6 Best Bonsai Trees For Beginners In 2022 [With Buying Guide]

Bonsai has won our hearts due to its aesthetic appearance and cute height. Who doesn’t love to grow a bonsai tree? Unfortunately, growing and training a bonsai plant and giving it a perfect style is difficult. But you can easily nurture and train bonsai if you buy the best bonsai trees for beginners.

Different species of bonsai are available in the market. According to our research, we select the 6 best bonsai tree species for beginners. So, it will be easier for you to take care and maintain the perfect style for these bonsai species.

Here, we also described what you should look for when buying a little bonsai and how to take care of them. We also answered some beginner bonsai gardeners’ questions. That means in this post; you will get everything that you need as a novice gardener. So, you can easily choose the right species tree and properly take care to grow them. Let’s check out.

Overview Of The Best Bonsai For Beginners

Are you out of time? Well, give a quick look at the overview table to discover the right bonsai trees according to your need and budget.

1.Gensing Grafted Ficus Indoor Bonsai Tree – Best For Overall

Ficus is our first pick on the list as the easiest bonsai tree for beginners. You will be surprised to know, majority of people start their bonsai collection with a Gensing grafted ficus tree.  The tropical green tree with a large number of ramifications and thick trunk gives it an attractive outlook.

However, it comes with visible roots near the trunks that give it a tropical feel. The grafted branch looks like a green cluster of foliage and leaves. You can’t take out your eyes from this attractive compact foliage.

Despite the appearance, the maintenance process is also easy. You need to place it near south or west-facing windows, or you can keep it under a grow light. Yet, it is the indoor tree that requires sunlight.

Then water the plants every two or three days after checking the soil. You will get complete care guide instructions with this bonsai tree. So, if you have zero knowledge about bonsai yet, you can successfully take care of it.

This ficus bonsai is 6 years older, and the height range is 8″-12″. You will also get an 8″ decorative container and bonsai soil with this tree. That makes it an ideal choice for beginners. You don’t need to manage any extra tools. All are included with this package.

The special media and right size pot help to improve the bonsai growth and make it more attractive. Beginners don’t have any idea how to prepare media or choose the right size pots. So, it will solve all those issues.

Pros

• A healthy plant with a lot of potentialities to bring the right shape
• Thick trunk and ramifications, so grow faster and need less take care
• The package included good quality bonsai soil and pot 
• Completely ideal choice for zero-knowledge bonsai lovers
• Great packaging to deliver you the best tree

Cons

• Few plants contain wire marks
• Sometimes some branches may be missed

2.Flowering Bonsai Trees for beginners – Best For Flowers

Who doesn’t love bushes, trees with flowers and foliages? Brussels’ azalea outdoor bonsai is our next pick as the best flowering bonsai for beginners. It is a popular species among bonsai lovers due to its thick flowers in all the branches and twiggy shape.

In late spring, the radiant colors and brilliant blooms give a dramatic feel. This Satsuki azalea provides lovely funnel-shaped flowers. The flower can be white, pink, red, or purple, but it is unscented. The twiggy habit and cute tiny foliages and flower mixture are enough to enhance your house’s beauty.

The Azalea is 8 years old, 12-14 inches tall and 9.2 pounds. This plant also comes with a 3-gallon container with a good drainage system, which is a perfect grower pot for outdoor bonsai. It requires full sunlight and partial shade to properly grow and be healthy. That’s why, you have to place it in a place where the sun shines.

You will get a 30 days warranty if you receive any unhealthy plants. As the Brussel nursery offers an unhealthy plant warranty, so it is very careful about it.

The nursery will ship the plant with a Phytosanitary Certificate to fulfill USDA requirements. There is no chance to get unhealthy plants and according to our research, we can say you must get a brilliant bonsai. You can choose it as a gift for your mother, friends, or any other beloved person who loves bonsai. Or it will be a perfect fit to make your garden different from others.

