Hi guys,
I'm new to bonsai and I'm really glad I found this forum I have a ton of questions, I'm sure you guys have heard before, so I'm sorry if this is annoying I am wondering what would make the best indoor bonsai, and best outdoor bonsai for a beginner like myself that I can buy as a pre-bonsai that can be worked on when I get it so I have some practice? I live in Michigan so the weather here is kind of cool, and I also live by the Detroit River so humidity is either higher or lower on any given day but the temperature is always lower. I also have an umbrella bonsai tree that I bought a few months ago and have just recently repotted it after reading a lot of articles on soils and such, but my question is, is how do I make it into a stellar bonsai? I haven't found anything on how to prune or wire it and I mean it is still very young(it only has 3 branches so far)so I have a little while before I really can do anything, but any advice would be awesome I'll have to find my camera so I can take a couple of pictures for you guys. Any advice is greatly appreciated

Welcome Marvel170!

I can't tell you to much about indoor bonsai, but i'm sure others can. What i do know is that they are all tropical plants.
A good tree to start out with are for example is the Ficus they do really well indoors and there is a ton of information on it.
Other species like Carmona and Serissa are a little harder to keep healthy and alive because they do need a lot of attention and good humidity.
Lot's of people fail in keeping them alive for a long time.

Outdoor bonsai is easier in my opinion.
You just have to figure out what you like. Do you like deciduous trees maybe go for an acer or elm.
Also tons of info on them.

If you like evergreens i recommend junipers really tough species and u can practice a lot of techniques on them.
Wiring, pruning, eventually making deadwood pieces. You name it.
Also they can look like a promising bonsai very fast.

Just look at what you like and go for that.
Oh and stay away from pines in the beginning they are in a different league and require more advance and different techniques.

Good luck!

For indoors Ficus would be the one of choice hands down. And then you can choose which species. Just don fall in the "ficus ginseng" bonsai trap. The ones you see in big chain stores often have thick roots above the soil, with some foliage grafted on top. These will never make good bonsai. Rather buy ficus with a natural trunkline.

I would agree to keep away from the genus Pinus. Personally, I had the best results with Yew and Juniper. They're pretty hardy.

Well, there are pines and there are pines. I find the Mugo Pines are difficult. They hate being re potted, in spring, and you have to be careful when pruning not to over do it. Scots Pine is as tough as nails, and you can do anything with it. Black Pines and White Pines provided they are grafted onto Black, are also tough. and all pines are totally hardy. White Pines need to be kept a bit drier than the others.
Juniper yes I like them too, and the Yew, al;though I have found that they can sulk if too much work is done at any one time.
My favourite species though, has to be Larch.

My first bonsai was a white pine. Ordinairy field grown container plant from a garden center.
Huge candles and cones and long needles. Worst of all needles started far along the branches.
It was almost 2 meters in height and i immediately cut the top out.
Anyway did some google sessions and ended up with something similar to a christmas tree.
In the first season i did about everything i could find on the net.
Pruning, repotting (3 times), making a shari, plucking needles, cutting candles and pieces of it and somehow it survived.....
Later I learnt that's not the way.

I still have it it's in good health now but as for the design it's way behind. LOst important pieces of the tree and they wont or are hard to grow back, because it's a pine.
If i knew what I was doing it could have been a really wonderful tree by now, but because of my lack of knowledge and skills it needs years and years more.


I have several pines now and the point is that pines need a totally different approach to grow them and to maintain them.
With deciduous trees even just the clip and grow method will do for someone just starting out.
With Junipers it's easy to let it look a bonsai and if they are healthy you have heaps of work on them to keep them in shape.
Lots of pruning and wiring can be done all year long.
With Pines you need to balance energy and you can direct and manipulate the growth by different methods.
Really interesting but as a beginner you want to have fun and see almost instant results.
Training pines takes many many more years in comparison to other species.

So go for easy trees, find as much info on it as you can and try out as many species as you can.
Some will die some will never be bonsai, but some will survive and can be in your collection as long as your hobby lasts.

One thing will grow, even if some trees don't and that's knowledge, and that will make your trees perfect and this hobby fun and satisfying

Thanks for all the info guys I went to a bonsai shop today after checking out all the books I could find on bonsai at a local library and bought a Chinese Elm. It really isn't shaped all that much... I wish I could find my flipping camera and take a couple of pictures of it so you all can see what I have to work with, in short it is a small tree decent nabari and some dead branches(more so at the ends)but the ramification on the tree is great! I will admit though the branches at the top are a mess and wiring and training are definitely required but I'm willing to accept the challenge the lady that owns the place was very helpful and gave me a ton of info on the elm and how to take care of it and when to bring it in and such I think once I get a little more money then I'll go back there and get a already styled and trained tree(they were a little expensive at the moment)I do feel good about my decision though for getting a Chinese Elm I've wanted to try something other than a juniper(they are commonly sold around here)and see what it was like. I like junipers but I have found that I am also allergic to them if they prick me I break out in little itchy red bumps.. but that hasn't put me off of them, for becoming a bonsai that I would own I would just have to put on some gloves

Chinese Elms are hardy and easy to grow. Just keep in a semi shaded area and water when needed.
The needle Junipers are a bit vicious, I wear gloves when I work on mine.
I agree with you Chris Pines are a different challenge. but I have several people to get advice from when I need it at my local club and with a bonsai master when I do workshops so I have managed not to make too many mistakes along the way.

welcome to the forum marvel... just to put in my 2 cents...outdoors would be a garden juniper (procumbens nana) indoors would be a ficus (retusa,willow leaf or natalensis) these are the easiest and fastest growing "beginner" trees IMO .junipers can be found in any local nursery for 25$ +/- . ficus are the most forgiving tree I have found and flourish with good light and water and are great for practicing pruning and wireing on.i would sugjest ,if you buy anything work on keeping it alive until spring don't do anything major. read as much as you can ,my first year I think I read more than I stared at my trees .. lastly look into a local bonsai club,joining mine was the best thing I did for a knowledge base.