Types of indoor and garden bonsai with photos

Indoor bonsai is now firmly established in the everyday life of phytodesigners of residential and office premises. No less popular is the garden bonsai, which adorns the landscape. This material presents the main types of bonsai as an art of plant sculpture based on suitable trees, flowers and shrubs.

The word bonsai literally means “grown on a tray”. Miniature size, however, is not achieved by growing plants in a cramped pot, where the roots have nowhere to go. According to the official definition, a bonsai is “a tree similar in every way to the corresponding ordinary tree, except for its miniature size. The way to grow is to keep the tree in a limited size pot, pinching out the growth points and trimming the roots to create a balance between the crown and the root system, and at the same time give the necessary shape.

Garden bonsai are sold in nurseries, usually at the age of 4 years. During the main growing period, the plants were kept in a pot, and both root and stem pruning were carried out every year. In addition, the branches were given an attractive shape using a special hard bonsai wire. At the age of approximately 3-4 years, the plant was transplanted into a shallow frost-resistant pot with drainage holes.

Growing garden bonsai is fun, but you need to have an idea of what you are doing. First of all, it is important to remember that these are not real houseplants. They are brought indoors for only two or three days – they suffer if kept indoors for a longer time. Normal room air is too hot and dry. Outdoors, protection from wind and rain is required. You also need to understand that growing bonsai takes time and money.

Types of plants and trees bonsai

Conifers are favorite objects for classic bonsai. Their leaves tend to be small and evergreen, and the plants are remarkably long-lived. The types of bonsai presented in the photo below can help determine the style and direction.

Popular types of bonsai tree include:

Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis);

Pea cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera);

Kempfer larch (Larix kaempferi);

Japanese cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica and Pinus sylvestris).

Not all suitable bonsai plant species are evergreen – widely grown:

Maple fan, or hand-shaped (Acer palmatum)

And serrata zelkova, (Zelkova serrata).

Flowering and fruiting trees are especially interesting. There is a long list of species that are suitable for making attractive bonsai. These are, for example, cherry, apricot, peach, Japanese azalea, quince, magnolia, compact roses , wisteria, apple trees (especially crab varieties), broom and pyracantha. In fact, almost any hardy tree can be grown this way, so you can use oak, beech, birch, or maple seedlings from your garden.

Indoor trees and bonsai plants

Indoor bonsai trees are a relative novelty that did not come from Japan. The center of interest seems to have been in Germany and then it spread all over the world. The main difference from the traditional garden bonsai is that heat-loving trees and shrubs are used here. A houseplant bonsai is usually much better than cold-resistant species, adapting to the conditions that exist in an ordinary home. Of course, they must be kept indoors during the winter.

As such, they can be considered houseplants, although they should be subjected to standard bonsai treatment during the summer months. To do this, it is necessary to keep them outdoors and bring them indoors for only a few days.

The easiest way is to buy mature and already prepared specimens, but they are expensive. If you have the time and patience, you can start from scratch. Plant the selected seedling or rooted cutting in the usual way and care for it. When the main stem reaches the desired height, the growing point should be pinched off. Remove some of the lower branches and pinch off the tips of the upper side branches to encourage tillering in the canopy. After 2 years, it must be transplanted and trimmed.

Growing indoor bonsai, like their hardy outdoor counterparts, is exciting, but certain conditions must be met for them to thrive.