Pros

• Marvelous shape and add great value to your patio or garden
• Twiggy trees and blooms with colorful flowers in late spring
• Come in a package with plant, well drained pot and soil
• Easy take care and maintenance
• Exceptionally well packaging to avoid shipping damage

Cons

• In summer, it needs especial care
• The flower will fade quickly

3.Chinese Elm Outdoor Bonsai Tree – Best For Unique Shape

Brussel’s Chinese Elm is another beginner-friendly bonsai. The easy caring technique with little maintenance and robust survival capability make it an ideal choice for beginner or newbie gardeners.

At first appearance, the beautiful and reddish-brown bark with an “S” shape must grab your eyes. When this outdoor tree gets mature, it will fissure. The branching shape is oval-shaped with toothed leaves with a fresh green color. The delicate branch and eye smoothing tiny leaves make it more attractive.

This 5 year old Chinese Elm is 6 to 8 inches high. Though it is a bit small, it is appealing. Every bonsai species requires a different type of soil mix to grow faster. This bonsai package comes with ready mix soil and breathable plastic grower pots. So, you can avoid lots of hassle for making soil or finding a good pot with proper drainage.

Besides all those things, you will also get detailed care instructions to easily take care of it to keep the tree healthy. So, there is no risk of dying your bonsai. Yet if you face any issues, you can complain within 30 days.

Pros

• Gorgeous outlook with unique style and shape
• Nice trunk and excellent root condition
• Good drainage pot with ready-made bonsai soil
• Easy caring method needs minimum effort
• Deliver healthy tree with no branches broken and fade leaves

Cons

• The tree is a bit small
• The pot is not decorative

4.Juniper Bonsai trees for beginners – Best For Versatility

Juniper is one kind of bonsai species that you can grow indoors or outdoors. That’s why it is the best tree to bonsai for beginners. If you  like to get a well-shaped, trimmed, and mature bonsai to avoid wiring to bring an accurate style, then it will be a right choice.

You don’t have to face any hassle to grow this tree. The tree has lots of branches with bushes and it is 7-8 years old. Its height will be 6-8 inches, that is pretty ok.

Despite its attractive shape, it also provides good quality bonsai soil. So you don’t need to purchase extra soil, or you can skip the soil making hassle. You will also get a well-sized, decorative, good drainage, and breathable pot with the tree. So, you don’t need any extra bucks to decorate the Bonsai. Just place it at your favorite corner where sunlight reaches.

This dwarf bonsai comes with a cute ceramic panda that enhances the beauty. It only requires sunlight, moisture, before the media will dry out. So, it requires minimal care to grow it. That is why it will be a good choice for beginners.

Pros

• Great design, well trimmed and attractive shape
• Ideal for indoor and outdoor use
• The trunk has a good thickness that proves its lifespan
• High-quality media with good drainage pots
• Nicely packed and early shipping

Cons

• Take a long time to grow
• Slightly expensive

5.Jade Bonsai Tree – Best For Budget

Jade Bonsai is the best budget bonsai that is hardier. You can survive it with a little care. Despite the affordable price and hard survival ability, it gives an attractive shape that can grab your eyes.

It is easy to prune and change the shape to give it a new look. But the original plant is not that bushy or contains few branches compared to the advertised picture. Yet, we said the growth rate of jade plants is good. So you can make it bushy within a few days.

The tree’s height is 12″ from the pot. You will also get a glazed heavy blue bonsai pot with the tree. These cute pots help to bring focus to the bonsai. As it is indoor bonsai, the pot needs to be attractive too.

The pot also comes with a good drainage system. You will get special bonsai media with this tree. That helps to grow your bonsai faster. Yet you don’t find a good instruction guide on Amazon, but you can easily call the seller to get the detailed instructions guide.

The seller is very cooperative and helpful. So if you need any help to change the shape, you can contact the seller to get some valuable tips and tricks. He also offers exchange if the plants die. Because the seller really cares about your satisfaction.

