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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Outdoor Bonsai

14 replies

AntiqueBooks · 22/11/2025 16:58

Hello

I saw a section on Gardeners World where this guy did bonsai on trees he grew in pots and kept them OUTDOORS (I've previously thought of bonsai as an indoor thing). He grows them to about 2 foot high.

So I've bought the below - comes as a teeny, tiny, dormant sapling. (And I've bought a maple one as well). When they come, I will plant them in teeny tiny pots.

*Should I put it outside or keep it indoors until spring?** The instructions aren't clear cos I think they expect you're going to plant it in the ground.

Thanks

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NebulousSadTimes · 22/11/2025 17:25

They're always going to be happier outside because they are outside trees. I'd just make sure to harden them off in case they've been grown in polytunnels or similar.

Agapornis · 22/11/2025 23:17

Love how many threads you're starting, you're going to be so busy 😁 which GW episode is this?

Bonsai is a pruning and tying method, not a species. So you'd treat the oak tree like any other oak - leave it outside in winter. They need a cold dormant period to develop buds and grow new leaves. Look at bonsai pots and get the biggest you can afford, with a dish. Because it's in a relatively small pot, it can't grow deep roots and you will have to water it more frequently than you think (I know you're in Scotland, but...).

The same applies for the maple. I would assume they both arrive as single sticks with a tiny amount of soil/dry roots (aka bare root whips), not in a pot. Look up how to plant bare root trees.

Oak normally grows a lot more slowly than maple, and you will learn the Japanese way of Extreme Patience, wabi-sabi, and have plenty of time to read the Sakuteiki (11th century Japanese gardening guide on both technical and philosophical matters).

Fwiw, if you want to try bonsai as a method without worrying too much, it can be easier to buy a jade type succulent. But if you're a purist this isn't Real Bonsai™. Whatever you accidentally cut off will grow back, and it won't die so quickly if you forget to water it for a week (or a month). It would have to come inside during the winter though. I have a gollum fingers jade that I bonsai'ed. Bought as a small plant in a 5 cm pot from B&Q about 10 years ago, now 40 cm across in a 25 cm pot. It would have been bigger if I'd refreshed the soil and fed it more regularly.

NebulousSadTimes · 23/11/2025 10:51

Be aware @AntiqueBooks that your wee trees won't turn up looking pretty like they do in the picture, they'll probably be a twig with some roots, might be a bit dry and look hopeless but if you plant them straight away they'll have a good chance.

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AntiqueBooks · 23/11/2025 16:49

Thanks for the tips everyone!

You should SEE my "To Do" list for next year. It's colour coded in terms of level of importance and in date order of when I'm going to do everything.

<drums fingers patiently waiting for spring>

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WinterBerry40 · 23/11/2025 16:51

Also remember if a tree in a pot looks decades old , it's because it is .
Hopefully you have a lot of patience .

Agapornis · 23/11/2025 16:57

Consider bonsai'ing a chilli - you can sow the seed from January...

AntiqueBooks · 23/11/2025 17:07

I'm 42 so I have some decades yet, hopefully!

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AntiqueBooks · 23/11/2025 17:51

What would be the best way to bonsai a cherry blossom tree I wonder? I wonder if I could buy one small enough or if I'd have to grow it from seed or something.

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AntiqueBooks · 23/11/2025 18:24

I may have answered my own question!

Won't let me post the link but you can buy a bare root cherry tree 80cm high from B&Q

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AntiqueBooks · 23/11/2025 18:42

<ordered for home delivery> !

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Yamadori · 24/11/2025 16:51

Hi @AntiqueBooks

First thing you need to learn about bonsai is that seeds, little saplings and small trees are just that. Bog-standard ordinary plants. There are no special 'bonsai' varieties. Oaks and maples are hardy and live outdoors all year round in the UK. They are deciduous (lose their leaves in winter) and need the cold and winter dormancy period. Do not keep them indoors.

It will be a while before you can even begin to consider training as a bonsai tree. Don't repot them now, it is completely the wrong time of year. You need to wait till spring now. You also need to learn a lot about correct bonsai soils, pots etc.

The best thing you can do is to buy a book called 'Bonsai Basics' by Colin Lewis and read it from cover to cover. A good website to look at for basic and more advanced advice is bonsai4me.com so have a look on there too. With other websites, bear in mind that they may be based in another part of the world where the climate is totally different to ours, so you can't necessarily follow their advice.

Yamadori · 24/11/2025 18:08

Go to a garden centre and buy a cotoneaster. Great for developing as bonsai, very forgiving, you can use the bits you remove as cuttings, and they have naturally small leaves. They are very good starter material for developing into a bonsai tree. Try to get one that has a single main trunk at the base rather than a clump of shoots all the same size though.

The other thing I'd suggest is to join the UK Bonsai Association, it is free, and you get a monthly newsletter. They also have lists of all the bonsai clubs & societies around the country and regional & shows etc.

AntiqueBooks · 24/11/2025 21:16

@Yamadori thanks so much! Looks like I should have plenty to research over the winter!

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