Without a doubt one of the main reasons people start to develop an interest in Bonsai is through seeing indoor Bonsai displayed individually or in a gift set in garden centres and supermarkets. Regrettably this is also probably the principle reason why these self same people never become hooked on Bonsai as a hobby or pastime and certainly never progress to nurturing outdoor Bonsai trees.

What tends to happen appears to be something along the lines of the following:

50 Days to kill an indoor Bonsai

Day 1 - See pretty little Chinese Elm in local Supermarket and buy it in a vague attempt to be cultural or as a present for loved one. Take it home and place it on a windowsill directly above the nearest radiator.

Day 3 - Water it from the top like any normal house plant and admire those shiny green leaves.

Day 12 - Water it again a week or so later when the soil seems to have contracted by a third from the side of the pot.

Day 22- Wonder why the leaves are going a funny colour so water it again.

Day 27 - Leaves now going very yellow so develop theory that are you watering it too much so leave it alone.

Day 29 - Someone at work tells you to immerse it in water up to its base so you do just that.

Day 34 - Very cold day - turn those radiators up a bit more.

Day 37 - Can't believe this b*&&%y high maintenance plant. Now the leaves are falling off!

Day 38 - Still looks very ill so feed it huge amounts of Bonsai plant feed in attempt to bring it back from the brink.

Day 50 - RIP Chinese Elm - loved one says "told you so".

So am I exaggerating for effect? I wish I was! Unfortunately the catalogue of errors outlined above was pretty much mirrored in my first indoor bonsai adventure. So why wasn't I put off for life like most people. Well I managed to visit a Bonsai nursery during the period that my first indoor Bonsai was still alive and this was the defining moment. I went there with the intention of purchasing another indoor tree to add to my "collection" but instead I came back with a wonderfully thick trunked Trident Maple. I also came back with the message from the owner of the nursery that outdoor Bonsai were the "real Bonsai". Forget indoor he told me.

I can understand now what he meant and I've heard it many times since. And I do accept that in the purest sense outdoor Bonsai are the real thing, especially if you bear in mind your Bonsai culture. Add to this the fact that the variety of trees you can grow, develop and nurture outdoors far exceeds the variety indoors makes the argument that much more compelling. Another reason why beginners should take the perceived bigger step to experiement with outdoor Bonsai is the level of care and attention an outdoor Bonsai requires compared to an indoor. Many newcomers to the hobby think the indoor trees present less of a care challenge compared to the outside varieties. Oh how wrong they are........

Indoor and outdoor care regimes

There are some basic care guidelines which you need to follow for both indoor and outdoor Bonsai and they include regular feeding during the growing season, repotting on a regular basis and general pruning or cutting back of new growth as appropriate. Where we see some real differences emerge is in the positioning of the trees and their watering demands.

Indoor Bonsai are invariably of sub-tropical origin and as such require higher temperatures than outside Bonsai, hence why they need to be kept indoors. However, a centrally heated house can quickly create a humdity which can seriously damage or kill your Bonsai. And direct sunlight through a window can also have a less than positive effect on the well being of your Bonsai. It really is a matter of understanding your tree, its positioning requirements and its overall need for water, both in terms of amount and frequency. These same principles apply for outdoor Bonsai but to less extreme degrees. If you get the indoor requirements wrong the bottom line is that the margin for error is so much smaller and the consequences are so much worse for the Bonsai.

What is most enjoyable about indoor Bonsai is that you do get to enjoy them more than outdoor Bonsai, soley because we spend more time indoors than outdoors. However, most indoor Bonsai do enjoy and benefit from times outside, especially in the summer months.

For details on the more popular species of Bonsai, both indoors and outdoors, take a look at the relevant section in the Bonsai Knowledge section of the Living Bonsai site.