Blue Pink

Exotic Bonsai Choices To Enhance Your Collection

Most bonsai trees are a coniferous or deciduous species, with the occasional fruit tree forming part of the collection. But there are more exotic bonsai choices that allow the bonsai artist to enhance his or her skills.

One excellent alternative to the more frequent style bonsai is Wisteria, a native of China, Korea and Japan.  In the wild, Wisteria can reach 30 feet or more in size.  However, since Wisteria doesn’t conform to any of the normal bonsai styles, forming them into a bonsai can be an interesting challenge.

The flowers, assuming a variety of colors – blue, pink, white, and purple – are both beautiful and aromatic. They bloom in the spring at which time they need a lot of water, so long as there is sufficient drainage. Wisteria do well in full sun to partial shade. Provide ample fertilizer in spring just before they flower, then again in late summer while the leaves are still present.

Orange Jasmine is another option that will provide both beauty to the eye and delight to the nose. Their fragrant, white blossoms are accompanied by bright red fruit.

Feed Orange Jasmine every three to four weeks starting in early spring and continuing through mid-autumn.  Only light watering is adequate for most of the year, with a little more required in the hotter summer season.

Orange Jasmine is one of the few bonsai that can be and probably should be raised indoors since it does better in moderate shade and filtered sun light.

With lovely puffy flowers and lacy foliage, the Mimosa tree offers another good alternative.  They are as fragrant as either of the above choices and due to their long silky filaments they are sometimes known as a silk tree.

Flowers bloom in late April to early July, during which time they should be provided moderate water. Avoid watering the flowers themselves since, like many flowering plants, they wilt rapidly and deteriorate when wet.

The Mimosa will be one of the larger bonsai in your collection. They grow rapidly, have large leaves and are very difficult to sustain at a very small size. So give them lots of room on the display bench.

The Desert Rose is another non-traditional bonsai that can turn an ordinary collection into one full of color and excitement. This native of East Africa can grow up to 10 feet in the wild and produce large, pink, trumpet-bowl flowers.

Very bushy, it makes an excellent design complement to the many trees in a standard bonsai set. They need lots of fresh air and ample sunshine, so keep them outside most of the year.

They’re sensitive to cold, though, so in cold climates they should be brought indoors. They don’t thrive below 50F (10C), though they will lie dormant and healthy from 50-60F (10C-15C). During this period they will need very little water.

You can extend your bonsai design horizons by trying your hand at a few of these fragrant and beautiful flowering plants. Spaced among some of the standard evergreens – pines, firs and others – they provide a nice contrast. You’ll also have an ever-changing display, as they bloom in spring and lose their leaves in the fall.

George Dodge enjoys gardening and landscaping as a hobby.  Bonsai gardening offers hours of enjoyment producing exquisit miniture shrubs and trees as an art form. His Bonsai Tree Gardening site provides tips for the beginning bonsai gardener.  Experiment with exotic bonsai choices to expand your collection.

Andre 3000 – Pink and Blue

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