Juniperus chinensisoutdoor
Juniper Bonsai
- care
- beginner
- light
- full sun
- zone
- 4–9
48 species · care with real numbers
Keep your first bonsai alive.
Watering cadence, soil mixes, and pruning windows for 48 species — written for the tree on your windowsill, not the one in a museum.
Just got a bonsai?
Identify
What tree is this?
Browse the species grid — most gift trees are one of a handful of common species.
Browse the speciesDiagnoseSomething looks wrong
Dropping, yellowing, or browning leaves usually trace to watering or light — start with the symptom guide.
Open the symptom guideWaterWhen do I water it?
Cadence by species and season — and how to check the soil.
Read the watering guideFrom the bench
The species growers search for most
All 48 speciesAcer palmatumoutdoor
Japanese Maple Bonsai
- care
- intermediate
- light
- partial shade
- zone
- 5–9
Ficus microcarpaboth
Ficus Bonsai
- care
- beginner
- light
- bright indirect
- zone
- 10–12
Ulmus parvifoliaboth
Chinese Elm Bonsai
- care
- beginner
- light
- full sun+
- zone
- 5–10
Crassula ovataboth
Jade Bonsai
- care
- beginner
- light
- bright direct
- zone
- 10–12
Taxodium distichumoutdoor
Bald Cypress Bonsai
- care
- intermediate
- light
- full sun
- zone
- 4–10
An opinion we'll keep having
Skip the seed kits.
Bonsai from seed takes five-plus years before you can style anything, and most kit seeds never sprout. A live starter tree costs about the same and you get to do the fun part this year.
Browse the benches
Find the right species for your situation
All categoriesNew · printable field cards
Tape the care card to the shelf.
Every species page has a one-page field card — light, water, soil, and feeding at a glance. Print it, tape it where the tree lives, and stop second-guessing yourself at watering time.
The full index
All species A–Z
AzaleaRhododendron spp.IntermediateBald CypressTaxodium distichumIntermediateBambooBambusa ventricosaIntermediateBeechFagus sylvaticaIntermediateBirchBetula pendulaIntermediateBlack PinePinus thunbergiiAdvancedBougainvilleaBougainvillea glabraIntermediateBoxwoodBuxus sempervirensBeginnerBrazilian Rain TreePithecellobium tortumIntermediateBrush CherrySyzygium australeIntermediateButtonwoodConocarpus erectusIntermediateCedarCedrus deodaraIntermediateCherry BlossomPrunus serrulataAdvancedChinese ElmUlmus parvifoliaBeginnerCork Bark ElmUlmus parvifolia 'Corticosa'IntermediateCotoneasterCotoneaster horizontalisBeginnerCrabappleMalus sylvestrisIntermediateDesert RoseAdenium obesumIntermediateDwarf JadePortulacaria afraBeginnerFicusFicus microcarpaBeginnerFirethornPyracantha coccineaIntermediateFukien TeaCarmona retusaIntermediateGinkgoGinkgo bilobaIntermediateHackberryCeltis sinensisBeginnerHawaiian UmbrellaSchefflera arboricola 'Luseane'BeginnerHinoki CypressChamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana'IntermediateHornbeamCarpinus betulusIntermediateJacarandaJacaranda mimosifoliaIntermediateJadeCrassula ovataBeginnerJapanese MapleAcer palmatumIntermediateJuniperJuniperus chinensisBeginnerLarchLarix deciduaIntermediateMoney TreePachira aquaticaBeginnerNorfolk Island PineAraucaria heterophyllaBeginnerOliveOlea europaeaBeginnerPodocarpusPodocarpus macrophyllusBeginnerPomegranatePunica granatumIntermediatePrivetLigustrum sinenseBeginnerRosemarySalvia rosmarinusBeginnerSatsuki AzaleaRhododendron indicumAdvancedSchefflera (Umbrella Tree)Schefflera arboricolaBeginnerSerissa (Snow Rose)Serissa japonicaIntermediateTrident MapleAcer buergerianumIntermediateWhite PinePinus parvifloraAdvancedWillowSalix babylonicaIntermediateWisteriaWisteria floribundaIntermediateYewTaxus baccataIntermediateZelkovaZelkova serrataBeginner
Specific, not generic
Real numbers for every species — watering cadence, soil mix, pruning windows — not advice that could apply to any tree.
Honest about the hard parts
If a species will die on your bookshelf, the page says so before you buy it — not after.
Free, no walls
No paywalls, no gated content, no email walls. Every guide is free to read, forever.