Many characteristics make a particular tree desirable as a candidate for bonsai. Things like seasonal interest, hardiness, and receptiveness to shaping are all elements that come into play when you are selecting a tree.
A bonsai tree is an ornamental tree grown in a pot and pruned in a particular manner to prevent it from reaching its normal size. The objective is to grow a miniature version of the tree, control its growth, and train it into its most beautiful form.
The process of miniaturizing a tree requires a small container to control the growth by limiting the amount of water and nutrients it receives. This means that all bonsai trees require a fair amount of maintenance. With that in mind, here are 21 of the most common trees used for this art form.
Juniper
Ideal for bonsai, juniper trees feature beautiful bark with scaly foliage.
 | botanical name Juniperus |
|---|---|
 | sun requirements Full sun |
 | hardiness zones 3-9 |
Hardwood junipers make very attractive bonsai trees. They have interesting and beautiful bark that has the ability to form deadwood when it is treated in a particular fashion. This adds a lot of beauty and movement to the tree. This sometimes involves peeling the bark and using lime sulfur as a treatment. The result is a portion of bark that is lighter and has a silvery appearance. The process is worth it if you admire the unusual ornamental bark of several outdoor tree species.
The foliage of a Juniper works well with this treatment, as it is scaly and small. The leaves also tend to change color when stressed by cold weather, which is a beautiful and surprising element in winter. Juniper trees are considered easy to work with and make good beginner bonsai trees.
Fukien Tea
An indoor bonsai favorite, the Fukien Tea tree thrives in warm weather and requires sunlight and humidity.
| | botanical name Ehretia microphylla |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | hardiness zones 10-11 |
This warm-weather tree is usually kept as an indoor bonsai. These trees prefer warm weather and do not tolerate frost. They also require a fair amount of humidity, which bumps this tree into the moderate range in terms of difficulty. As this is not a naturally large tree, it makes a good bonsai. It is not difficult to maintain the distinctive tree appearance in a small size.
Fukien Tea tree is a popular choice for bonsai in China. Small, rounded leaves and grey bark that develops fissures as it matures are some of its attractive attributes. It is a blooming and fruit-bearing tree that can bloom at any time of year when kept indoors. It requires a lot of sunlight, so make a space directly in front of a sunny window.
Cedar
Classic cedar has a distinctive trunk and a high canopy.
| | botanical name Cedrus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | hardiness zones 2-9 |
Cedar trees make elegant and beautiful bonsai trees. Their high, well-formed canopy ensures a distinctive trunk, which is a very desirable trait in bonsai. Their young branches are very malleable and can be wired to shape easily. Wounds tend to heal slowly, so creating deadwood is a common practice with cedar.
You’ll need to repot this tree every two years initially and then every three to five years once the tree is mature. Give it plenty of water and fertilizer during the growing season, but be careful to let the soil dry between waterings.
Beech
Choose beech for beautiful fall color and slow-growth.
| | botanical name Fagus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Partial to full shade |
| | hardiness zones 3-9 |
For a tree with beautiful fall color, a beech is a wonderful choice. However, if you’re looking for an easy job or a beginner tree, this is probably not the one. Beech’s trunk takes a very long time to thicken, so it requires a lot of patience.
Beech trees are not fast growers. They typically only have one flush of growth yearly, and their primary branches are very long, which makes pruning more difficult. Pruning a beech bonsai takes skill and careful planning. The resulting bonsai is really beautiful, though, and in the fall, the leaves turn a brilliant shade of yellow.
Ficus
An ideal beginner bonsai, ficus trees feature adaptable growth, aerial roots, and a wide crown.
| | botanical name Ficus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | hardiness zones 10-11 |
Ficus is considered the best tree for beginners as it is adaptable, amenable to pruning and training, and has an attractive and interesting growth habit. Many types of ficus trees have aerial roots that can add an interesting, beautiful, unique appearance to your bonsai. They tend to form a large, wide crown, which makes for a lovely shape.
This is a warm-weather tree that has tender roots, so it must be grown indoors in cooler climates, especially in the winter. It prefers full sun but can be grown in partial shade if you don’t mind the foliage coming in sparser. Keeping consistent temperature and high humidity will encourage aerial root formation.
Bald Cypress
Protect Cypress bonsai from winter cold.
| | botanical name Taxodium distichum |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | hardiness zones 4-10 |
Cypress trees are very tolerant of water, and their soft, feathery foliage looks enchanting in bonsai form. These trees have a distinct trunk and high canopy, so there is no struggle to encourage a tree shape rather than a more shrubby form. The bark is grey and heavily textured when mature, and the foliage turns beautiful shades of yellow and bronze in the fall.
Although it is very cold tolerant when planted in the ground, as a bonsai, Bald Cypress will need to be protected from the cold in winter. If pruned too early or severely, branch dieback can be an issue. Be sure to hold off on pruning branches with no lateral ramifications or secondary branching.
Japanese Maple
With ornate leaves and colorful foliage, maples thrive in partial sun but need protection from excessive heat.
| | botanical name Acer palmatum |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | hardiness zones 5-8 |
Maple trees make wonderful bonsais, especially the types that produce red and yellow fall foliage. Many of these also have colorful foliage in the spring, making them extra appealing for ornamental purposes. Maple leaves are very ornate, with five pointed lobes. They prefer to be placed in an airy spot with partial sun exposure.
