Hey Guys,

I'm new to the forum and just getting started in the Bonsai world. I live in Indiana and am looking for an indoor bonsai. So far I feel like everything I have read and seen is pushing me to a Golden Gate Ficus/Tiger Bark Ficus. I definitely love the look of the species and have been scrolling through a couple sites for a few weeks now trying to decide on a tree. I wanted however to get some more experienced opinions on selection. I'm interested in grabbing something nice out the gate and really looking forward to watching it grow into something special. My current budget for the tree is about $350 max. Through looking at a couple sites it seemed Brussel's had the best looking trees, although I'm open to other suggestions. I just wanted to share the link on Brussel's page and see if any of you had any recommendations on current trees they have listed. I thought it would be a great way to share ideas, thoughts of what it could be in the future and features new/old bonsai lovers should look for when picking out a tree. Looking forward to the discussion and getting to know others on this forum!

brusselsbonsai.com/specimen-bonsai/ficus-specimens/

Thanks,
Ryan Z

A couple examples of plants I saw and was hoping for opinions on:

sorry to be a buzz killer, but indoor bonsai is a little misleading. Some species can be ket alive indoors, but only really do well outside (Unless of course you are into building climate chambers). Read up a little bit on this forum, especially the "Is my bonsai dead" threads.

I think the prices asked for very basic trees on that site seem high, but I live on the other side of the world.

Yep, they look nice, but that seems pricey for me too.
I wouldn't recommend to spend too much on your first tree, they tend to die as we learn, even more likely on "indoor bonsai" scenary.

With that money I would buy some good quality pre-bonsai to work on, but that's just me. =P

No Albas. Its not just you, its most of us in this forum. Bonsai is about creating, not about buying in my opinion.