Bonsai Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia of popular bonsai species with care guides, traits, and styling tips.
Featured Bonsai
Showing 3 of 137 species
© Nihongo1234 / CC BY-SA 4.0Japanese Beech
Fagus crenata
Bonsai of a tall deciduous tree with smooth silver-white bark and elegant form. Enjoy spring budding, summer green, autumn gold, and winter marcescent leaves.
© northofsweden from Sweden / CC BY 2.0Japanese Birch
Betula platyphylla
A deciduous bonsai prized for its white bark. As a tree of cool highlands it suffers in lowland summer heat and dryness, so partial shade and keeping the roots cool are the keys. It shifts through fresh green, gold and bare white trunks.
© Bruce Marlin / CC BY 3.0Japanese Hornbeam
Carpinus japonica
A deciduous bonsai tree with fine branching and ovate leaves with sharply impressed veins. Easy to train into broom or informal upright styles, with golden autumn color and pendulous fruiting catkins that resemble Shinto paper streamers.
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Bonsai FAQ
- How much do bonsai cost?
- Mini bonsai cost 1,000-5,000 yen, medium bonsai 5,000-50,000 yen, and masterpiece-class large bonsai hundreds of thousands to millions of yen depending on age, size, and form.
- Can beginners start bonsai?
- Starting with small Japanese maple, Shimpaku juniper, or Japanese white pine is recommended. With basic watering and 1-2 annual prunings, beginners can fully enjoy bonsai.
- How long do bonsai live?
- With proper care, bonsai can live for hundreds of years. Japan has many bonsai several centuries old, valued as art pieces passed down across generations.
- What should I check when buying bonsai?
- Look at root spread, trunk movement, and branch balance. Beginners may enjoy starting with affordable raw material trees and shaping them, rather than finished specimens.
- What's most important for bonsai care?
- Daily watering is the most important task. Water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, twice daily in summer (morning and evening). Keep outdoors in a spot with good airflow and sunlight.