefflera bonsai: bright indoor spot all year, steady warmth, evenly moist roots, leaf and shoot pruning, aerial roots and repotting.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Beginner · Outdoors
European hornbeam bonsai
Carpinus betulus
Growing Carpinus betulus as bonsai: outdoors all year, roots protected from hard frost, steady watering, pruning to two leaves, careful wiring and spring repotting.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Beginner · Indoors or outdoors depending on climate
Ficus microcarpa as bonsai
Ficus microcarpa
Growing Ficus microcarpa as bonsai: a bright spot, soil mix, watering by observation, pruning, wiring, repotting and care through the seasons.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Beginner · Indoors or outdoors depending on climate
Heavenly bamboo bonsai
Nandina domestica
Heavenly bamboo (Nandina) bonsai: full sun, root ball shielded from hard frost, attentive watering, canes cut to varied heights, light wiring and repotting.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Beginner · Indoors or outdoors depending on climate
Jade plant bonsai
Crassula ovata
Growing a jade plant as a bonsai: full sun, a very fast-draining mix, infrequent watering, pruning, careful wiring, repotting and seasonal care.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Beginner · Outdoors
Japanese garden juniper as bonsai
Juniperus procumbens
Growing Juniperus procumbens 'Nana' as bonsai: outdoors year-round in full sun, watering, pad pruning, wiring, repotting and winter care.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Intermediate · Outdoors
Japanese maple as bonsai
Acer palmatum
Growing Acer palmatum as bonsai: an airy spot with summer afternoon shade, daily watering in season, pruning, wiring, repotting and winter care.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Intermediate · Outdoors
Japanese white pine bonsai
Pinus parviflora
Japanese white pine bonsai: full sun, winter dormancy, careful watering, candles, wiring, repotting and mycorrhizae for this five-needle pine.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Intermediate · Outdoors
Japanese zelkova bonsai
Zelkova serrata
Japanese zelkova bonsai: full sun, roots shielded from hard frost, steady watering, broom-style pruning, defoliation, wiring and repotting.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Intermediate · Outdoors
Olive bonsai
Olea europaea
Olive bonsai: full sun, frost-free winter storage, watering as the soil dries, two-step pinching, partial defoliation, wiring and repotting.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Intermediate · Outdoors
Pomegranate bonsai
Punica granatum
Pomegranate bonsai: full sun, frost-free winter storage, watering as the soil dries, pruning that spares the flowers, gentle wiring and spring repotting.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Intermediate · Indoors or outdoors depending on climate
Rosemary bonsai
Salvia rosmarinus
Rosemary bonsai: full sun, frost-free shelter in winter, watering once the mix dries, pinch pruning, wiring of young shoots only, and repotting.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Advanced · Indoors or outdoors depending on climate
Serissa bonsai
Serissa japonica
Serissa bonsai: outdoors in summer, frost-free in winter, steady watering, pruning after bloom, gentle wiring and repotting for the tree of a thousand stars.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Beginner · Outdoors
Trident maple bonsai
Acer buergerianum
Trident maple bonsai: outdoors in sun, roots shielded from hard frost, generous watering, pinching, defoliation, winter wiring and repotting.
Read the guide Botanical species entry
Level · Beginner · Indoors or outdoors depending on climate
Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) as bonsai
Ficus benjamina
Ficus benjamina as bonsai: steady light, humidity, watering by observation, pruning, gentle wiring, repotting and how to prevent leaf drop.
Read the guide Botanical species entry

Techniques covered

Each guide covers these points for its species.

01Placement
02Watering
03Soil mix
04Pruning
05Wiring
06Repotting
07Seasonal care

Further reading