by Lee Dobbins
For those of you weren’t aware, the word bonsai is pronounced bone-sigh. The words can be defined by separating them into two distinct words, with bon meaning tray and sai meaning tree. Of these lovely mini trees, there are many bonsai types to select from. Over time, the value and beauty of these trees increases as they mature.
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.
Two varieties of bonsais that will grow indoors are the tropical and subtropical bonsais tree. If you have never grown bonsais before then one of these is a good choice for you. These trees like the morning sun and the afternoon shade, while some can tolerate full sun it is probably a good idea to watch and see where it flourishes the most. These indoor bonsais can also do well outside as long as they are not left out when it gets too hot or when the temperature goes below 55 degrees.
The best bonsai types for beginners are ficus, baby jade, and Hawaiian umbrella trees, to name only a few. Many other indoor bonsai trees exist, such as serissa, sago palms, araliad, Fukien tea, money tree, brush cherry, schefflera, bougainvillea, gardenias, and elms, which can be adapted. Two species of outdoor bonsai trees are evergreens like juniper and pine, and deciduous, like maple, gingko, and elm.
Evergreen bonsai trees are especially nice because they keep their leaves or needles throughout the year. Azaleas, boxwoods, juniper, and most pines fall into this category. Both beautiful and trainable, the juniper is a very popular bonsai tree variety. A healthy evergreen bonsai will go through a dormant period every year. There’s no need to worry if you see a yellowish tinge or a dull green on the leaves or needles, it’s just the evergreen bonsai during its rest cycle.
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.