By name, by topic, or by symptom — everything on the site is in this box.
84 results
Juniperus chinensis
Acer palmatum
Ficus microcarpa
Ulmus parvifolia
Crassula ovata
Taxodium distichum
Rhododendron spp.
Prunus serrulata
Wisteria floribunda
Olea europaea
Carmona retusa
Portulacaria afra
Punica granatum
Zelkova serrata
Acer buergerianum
Malus sylvestris
Bougainvillea glabra
Podocarpus macrophyllus
Bambusa ventricosa
Serissa japonica
Buxus sempervirens
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana'
Schefflera arboricola
Cotoneaster horizontalis
Pithecellobium tortum
Conocarpus erectus
Araucaria heterophylla
Salix babylonica
Cedrus deodara
Ginkgo biloba
Carpinus betulus
Larix decidua
Fagus sylvatica
Taxus baccata
Jacaranda mimosifolia
Salvia rosmarinus
Ligustrum sinense
Adenium obesum
Pachira aquatica
Schefflera arboricola 'Luseane'
Rhododendron indicum
Pinus thunbergii
Pinus parviflora
Ulmus parvifolia 'Corticosa'
Syzygium australe
Pyracantha coccinea
Betula pendula
Celtis sinensis
Watering is the single most important skill in bonsai. Master this one thing and your tree will forgive almost everything else you get wrong.
Pruning controls the shape, size, and health of your bonsai. Two types — maintenance and structural — and knowing when to use each makes all the difference.
Bonsai soil has nothing in common with garden dirt. Drainage and aeration come first — your tree's roots literally need to breathe.
Repotting refreshes spent soil, trims circling roots, and resets drainage. Most bonsai need it every two to three years — here's how to do it right.
Wiring lets you position every branch exactly where you want it. It's the most powerful shaping tool in bonsai — and easier to learn than most people think.
Bonsai live in tiny pots with barely any soil. They depend entirely on you for nutrition, and a starved tree declines so gradually you might not notice until it's too late.
Spider mites, aphids, scale, and fungal infections hit bonsai hard and fast. Early detection and proper treatment save trees — here's what to watch for.
Outdoor bonsai need winter cold for dormancy, but shallow pots leave roots dangerously exposed to freezing. Protection is straightforward once you know the options.
Growing bonsai indoors works perfectly well — if you pick tropical species, get the light right, and manage humidity. Here's the honest playbook.
Your first bonsai should be cheap, tough, and matched to where you'll actually keep it. Skip the expensive specimen trees and start with something forgiving.
You don't need every tool on the rack. Five basics cover 90% of all bonsai work — here's what to buy first and what to skip for now.
Bonsai styling takes raw nursery stock and shapes it into something that looks like a tree that's been standing for centuries. Here's how to start seeing the potential in any material.
Jin and shari — deadwood features on bonsai — mimic lightning scars, weathered branches, and centuries of exposure. They add age and drama that foliage alone can't deliver.
Growing bonsai from cuttings, seeds, or air layers gives you full control over the tree's development from the very beginning. It's the slow lane, and it's worth it.
New to bonsai? Start here. What bonsai actually is, how to pick your first tree, the basics of keeping it alive, and what to ignore until year two.
Bonsai means “planted in a tray.” Here's the real symbolism — etymology, gift meanings by occasion, meaning by species, and whether bonsai is cruel to the tree.
A bonsai is an ordinary tree kept small on purpose — a technique, not a species. Here's how it works, the parts of a bonsai, and where it originally came from.
Some bonsai are toxic to cats, some aren't — it's the species that matters. Look up any species by risk, see the dangerous ones, and the safe picks for cats.
Most bonsai cost $30 to $150, with specimens in the thousands. Here's what each price band buys, the hidden first-year costs, and where to spend your money.
The priciest bonsai sold for around $1.3 million. Here are the record holders, why old trees cost so much, and what a genuinely nice tree really costs.
The oldest known bonsai is a 1,000-year-old ficus in Italy. Meet the famous ancient trees, how their age is known, and whether yours can outlive you too.
Bonsai live as long as the same tree would in the ground — decades to centuries. Here's lifespan by species type and why most beginner trees die young anyway.
From seed, a bonsai takes 10–15 years; from nursery stock, 1–3. Here's the real timeline by starting point — and why buying a live tree beats a seed kit.
Bonsai range from under 2 inches to over 3 feet across named size classes. See the full scale, how trees are kept small, and the best size for beginners.
Most bonsai need direct sun, but indoor tropicals do fine in bright indirect light. Here's the light needs by species and why junipers can't live inside.
Water a bonsai when the soil starts to dry — not on a schedule. Here's the finger-check method, what changes how fast trees drink, and how to water right.
Bonsai are easier than their reputation if you pick the right species. Here's what's actually hard, the most forgiving trees, and how much time it takes.
Almost any woody tree can be a bonsai, but small-leaved, back-budding species work best. See what makes a good subject and check any tree in our explorer.
Leaf drop usually means adjustment, watering, or light — not a dying tree. How to tell which one you have, why ficus overreacts, and when bare is normal.
Crispy brown means it dried out; soft brown means drowning roots; inside-out browning is often normal. How to read each pattern — and the indoor juniper trap.
Bottom-up yellowing is normal turnover; all-over yellow means watering or light; sticky leaves mean pests. How to read the pattern and fix the right thing.
One thumbnail scratch settles it: green under the bark means alive. How to run the scratch test, why junipers fool people, and what dormancy looks like.
Most gift bonsai are a juniper, ginseng ficus, or fukien tea. Identify yours, see where it belongs, and follow the 30-day plan — winter juniper move included.
Mix ratios and how much soil to buy, from your pot size and species.
The 2/3 rule applied to your tree's height and trunk width.
Which wire gauge to use for each branch thickness.
