I guess the Juniper Bonsai Tree is the most famous of all bonsai. This is the one people will see in their head when they hear someone talk about bonsai. The Chinese Juniper tree (Juniperus Chinensis) is native to northeast Asia, Mongolia, China, Japan and Korea. In real life it can reach a height of 20 meters.

The Juniper bonsai can be grown as an indoor bonsai tree as well as an outdoor bonsai, though it prefers to be outdoors.

A Chinese Juniper in the wild….

As a bonsai it would look something like this. (Aaah… that one!)

A Chinese Juniper as a bonsai…

That’s got Karate kid written all over it!

What about losing leaves?

The Juniper Bonsai tree is an evergreen tree meaning it will not lose any leaves (or needles) during winter time. During its younger years the needles are sharplike and when the tree gets older the sharp needles transform into a more blunt type of needle.

Chinese Juniper foliage in close-up….

The needle-like leaves are light green to blue-green depending on what type of species exactly the tree is, there are over 50 species around. The branches can be easily styled to any sort of bonsai form.

Picking the fruits…

Most Junipers will grow berries, some of which are used is cooking as a spice. Also, the berries are used to flavor gin. In Dutch gin is called ‘genever’ or ‘jenever’, which is derived from… Juniper!

Juniper berries in close-up….

Where to put it?

A juniper bonsai tree needs at least 4 hours of sunlight daily, so when placed indoors make sure it gets enough of this and put it in a place where the sunlight can reach the tree. Poor humidity and not enough light will kill the juniper tree, but over watering it will cause root rotting.

Juniper bonsai trees also need a dormancy period, sort of like hibernation. The tree needs this to get back to strength.

Technorati Tags: Chinese Juniper, juniper bonsai tree, Juniperus Chinensis

The Japanese Maple Bonsai, or Acer Palmatum (Acer Japonicum is another type) is a small tree native to Japan, China and Korea. It is a deciduous tree and reaches heights ranging from 6-10 meters, sometimes 16 meters. It grows in the form of a dome. All depending on the cultivar.

A Japanese Maple in the wild…

As a Bonsai

Trained as a bonsai the Japanese maple might look something like these babies…

Types of Japanese maple bonsai…

The Leaves

Its leaves are shaped like a hand with five, seven or nine ‘fingers’. In Japanese the maple bonsai tree is also called Momigi, which means ‘Baby’s hands’.

There are a lot, over a thousand, of different cultivars for this tree, which means something like different types or varieties. The differences are then in size, color and leaf shape. The leaves change color during seasons from green to red and orange.

Different leave types of the japanese maple…

It is a slow growing tree and is widely seen as the most beautiful tree to use as a bonsai. Because of its slow growing pattern the japanese maple is also suitable for beginners.

The Fruit

The tree can grow fruit and it will look something like the picture below.

Japanese maple fruit…

The Bark

On young tree the bark is usually green which turns greyish of brown with the years.

Where to put it?

The Japanese Maple bonsai can sustain different types of climates, but as an indoor tree it’s best to give it morning and afternoon sun, the mid-day sun might burn the leaves. If placed in the shade make sure that it gets enough lighting.

Technorati Tags: Acer Palmatum, Japanese Maple Bonsai

The Chinese Elm Bonsai is known as the easiest tree for anyone wanting to try out the art of bonsai. This is because the tree, which can be used as an indoor bonsai as well as an outdoor bonsai, grows slowly and very predictable. This makes training a lot easier as you can make some “mistakes”.

The tree is native to eastern and can grow up to around 18 meters high in real life. What does this look like? See below a picture of a Chinese Elm in the wild. Its scientific name is Ulmus Parvifolia, just so it’s mentioned.

A Chinese Elm in the wild….

Trained as a bonsai it would, depending of the style used, will look something like the picture below.
A Chinese Elm as a bonsai…

Isn’t that just really cool! I think it is. Your own little tree… awesome!

What about losing leaves?

Chinese Elm Bonsai is a deciduous tree, which means it will lose its leaves in fall… when kept outdoors! Indoors the tree can stay evergreen when cared for correctly. Nice! So what do the leaves look like? The leaves are small (of course!) and kind of glossy, almost leathery. The edges are blunt serrated.

Chinese Elm leaves in close-up….

Fruit anyone?

The tree grows some fruit during the fall period. Don’t expect any apples here. See the picture below for an example. I’m not quite sure this is picture of a Chinese Elm, could also be a Zevolka. The fruits will be the same kind though.