Too much heat and sunlight can damage the pretty maple foliage. Maples produce red flowers in the spring and then release fruits that have small wings attached to help disperse the seeds. All of these lovely characteristics are miniaturized in bonsai form, making for a very lovely tree.
East Asian Cherry
Cherry bonsai, challenging but beautiful, loves the sunny outdoors.
| | botanical name Prunus serrulata |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | hardiness zones 5-8 |
This bonsai tree is considered one of the most difficult and also one of the most beautiful trees to train. It needs to be grown outdoors with a lot of sunlight to thrive. Unfortunately, it is also susceptible to many pests and diseases, making it more difficult to maintain, and this can drastically shorten the tree’s lifespan.
In the spring, the East Asian Cherry tree produces beautiful, fragrant white and pink flowers. During this blooming period, it is one of the showiest and most spectacular bonsai trees around. The more sun it gets, the more flowers it will produce, so extra sunlight in spring is best. In summer, move your cherry bonsai to a spot with shade in the afternoon and sun in the morning.
Azalea
This easy-to-care-for bonsai requires precise pruning for optimal flowering.
| | botanical name Azaleastrum |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | hardiness zones 6-9 |
Azaleas make another beautiful, blooming bonsai. They are typically easy to care for, but getting them to produce the maximum number of flowers can be tricky. Pruning time is vital to the beauty of this tree as it blooms on old growth only. It should be pruned immediately after blooming to give new branches maximum time to age before bloom time.
Although they take the form of shrubs when left full-sized, Azaleas make nice bonsai trees because they are easy to train. They are evergreen and grow fine branches that give the plant a more treelike appearance. These branches can become brittle as they age, so wiring should be done very carefully.
Ginseng Ficus
This excellent beginner bonsai features unique raised roots and low maintenance needs.
| | botanical name Ficus microcarpa |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Bright indirect light |
| | hardiness zones 9-11 |
The lovely ginseng ficus falls under the umbrella of ficus trees, but this specific species makes, perhaps, the best beginner bonsai. It requires far less maintenance than many others and is easy to train and care for. It has raised roots, which add an element of interest uncommon in other types of trees. Training these roots can be fun and creates a feeling of movement in the tree.
Ginseng ficus is a warm-weather tree and is not frost-tolerant. It needs to live indoors during cold weather and prefers a high level of humidity. Give your tree a potting mix that is high in aggregate, such as lava rock or pine bark. The thinner branches are quite flexible and easy to wire, so this should be done while the plant is young.
Chinese Elm
This cold-tolerant starter bonsai is easy to shape and can endure winter outdoors.
| | botanical name Ulmus parvifolia |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | hardiness zones 5-8 |
Another good starter bonsai, if you are looking for something a bit more cold-tolerant, is the Chinese Elm tree. They are strong trees that respond well to pruning and are easy to shape. The branches have fine ramification, which contributes to their aesthetic value as a bonsai.
A nice element of this tree is that it can be left outdoors in the winter in more temperate climates. Depending on the region of origin, some are frost tolerant. Because it is easy to care for and adaptable, this is the most common plant for beginners to start with on their bonsai journey.
Bougainvillea
A vibrant bonsai option, bougainvillea blooms prolifically.
| | botanical name Bougainvillea |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | hardiness zones 10-11 |
Bougainvillea is technically not a tree but a woody vine. Nonetheless, it makes a very nice and colorful bonsai. It blooms for a long period of the year and produces beautiful, colorful bracts at the ends of branches during its blooming period.
Because of their fast growth habit and tolerance of pruning and shaping, Bougainvilleas make great candidates for bonsai. They do need to be grown indoors in all but the warmest climates, though, as they are not cold-tolerant at all. They need a lot of sun to produce their bracts, so bringing this plant outdoors in the summer will produce the most colorful tree.
Snow Rose
Despite an unpleasant scent, Snow Rose is a favored bonsai, requiring indoor care.
| | botanical name Buchozia japonica |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Partial shade |
| | hardiness zones 7-9 |
Snow rose is a large shrubby plant best known for the unpleasant aroma emitted by its bark and roots when they are crushed or cut. In spite of this unappealing characteristic, the Snow Rose is one of the most popular plants to create a bonsai with. If you don’t mind a needy plant, this one is worth a try.
Bring this plant indoors in the winter in cooler climates. That said, this plant is also sensitive to heat, so keep it indoors, in a cool space away from heating elements. Keep the soil moist but not soggy to make your snow rose happy.
Oak
Sturdy, slow-growing oak bonsai is worth waiting for.
| | botanical name Quercus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | hardiness zones 3-8 |
Oaks are sturdy and slow growing, making them a good candidate for bonsai, but one that requires patience. In terms of watering, oaks suffer more from underwatering than overwatering and should be soaked well when irrigated. In the summer, your oak bonsai will need to be watered daily.
