How to Care for Bonsai: Fukien Tea (Carmona microphylla)
Karen This tropical evergreen shrub is native to southern China and is a good subject for bonsai. The brownish red trunk becomes thick and attractive with age and the small leaves…
How to Care for Bonsai: Desert Rose (Adenium obesum)
This succulent bush from the dry desert areas of East Africa and Arabia is sparsely branched with very thick stems and a swollen caudex. The fleshy leaves are spirally arranged…
How to Care for Bonsai: Bougainvillea glabra
There is nothing quite like the bright blaze of color provided by bougainvillea. Originally from South America this woody vine grows outdoors in frost free climates in the United States…
How to Care for Bonsai: Powderpuff Tree (Calliandra haematocephala)
This small tree or bush is evergreen and a member of the legume family with bipinately compound leaves that close up at night or during times of drought. In spring…
How to Care for Bonsai: Silver Dollar (Crassula arborescens minor)
Silver Dollar is a succulent native to dry climates. With small leaves, compact form, and treelike character, silver dollar is a good plant for a beginner and attractive bonsai can…
How to Care for Bonsai: Camellia (C. japonica, C. susanqua)
Camellias are evergreen trees or shrubs native to eastern and southern Asia. There are over 100 species of camellia including C. sinensis the plant that produces the beverage tea, and…
How to Care for Bonsai: Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides)
Few plants offer the delicious fragrance of a gardenia when it blooms. It doesn’t take many flowers to fill a whole room with the sweet scent so one small plant…
How to Care for Bonsai: Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia)
A native of China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea, this deciduous tree is one of the best species of elm for bonsai. The leathery, dark green leaves attach to the stem…
How to Care for Bonsai: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Rosemary is commonly associated with herbs and cooking but it makes a fine bonsai plant because of its attractive leaves, flowers and trunk. A native of the Mediterranean countries where…
How to Care for Bonsai: Boxwood (Buxus spp.)
There are over 40 kinds of boxwood, most of which are varieties of English boxwood, Buxus sempervirens. Japanese boxwood (B. microphylla) is also a good choice for bonsai but Buxus…