Pros

• The leaves are green and beautiful
• Healthy plant with beautiful shape
• Attractive glazed pot with the right soil
• Outstanding customer support
• Affordable price compared to the value

Cons

• Bit smaller than pictured

6.Umbrella Indoor Bonsai Tree – Best For Design

It is our second pick of Brussels type’s bonsai. Umbrella indoor bonsai is popular for its glossy green miniature leaves and upright umbrella shape. All the umbrella’s shapes leave to build an eye-soothing green and dense canopy. So, if you want to try a unique bonsai shape, then Brussels Umbrella is for you.

Now you can ask why is it good for beginners, right? This plant comes with a package. You will get a decorative container, care instructions, and deco rocks soil, humidity tray with the plants. So, there is no extra hassle to take care of your bonsai.

The container also comes in an elegant shape and eye-catchy color. As it provides a humidity tray, you don’t risk water leaks due to the drainage system. You will get 7 years’ older bonsai, and the height will be nearly 8-12 inches. Even it comes with a warranty.

If you are not satisfied with the purchase, you can exchange the plant within 30 days. So you can understand the quality and health of this bonsai. It will be a perfect tree to decor your home or office interior to get a greenish outlook. So that, when you look at this cute plant, your eyes will get peace and relaxation.

Pros

• The plant is very healthy without dead/dying leaves
• Unique shape and exclusive design
• Easy to grow and maintenance for a beginner
• Decorative container and tray with good drainage system
• Excellent packaging with cardboard around the tree to protect the plant

Cons

• Some buyers found it a little bit small

Ultimate Buying Guide To Choose The Best Bonsai Trees For Beginners

You will get a wide range of bonsai species that require different caring methods in the market. This is why you need to go through some criteria before buying your bonsai trees to avoid dying.

However, we found some fundamental things that you must consider to choose the best tree to bonsai for a beginner. Let’s see what they are.

Types of Bonsai

As a beginner, it is not wise to buy an expensive, uncommon, or sensitive bonsai species. You should focus on choosing the type or species of bonsai. The survival ratio vastly depends on the types. So you need to buy hardier species so that you can survive them easily. Juniper, Brussels, Satsuki, etc., will be ideal species for beginners.

Identify the place

You have to decide whether you want to keep your tree indoors or outdoors. If you want to keep your plant indoors but buy an outdoor one, it will create a disaster. On the other hand, keeping an outdoor plant indoors will also be a disaster. To avoid this mishap, you first need to decide your placing area and then choose the right type of bonsai species. All the species are not suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Caring process

Some bonsai are really difficult to nurture and grow. As a beginner, it is not possible to survive those challenging trees. So you should go for an easybonsai treethat requires minimal care. You can check the above list to know some good quality bonsai that are easy to care for and maintain.

Shape

Bringing an aesthetic or attractive shape is the most crucial part of bonsai. So as a beginner gardener, you should buy a well-shaped, healthy, and older bonsai. It helps to skip wiring and extra efforts to bring an appealing design. So you should try to buy a mature bonsai with an attractive design.

Media

Bonsai media is the foundation of this tree. The health of your bonsai trees vastly depends on the media or soil. According to the types of trees, the media need to be prepared differently. You can buy special bonsai media from Amazon.

But good quality bonsai comes with ready mix bonsai soil. So before buying any plant, check whether it comes with good quality soil or not. Good soil ensures proper nutrition to your bonsai and offers excellent drainage that helps to avoid overwatering.

Right size pot

The pot is another major factor while buying bonsai. It is tough to select the right size pots for your bonsai as a beginner. Generally, a round pot that is 1/3 of the height of the trees will be a perfect size. For rectangular or oval shapes, you need to check 2/3 the height of your bonsai.

Despite the size, check the drainage and breathability to ensure the healthy growth of bonsai. If you buy an indoor bonsai, don’t forget to check the design and style because decorative pots are a must to enhance indoor beauty. Luckily you can skip the above hassle if the bonsai comes with good bonsai pots.