Most oaks are frost tolerant, but make sure that your specific species can tolerate a freeze before leaving it outdoors in winter. Potted plants are more vulnerable to cold because of their shallow root systems and lack of insulating soil. Wiring should be done in the summer when the branches are more flexible.
Japanese Elm
The single trunk and rounded canopy make Japanese Elm a beautiful bonsai specimen.
| | botanical name Ulmus davidiana var. japonica |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | hardiness zones 3-7 |
This elm makes a wonderful bonsai with its single, straight trunk and wide, rounded canopy. Creating a well-balanced bonsai with this tree is not difficult, but wiring can be tricky. Ramification may need to be aided by defoliating the branches in the summertime.
Wiring is best done in the winter, and it is common to tie branches together to attain a broom shape for this tree. It is important to remove the wires in spring before the tree forms buds. Japanese elm has smooth, grey bark and attractive, ovate, serrated foliage.
Spruce
Challenging for beginners, spruce Bonsai demands careful training due to stubborn branches and growth patterns.
| | botanical name Picea |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | hardiness zones 3-8 |
Spruce trees are difficult to train, but they make stunning bonsai trees, so they are not uncommon. This is not the best tree for a novice, as it can cause some frustration if you are unsure of whether or not your tree is growing as it should. The branches hardly backbud and are stubborn where wiring is concerned. Overall, Spruce is a tough bird but a pretty one.
Whorling branches can be another roadblock, as can a lack of tapering in the trunk. Give your Spruce bonsai sun in the morning and filtered light in the afternoon. Most Spruce trees are very cold-tolerant and can live outdoors all year.
Golden Larch
Admired for its golden fall color, Larch bonsai requires winter protection.
| | botanical name Pseudolarix amabilis |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | hardiness zones 4-7 |
Larch and Golden Larch trees are popular bonsai trees. They are tall and coniferous and, when trained as a bonsai, have quickly thickening trunks. This highly desirable trait, combined with their golden fall color, creates a very pretty tree in a comparatively short time.
This is a deciduous tree that sheds its soft needles for winter, which then showcases the attractive and interesting flaky bark. While the full-sized version is frost-tolerant, this is not the case for Larch bonsai trees. They need protection from the cold in the winter.
Weeping Willow
Consider the Weeping Willow for a beautiful but challenging bonsai adventure.
| | botanical name Salix babylonica |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
If you are looking for a beautiful challenge, consider a Weeping Willow for your next bonsai adventure. While their care and training can be demanding, they certainly are one of the most beautiful bonsai species. These trees are best trained into larger bonsai trees, as it allows for better shaping of their long, hanging branches.
Willow trees need a lot of water. They commonly grow near swamps, lakes, and streams in their native landscape. Because the branches will tend to grow upward to the tree’s full height, they need to be wired down to achieve the weeping quality. It is easy to kill branches as a result. This lands Willow in the moderate to hard category.
Yew
The prolific back budding, slow growth, and sculptable hardwood of yew are excellent for bonsai.
| | botanical name Taxus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | hardiness zones 3-8 |
Yew trees are well suited for bonsai for several reasons. They back bud exceptionally well, even where no foliage previously existed. They are slow-growing but take well to pruning, and their hardwood is wonderful for sculpting deadwood.
As slow-growing evergreen trees, they are known to live for hundreds and even up to a thousand years. A yew bonsai is a lifelong journey that can result in an incredibly complex and striking specimen. Yew trees prefer partial sunlight and protection from extreme temperatures, both hot and cold.
Desert Rose
Native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, this succulent bonsai boasts large pink flowers.
| | botanical name Adenium obesum |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | hardiness zones 10-11 |
This gorgeous bloomer is native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and is considered a succulent. This is a helpful characteristic when training a bonsai, as they don’t mind that their soil dries quickly. Also commonly called Japanese Frangipani, the tree produces gorgeous, large, pink flowers when it gets the right amount of sunlight.
This warm-weather tree can be grown outdoors all year in mild climates but will need indoor or greenhouse conditions in the winter in cooler climates. In temperatures below 40°F (4°C), Desert Rose will drop its leaves in winter. It remains evergreen when kept warm. The trunk of this tree grows very thick, but there is less branch ramification than other trees.
Boxwood
This is an ideal beginner bonsai, featuring small leaves and resilience to pruning.
| | botanical name Buxus |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | hardiness zones 6-8 |
Boxwood trees make for great bonsai with their naturally small foliage and very sturdy constitution. This is a great beginner bonsai, as their natural growth habit is quite conducive to shaping, and they tolerate pruning exceptionally well, even budding from old wood.
This tree is tolerant of full sun to partial shade. In warm climates, it will prefer partial shade with some protection from the afternoon sun. Most types can be grown indoors but prefer to be outdoors during times of warm weather. In winter, cool, but not freezing temperatures are best.
Final Thoughts
The art of bonsai can be as simple or complicated as you choose, depending on the type of tree you decide to train. For those first embarking on bonsai, trees such as Ficus, Elm, or Boxwood are easy to work with and resilient, so they are flexible to the learning curve. For the more experienced bonsai collector looking for a challenge, Weeping Willow and Cherry make magnificent specimens with the right care and environment.
