If you've ever been stuck for an original gift idea for that hard-to-buy-for-person on your list, (and who hasn't?) consider a bonsai. As a gift, a bonsai is a peerless example of a gift with lasting appeal. It is a gift with history. It is a piece of art. It is the gateway to a lifelong hobby. A bonsai is an all-natural, ecologically friendly gift. A bonsai is alive. And maybe best of all, every single bonsai is unique to start with and will become more so as the years go by. While some bonsai are valued at thousands of dollars, it's not difficult to find many impressive gift trees from specialized greenhouses or online for less than a hundred dollars.
Many people think that you need the emerald green thumb voodoo gift to keep a bonsai alive and that isn't the case. Now, there are some trees that are rare and incredibly valuable and difficult to care for. Some trees require a considerable amount of attention and expertise and if you're living in a cold climate, preparing an outdoor tree for the winter can be a challenge. But there are also many, many bonsai types that are easy to care for. For the uninitiated, an easy to care for bonsai that will survive inside during the winter like any other "houseplant" is probably the best place to start. All you need to know for sure, if you're buying a bonsai as a gift, is that your friend has somewhere to put it where it will get bright light. A big south or west facing window is, in my opinion, a necessity.
So, here is my list of the top 5 bonsai gift trees for beginners,
1. Juniper
2. Schefflera Arboricola
3. Ficus
4. Mini or Dwarf Jade - Portulacaria
5. Fukien Tea
Juniper - The most popular bonsai in North America is the Juniper and if you buy one as a gift, unless you're buying it for someone who already has a lot of bonsai, you need to stick with Juniper Procumbens. This is a specific type of Juniper that is ideally suited to bonsai, very easy to grow and can be brought indoors. There are some Junipers - for example the Chinese Juniper - Juniper chinensis- which cannot be brought inside, so don't be fooled.
Schefflera Arboricola - Whether you realize it or not, you've seen this tree as a houseplant, or in a restaurant or office. Commonly known as the dwarf umbrella tree, this small version of the very popular houseplant is an interesting and easy to care for bonsai. Unlike the Juniper, this bonsai doesn't look all that Japanese, but it does look very tropical- almost jungle like and any friend you have, particularly one who likes houseplants, will be thrilled with this unique exotic version.
Ficus - There are many different types of Ficus, more recognizably known as Figs. My favorite as a bonsai gift is the Tiger bark Fig, because it's easy to grow, with a very interesting trunk shape and bark and - well - it looks like a bonsai. Other well known fig bonsai that make good gifts are the Benjamina and the Ginseng Fig (especially good for friends with a taste for the unusual). As a first bonsai gift I should warn you that both the Green Island and the Narrow Leaf Figs are a little trickier to grow. The one thing that everyone should know about figs is that they tend to drop leaves when they're stressed and they can be stressed very easily. However, they will grow back! Don't give up.
Mini Jade/ Dwarf Jade - This is my personal favorite bonsai gift for people who have never grown a bonsai before. The correct name is Portulacaria afra and it's a South African native, but since so many are familiar with Jade trees as houseplants, the Mini Jade or Dwarf Jade is probably a better name. Here's another bonsai that will drop its leaves if it gets too stressed, but again they easily grow back and this might very well be the number one easy-to-grow bonsai. Mini jades - like their full sized namesake are also very attractive in an exotic and quite unique way. Their rounded, very fleshy leaves look like something a dinosaur would have hidden behind, although in the case the mini jade it would be a very small one. While you cannot ever let any bonsai completely dry out, I've found jades to be among the more forgiving of little watering slip-ups. That alone would qualify them for this list, but you'll find that with their tiny leaves and remarkably tree-like appearance for something so small, the mini jade bonsai makes an outstanding gift bonsai.
Fukien Tea - I add this tree to the list of great gift bonsai because as far as tropical trees are concerned, Fukien Tea (sometimes called Fujian Tea) is among the classic bonsai. It needs to be kept warm and never allowed to dry out and for some reason it is very attractive to insect pests. But with its tiny-perfect, shiny, dark green leaves, white flowers and red berries, this tree is a bonsai for bonsai lovers. For anyone who treasures the classics - in anything - this is a gift they will never forget.
I said Five Bonsai, so I have to stop there, which is a shame because already I want to add in the Chinese Elm and the Zelkova and the Sweet Plum and then move to the slightly more advanced "winter outside" group of bonsai, but where you live strongly influences just how difficult an outdoor wintering tree can be. But with this list, you're off to a spectacular head start on the gift list to end all gift lists!
