Bonsai trees and plants are basically trees and plants that are pruned and trimmed to keep their size minimal. The trees and plants relish the practise because they get a lot of care and attention and have a lifespan similar, even greater in some cases, than their wild counterparts. Indoor Bonsai can be bought from virtually anywhere in the world and the increase in popularity has seen a large increase in the number of specialist shops dedicated to the growing and caring of Bonsai.

Outdoor Bonsai can be grown in a small area of your garden, and some of the most healthy Bonsai in the world are outdoor Bonsai. However, it is important that you should try to buy outdoor Bonsai from a shop close to home, thus ensuring that your specimen can cope with the conditions you are going to force it to endure. If you live in a baking hot state in America and are considering buying over the Internet, you shouldn't be buying a Bonsai from a cold climatic country, as there is a good chance it will not thrive in your area.

Do outdoor Bonsai need less care than indoor Bonsai?

Just because you are growing your Bonsai in a small area of your garden doesn't mean you should or indeed can forget about them and just expect them to maintain their miniature height or grow at all. A Bonsai that isn't trimmed and cut will cease to be a Bonsai and will simply become a tree, presuming there is room for the roots to grow; it's amazing exactly where your roots will dig to, they will often find a way through or around concrete, rocks and even other plants and trees so be very careful where you situate it.

If you are growing your outdoor Bonsai in a pot, which is the most common and sensible way to do it, then you should never bring it indoors. No matter how ill it looks it will undoubtedly not enjoy the sudden change in conditions and even the most healthy and hardy of Bonsai can only withstand a day, possibly two at the very most, indoors as a centre piece. It is very important to remember this, do not bring an outdoor Bonsai indoors for longer than one day every season. Bringing your Bonsai in during the winter and putting it next to the blazing hot heater is undoubtedly going to scorch the leaves and the roots, and your plant will probably die from dehydration. The reverse is also true, bringing a Bonsai in from the heat and leaving it next to the Air Conditioning unit is the equivalent of a shock frost in summer and will also kill your Bonsai.