Bonsai Encyclopedia

A flowering ume with deep red single flowers in which some stamens have turned petal-like, said to look like plovers (chidori) in flight. It blooms late among flowering ume and had no pollen in a prefectural trial.

Iconic tropical flowering plant. The colorful parts are bracts, not flowers. Best in warm regions but can be grown indoors in cooler areas. Thick trunks add character.

Iconic Japanese evergreen flowering tree. Blooms in winter to spring in red, white, and pink varieties. Glossy dark green leaves complement flowers perfectly in bonsai.

A deciduous climber with palmate leaves of five leaflets, pale purple flowers in spring and purple fruits 7–10 cm long in autumn that split lengthwise when ripe. It is self-incompatible, so fruit needs pollen from another plant.

A dwarf pomegranate, shorter than the species with smaller flowers and fruit. In early summer it bears crinkled scarlet flowers, and in pots or mini bonsai offers both blooms and fruit. Also sold as 'issai-zakuro'.

Japans iconic flowering tree. Spring blooms are spectacularly beautiful even as bonsai. Compact varieties like Fuji-zakura suit bonsai. Post-bloom care determines next years flowering.

Another name for the mame-zakura, a small wild cherry endemic to Japan and common around Mt. Fuji and Hakone. Small in flower, leaf and stature, it bears little white to pale pink, nodding flowers even on short trees, so it blooms well as bonsai.

Evergreen shrub with pure white fragrant flowers. Single-flower types bear orange fruit in autumn, enjoying both blooms and berries. Popular from shohin to mini bonsai.

Deciduous tree with white spring flowers and red autumn berries. Perfect bonsai candidate with flowers, fruit, and autumn color. Thorns require gloves when styling.

An evergreen shrub endemic to Japan that hangs clusters of small urn-shaped flowers in early spring. White is the wild colour, but pink to deep red forms are popular for bonsai. The whole plant is toxic and must never be eaten.

The quintessential flowering bonsai, blooming with fragrant flowers in early spring. Aged bark and elegant blossoms embody traditional Japanese beauty. Cherished since ancient times.

One of the seven autumn flowers. Countless small purple flowers on weeping slender branches create exquisite charm. A quintessential grass-style bonsai capturing autumn spirit.

Popular grass-style bonsai. Large purple or white flowers capture waterside scenery in a small pot. Beautiful with moss, creating a seasonal display for early summer.

Flowering bonsai with translucent waxy yellow blooms in midwinter. Sweet fragrance drifts through winter gardens. Precious species blooming when few others do. Improves with age.

A hibai-group cultivar regarded as the classic red ume. It bears deep red, double, medium flowers, and even the pith of thin twigs and the leaf stalks are deep red. Fragrant and a standard red ume for bonsai.

An endemic Japanese dwarf rhododendron, unusual among Japanese azaleas for its cream to pale yellow flowers in April–May. It grows on rocky slopes and streamsides; the creeping dwarf Yakushima form is sold for shohin and rock gardens.

A small azalea that carpets volcanic uplands in Kyushu such as Kirishima, Aso and Kuju. With small leaves and dense branching, it covers its shoot tips with little flowers, mostly purple-red but also pink or white. Tough and ideal for shohin bonsai.

Fragrant purple flowers are the main attraction. Suited for cool regions like Hokkaido and Tohoku. Dwarf varieties work well for small bonsai. Enjoy spring fragrance up close.

A deciduous shrub typical of Japanese coppice woods, bearing flat clusters of small white flowers in early summer and bunches of red berries about 6 mm across in autumn. In bonsai, small-leaved forms such as 'Kinkazan' are favoured.

A flowering ume said to have been planted along old highways as a waymark for travellers. Large single flowers described as pale pink to red. A prefectural trial found it thickens its trunk well and grows very vigorously.