Flowering Powder Puff (indoor bonsai tree)
This indoor bonsai tree is fondly known as the flowering powder puff, proper name is (Calliandra Haematocephala) . This indoor bonsai originates from Guyana, Mexico, Honduras and Brazil. It was aptly named for the tree’s abundance of crimson pink puffy blooms in spring and summer. It really is a small ornamental tree.
The branches form raspberry like buds which indicate the profusion of color is about to start. The leaves fold up as the sun starts going down and evening approaches. Read more
Indoor Bonsai Plants
Bonsai Tree Plants for Beginners
If you live in an apartment and don’t have a sun deck or small patio an outdoor bonsai tree is out of the question. But you can still successfully grow and indoor bonsai plant and enjoy this hobby as a novice or beginner.
Bonsai plants that are grown indoors are ideal to give as a gift or for starting your bonsai collection if you are beginner. There are a couple of favorites that come to mind the, flowering peace lily bonsai, dracaena bonsai and the Sansevieria plant. Read more
Japenese Bonsai Tree Care
Now that you have had your bonsai tree for awhile its time to clean it up and have it looking its best. Spring is a good time to do this in the cooler climates or if you are in the southern states where it is warm all the time you can follow this procedure anytime.
Preparing your bonsai to display as a specimen of a healthy tree.
There are a few simple steps to follow in order to have your bonsai tree looking its best. First lets clean up the soil and roots.
- 1. remove a very shallow section of the top soil and old moss without hurting the roots.
- 2.Cut any old dead roots or thin crossing roots that are lying on top of other roots. You can either cut them off or what is best try to reset them straight into the soil.
First take away any debris, weeds or moss that has grown there. If their are weeds growing and they seem to go down fairly far you can use a thin stick like a chop stick to carefully loosen the soil around it and then pull them out so you don’t damage the small tree roots. If there is a hole left, fill it in with more bonsai soil mix. Replave the top part of the soil, only about a 1/2 to 1 inch depth with a grit, like very coarse sand. An alternative to this which I like best is to remove about an inch of soil and replace it with the same type of soil mix that your bonsai tree is growing in. Brush the excess soil away from the trunk area.
To clean the trunk I like to use a small soft wire brush. After this many growers like to cover the soil of outdoor bonsai trees with moss, to emulate small grassy mounds. Just remember to remove it in the winter months because it can hide pests. In the spring you need to keep an eye on it because birds like to take it to build nests.
Your pots that the tree is growing in is the next part that needs to be taken care of. A dirty bonsai pot looks untidy and takes away from the whole look of the tree. Wipe the pot down with a damp cloth removing dust and dirt. Apply a thin coat of olive oil or vegatabel oil to the pot with a brush being careful not to get any on the tree or into the soil. This will give your tree a neat shiny polished look.
If your outdoor or indoor bonsai tree is older you may want to re-pot it in a nicer bonsai pot and add a new soil mix with fertilizer. I never change the entire potting mix, I like to remove only 2/3 thirds of it so that the tree doesn’t think it is being replanted and go into a temporary shock.
If you need more Soil mix go here.
If you would like to see other pots that are available go here.
outdoor bonsai shrub
Small ornamental bonsai shrubs you can use as a specimen tree on your patio or in the garden by your front door.
This outdoor bonsai shrub is a flowering jasmine, the color is yellow.
Price is 49.95 – more details and shipping information here
This is a true small jasmine shrub growing only 12″ tall. Native to NW India and the Himalayas. It has very nice gold/green tiny leaves. The blooms appear very thick during late winter and into spring with yellow 1/2″ flowers that contrast with the bright green branches. This bonsai is a rare deciduous tree and needs to be kept outdoors.
Next up is another favorite outdoor bonsai tree, bothe of these shrubs are classified as a flowering bonsai tree.
More details here
Winter Jasmine is native to western China and has been cultivated in the West since the mid 1800’s. It has bright, glossy, green pinnate leaves divided into 3 oblong leaflets. We grow this winter hardy, vine-like shrub into tree form. Before the foliage appears this flowering beauty bears 1″ bright yellow blooms at the base of its stems and slowly blooms up the stems. By late winter it flowers at the tips of the stems. Branches will root and produce new plants where trailing branches touch moist soil.
One of the more popular outdoor bonsai shrubs is a forsythia it also happens to be a one of a kind bonsai tree. This outdoor bonsai is an early flowering deciduous shrub which we have grown into tree form. Flowers profusely in early spring before the leaves appear. The flowers are 1″-2″ and are bright golden yellow, bell shaped with 4 narrow petals in groups of 1-3 at each node along the branch. Oval serrated green leaves appear once the flowers have opened.
- You can get more deatails of this bonsai at the nursery here.
It is 12 years old and potted in an 8″ blue rectangle container.
Filbert Bonsai Tree
Now here is a unique bonsai tree that is actually a small hazelnut tree.
I like this filbert bonsai tree because of the thick growth it produces in the spring and summer. Hazelnuts always remind me of christmas time so I have mine in the house around this special season as an extra ornament and decoration. Read more