The fruits of the Elm….

The Bark

The bark of the Chinese Elm Bonsai is mottled. The color is grey with some reds in between. Some barks can also be smooth, but I kind of like this one better…

The bark of a Chinese Elm…

Where to put it?

This tree can handle different environments well. Just make sure to keep it out of extreme hots or colds. When put in the shade or shadier location make sure the tree gets enough light. Especially indoors. Humidity is also an important factor. The tree dries out quick when put in full sunlight, so it needs extra care and attention in the form of watering.

Later on there will be an article about caring for this beauty. This is all for now, thanks for your time! Also please do not hesitate to post a comment below, any help is appreciated here!

Technorati Tags: Chinese Elm Bonsai, Indoor Bonsai Tree

An indoor bonsai tree is usually a plant that grows in the more temperate climates around the world. That means climates where the difference between winter and summer is more moderate without extremly highs temperatures in the summers and lows in the winter. The plants thate are commonly used as indoor bonsai trees by beginners are:

The Japanese Maple Bonsai
The Japanese Maple is a maple which is often used both indoors and outdoors. It has leaves which change color during fall and winter. They turn red/orange in this period. This one is reasonably easy to care for, so that’s why I’m putting this one up here.

The Chinese Juniper Bonsai
The Chinese Juniper actually is a tree that prefers to be grown outside, but as it is an easy plant to grow I will still mention it here, as this one is also easy for beginners (just buy another one if it dies). When grown indoors it will need the appropriate lighting to survive. This one is an evergreen conifer type. The soil has to be kept moist year round, never let it dry out completly or it will die.

The Chinese Elm Bonsai
The Chinese Elm is considered one the best trees for a beginner. The tree grows slowly so any mistakes in cutting or pruning are quite easy to overcome. This plant can also be used outdoors by the way. There are around 40 different species to chose from! That’s also nice to know. You can always chose another Elm and know it will grow out in case of any errors. Most of the species are ‘evergreen’, so unlike the Maple these will not change color. Some of them even grow fruit!

Which one to choose totally depends on personal motivations and preferences. Most beginners will start out with a Chinese Elm because of the more easy maintenance and its evergreen leaves. If grown succesfully, one will begin to enjoy the art of bonsai and will try out other types of plants to train. Just make sure the wife also gets some quality time as it can become very addictive! In fact, a nice idea is to recreate the tree you had your first kiss, even with the little heart carved in the tree ! (migth actually go for this myself )

Technorati Tags: Chinese Elm Bonsai, Chinese Juniper Bonsai, Indoor Bonsai Tree, Japanese Maple Bonsai

An indoor bonsai tree is a plant that is grown and shaped so that it looks like a fully grown tree, just like the ones you would see in a forest. This is actually quite amazing. It’s like a miniature version of a fully grown tree.

Most of the time when people see a bonsai tree for the first time, they will see an ordinary plant in a little pot, but think about it, you’re actually looking at an fully grown tree! One that would have been like 20-30 meters high in a real world situation except now this tree is miniaturized. Some people even make complete forests of bonsai trees. Really cool!

What type of plants are they made form? Well, almost every plant can be grown into cool looking indoor bonsai tree, but some are more preferred than others. Why? Some plants let themselves be maintained better and are better suited for the environments in which bonsai is typically displayed. The Japanese Maple Bonsai, the Chinese Elm and  the Chinese Juniper are some of the well known plants great to be used indoors. More on this later.

This site is mostly focussing on the indoor bonsai tree. What’s the difference with an outdoor bonsai tree you ask? The indoor bonsai are bonsai which have been cultivated for the indoor environment. In tradition bonsai trees are temperate climate trees grown in containers, but kept outdoors (hence the name). If one would take such a tree and place it indoors, the tree will die because of the environment in a home. There are a number of species that will grow indoors and thus are suitable for an indoor bonsai tree. Most of the time an indoor tree will keep its leaves all year round and stay ‘evergreen’. Which of course is nice when you have visitors!

Beginners often choose an indoor tree, but are disappointed when the tree dies. An indoor bonsai tree needs more caring then its outdoor brother. When cared for in a good way is is definitely possible to have great looking trees to your family and friends! Like all hobbies, it takes time and patience to get to know the subject. Eventually it will pay off and the “oohs” and “aahs” will soon follow!

Technorati Tags: Chinese Elm, Chinese Juniper, Indoor Bonsai Tree, Japanese Maple Bonsai, outdoor bonsai