guyguy

Hi, I'm looking to get a friend a bonsai tree for christmas. I need some help choosing though. And recomendations on a type that would flourish indoors, is beginner friendly, looks cool, and doesn't require an insane amount of care?
I was told jade would be fairly simple. i also read japanese maple are easy. i favored the japense maple, but am open to any and all suggestions.
Thanks alot hope to hear from everyone soon

Mattbonsai

Hiya guyguy, First off, welcome to the site,

Now to the main point, a Japanese maple won't flourish indoors, it will more than likely die very quickly, They are an 'easy' variety, but can only be grown outdoors.

The best species to have is probably the Jade like you said, virtually in-destructable, or you could go for a Ficus, they're a little more tricky than the Jade, but provided they get enough water and light they should do fine.

Make sure you buy a healthy plant, that isn't solidly potbound, with good drainage in the soil, no stupid gravel glued onto the surface of the soil, clear of pests and disease, and hasn't got the typical s shaped trunk.

Try to find them a book on how to care for the tree, but failing that, go to Bonsai4Me :: Bonsai from the UK and print off one of Harry's species guides.

Good luck.

-Matt-

__________________

centaura

Jade, schefflera or ficus. Japanese maples can't thrive indoors, need extra care, and are not terribly beginner friendly. Be careful about your qualification that the tree doesn't need "an insane amount of care" - bonsai is an art form, that takes time and effort to shape the tree. If a tree is not giving regular shaping, it will soon stop looking like a bonsai and begin to look like a house plant.

That being said, I recommend Brussel's Bonsai Nursery, Bonsai Trees and Accessories - they have a lot of "beginner friendly" indoor trees that you can choose from.

-Centaura

treebeard55

Have you checked, Guyguy, to make sure your friend would like to have a bonsai? Not to rain on your parade, but if he or she is a "black thumb," a bonsai will probably only lead to frustration. In that case, you might want to look for something else.

__________________
Treebeard 55
Steve Moore
http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com

The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

treebeard55

Another possibility, if your friend does like plants, is Portulacaria afra, also known as elephant bush or dwarf jade. Very similar to jade, but with smaller leaves. Desert native, so forgiving of forgotten waterings. About the only thing it can't survive is freezing temperatures.

Here's are pictures of my daughter's Portulacarias. The second is a two-year-old cutting from the first. They grow quickly.

Attached Images

	NaevEnya's elephant bush #1, BV.jpg (84.2 KB, 20 views)
	NaevEnya's elephant bush #2.jpg (90.0 KB, 16 views)

__________________
Treebeard 55
Steve Moore
http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com

The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

artyanimal

Hmmmm...

guyguy,

First we need to acknowledge an implied understanding that the term 'indoor bonsai' is meaningless if the caretaker does not have at least some basic horticultural skills.

Next, whether or not the plant looks cool is definatley a matter of opinion. In my estimation any of the following bonsai wearing a Panama hat, mirrored sunglasses and sporting 4 or more gold chains (with medallions) would not. They would however, still work well for everything else you mentioned:

As stated jades or portulacarias and any number of ficus are great. Also very good are: Ming arailias, dwarf umbrella trees (arbacolas), Fukien teas, Natal plums and Chinese privets (ligustrum lucidum).

Cheers,

Arty

centaura

I would slightly disagree with your list, only because fukien teas get bugs like nothing else, and privets grow like weeds, therefore probably needing more "care" than they are looking for. Of course, under the right conditions, ficus and shefflera can grow like weeds,

I can't agree with this statement more! How may bonsai die because they are brought home and put on a coffee table? All "indoor" means is that you put a lot of effort into creating as close to an outdoor environment as possible, that just happens to not be outdoors.

-Centaura

artyanimal

Centaura,

Hi and thanks for your response.

Just so we're clear and mostly for Guyguy's sake, I did not come up with my list at random and did warn that some skills were needed. With proper care all of the plants I listed can and do thrive indooors. ANY indoor plant however, listed or not that is kept too wet, dry, lit, dark, or allowed to act as a bug or fungus colony will likely eventually be lost.

IMHO, any plant that "grows like a weed" as in very, very hardy, would be absolutely ideal for a novice.

Cheers,

Arty

centaura

No worries - no offense to the original poster, but the only thing that really matched his criteria is an artificial plant. My main concern with fast growing things was his wish for something that didn't need a lot of care - which I interpreted to mean didn't need a lot of pruning to keep looking like a bonsai. Normally I would agree with your whole-heartedly that a fast growing species is great for a beginner, partly for hardiness and partly to keep them active and excited about the hobby.

What I would have really liked to know, to properly answer this question, was a rough idea of the horticultural level of the receiver - whether it was someone knowledgeable about plants, or anyone who was seriously interested in getting into the bonsai hobby, or someone looking for an interesting office plant. I will gauge my responses on this front based on the implied knowledge level of the recipient.

-Centaura

artyanimal

Bingo! My intent also.

Cheers,

Arty