Ages

You should also look at bonsai ages because baby bonsai is a bit hard to survive. As a beginner, you should go for at least 5+ years older bonsai trees because these trees are already grown and matured. Even so, they have less risk of dying.

How Do You Take Care of a Bonsai Tree For Beginners?

To make your home green, bonsai is the best idea. It gives a natural and unique vibe to a home. If you have no idea about bonsai care, don’t worry.

Simple soil mixture, regular watering for maintaining soil moisture, adequate sunlight, partial shade, trimming, and pruning are common caring processes of bonsai.

Here we tell you a detailed easy and handy maintenance process. If you follow the processes, your tree will grow quickly. The caring instructions are

Select right position

If you buy an indoor bonsai, you have to keep it beside the window. It will be great if that is a south-facing window. But, never mind if the window is not facing south. In this case, you have to ensure proper sunlight and partial shade. If your bonsai species doesn’t require sunlight, you can also keep it on your home and office countertop or table.

And if your bonsai is an outdoor plant, you can keep it in a place on your balcony, patio, garden, and lawn anywhere as per your preference. Just ensure adequate sunlight. 

Watering your tree

Dry soil and lack of moisture or overwatering are common reasons for bonsai dying. That’s why you have to water your plant carefully. Watering’s purpose is to keep the plant roots saturated to provide enough nutrition to the branches and leaves.

You should water the plant after checking soil conditions. If the soil needs water, then water it, and if it doesn’t need, then avoid watering. Now, you might think, how do you know if the soil needs water or not?

This is a very simple tactic to know soil conditions. Just place a toothpick or chopstick into the soil, rest it for 2-3 minutes and get back. If the toothpick or chopstick seems dry, then the soil needs water. And if the toothpick is wet, then the soil has moisture, and it doesn’t need water.

You can also check the soil’s moisture level by using a moisture meter. But, if you don’t have the meter, then manually checking is perfect.

Use right fertilizer

As a human being, you need different kinds of food to be healthy and prevent diseases. The tree also needs different food supplements for proper growth and to boost its immune system against insects.

That’s why you have to use fertilizer. You can use solid fertilizer that takes a long time to mix up with soil and provide nutrition. Or you can use a liquid fertilizer that takes less time to dilute with soil to ensure fast nutrition. You can know the fertilizer types, using process, amount, etc., for your bonsai from the seller when buying the tree.

Trimming, pruning, and repotting

Though you buy a well-trimmed and pruned tree, after growing it for a few months, the tree will lose its shape and design. You have to trim or prune the branches to maintain their nice shape. You can also wire the branches to bring your desired shape. After trimming, it is good to place it in a new pot.

Different bonsai species require different types of care, but those are some common processes of bonsai care. Follow the caring instructions and enjoy the beauty of bonsai.

FAQs

What is the most popular bonsai tree for beginners?

Well, beginners mostly love Juniper, Chinese Elm, Satsuki, and many more. It depends on personal preference, easy caring method, and good growth ratio.

What is the easiest way to grow a bonsai tree?

You should buy a matured and well-shaped bonsai species that require minimal care, such as Ficus, Juniper, Satsuki, etc. It will be easy to grow without investing lots of time as it has already shaped.

What trees are ideal for indoor?

Well, there are lots of bonsai species that are ideal for indoors, such as Chinese Elm, ficus, dwarf umbrella bonsai, Fukien tea, and many more.

Final Verdict

Bonsai is a popular and traditional hobby among gardeners throughout the world. This plant can survive for decades if you can take the right care of it. But the beginners get afraid about the maintenance process. However, if you buy the best bonsai trees for beginners, the maintenance is really effortless.

You can easily find out which bonsai is suited for you from the above review. We only include some hardier, beautiful and healthy bonsai trees that require minimal care. So, if you are a newbie, you should pick those easy bonsai to avoid dying.

If you are still confused, you can pick Jade Bonsai Tree for a tight budget and Juniper Bonsai for both indoor and outdoor placement.

Happy Gardening!