Regardless of the type(s) of Bonsai you want
to create, the plants and trees that can be used for bonsai need certain
necessary characteristics to enable them to become truly stunning and
achieve that classic "old" bonsai look. Utilizing the established bonsai
practice/technique of restricting normal root development by using a
small pot or container. Eventually, growth will diminish and slow, and
leaves will stay smaller.
In the cultivation of "new" bonsai trees
(i.e. those less than 20-30 years old), only a few plants have all the
characteristics necessary for true Bonsai. The ideal bonsai trees should
have a trunk growing thick and woody in a short time. Its leaves or
needles small enough to be convincing and the roots should be clearly
visible with major surface growth. They cannot be sensitive to regular,
structural pruning. Seasonal blooms or fruits should not be so large
that they distract from the total appearance of the bonsai trees.
The types of bonsai trees and plants that are most often utilized for
the beginning to advanced bonsai gardener are evergreen, deciduous,
flowering and fruit-bearing plants. Plants may be found in the wild,
from garden centers and even grown from seeds. In addition, Bonsai
plants may also be created from cuttings, air laying and grafting
(although for a beginner, the best way is to start with an established
plant for your first foray into the bonsai world).
Here is a list of some suitable plants that make good bonsai trees.
Alberta
spruce
American bald cypress
American cypress
American juniper
Azalea
Beach pine
Beech
Blaauw's juniper
Black spruce
Californian juniper
Canadian hemlock
Canyon oak
Chrrystone juniper
Chinese elm
Common juniper
Douglas fir
Ezo spruce
Five-needle pine
Flowering quince Golden cup oak
Japanese beech
Japanese black pine
Japanese cedar
Japanese cypress
Japanese hornbean
Japanese larch
Japanese maple
Japanese red pine
Loblolly pine
Lodgepole pine
Long-leaf willow
Long-needle pine
Montezuma cypress
Mountain laurel
Mugo pine
Needle juniper
Norwegian spruce
Olive Pitch pine
Pomegranate
Prostrata juniper
Pyracantha
Rhododendron
Rock cotoneaster
Sargent juniper
Scarlet maple
Shore pine
Silver-blue Atlas cedar
Swiss mountain pine
Trident maple
Utah juniper
Wax tree
Weeping willow
Wistaria
Zelkova
About the Author: Erik Olsen is an avid
Bonsai gardening enthusiast, and the author of the best selling eBook
"Bonsai Gardening Secrets", available online at
http://www.bonsaigardener.org
