---
type: category
name: "Broadleaf Evergreen Bonsai Trees"
species_count: 6
url: "https://www.bonsailist.com/categories/broadleaf-evergreen"
---

# Broadleaf Evergreen Bonsai Trees

Broadleaf evergreens keep their foliage year-round like conifers, but with broad leaves instead of needles. Ficus, olive, and podocarpus fall into this category. They offer the consistency of evergreen foliage with more variety in leaf shape, texture, and sometimes flowers or fruit.

## 6 Broadleaf Evergreen Bonsai Trees

| Species | Scientific Name | Difficulty | Environment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Olive Bonsai](https://www.bonsailist.com/species/olive) | *Olea europaea* | beginner | both |
| [Podocarpus Bonsai](https://www.bonsailist.com/species/podocarpus) | *Podocarpus macrophyllus* | beginner | both |
| [Boxwood Bonsai](https://www.bonsailist.com/species/boxwood) | *Buxus sempervirens* | beginner | outdoor |
| [Rosemary Bonsai](https://www.bonsailist.com/species/rosemary) | *Salvia rosmarinus* | beginner | both |
| [Brush Cherry Bonsai](https://www.bonsailist.com/species/brush-cherry) | *Syzygium australe* | intermediate | both |
| [Firethorn Bonsai](https://www.bonsailist.com/species/firethorn) | *Pyracantha coccinea* | intermediate | outdoor |

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What's the difference between conifer and broadleaf evergreen bonsai?

Conifers have needles or scale-like leaves (juniper, pine). Broadleaf evergreens have flat, broad leaves (ficus, olive). Both stay green year-round, but they look and grow very differently.

### Why is my olive bonsai dropping yellow leaves?

A broadleaf evergreen isn't evergreen leaf-by-leaf — olives, boxwood, and podocarpus shed a share of their oldest leaves each year, usually in spring as new growth pushes. Scattered yellow interior leaves are normal turnover. Yellowing across the whole canopy at once is different: that's almost always overwatering. Let the top inch of soil dry between waterings and make sure the drainage holes run free.

### Why are the leaf tips on my evergreen bonsai turning brown?

Dry indoor air or salt buildup, most often. Heated winter rooms drop below 30% humidity, which browns tips on thin-leaved species, and months of tap water plus fertilizer leave salts behind in the pot. Once a month, flush the pot until water runs freely out the drainage holes for a full minute, and move the tree off the radiator shelf. Trim brown tips if they bother you — they won't re-green.

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*Source: [BonsaiList](https://www.bonsailist.com/categories/broadleaf-evergreen)*