This Page Last Updated: October 21, 2009
A | prefers more acidic soil; try 1 Tablespoon white vinegar in 1 gal. water monthly |
B | brown leaf tips indicate salt burn/salt build-up, often from too much or too little watering |
C | subject to iron or manganese chlorosis (best iron source is a chelated mineral) |
D | subject to random branch die-back (which may be due to wrong-timed pruning) |
F | frost-sensitive, so protect with frost cloth or bring indoors if a hard freeze is expected |
I | more adaptable for use as an indoor bonsai than other plants, but still requires a certain level of temperature, light and humidity in order to be healthy and to thrive |
L | may drop some leaves when relocated or repotted |
M | very attractive to spider mites, so hose-spray and keep in very good air-flow |
P | pinch first set of leaves when opened, the next will be smaller in size |
R | do not root prune if at all possible; never bare root this kind of plant |
S | leaves sunburn/windburn easily, so provide shelter/protection |
U | larger specimens can take full sun most of day here when established |
W | bark is tender or branches are brittle, so wire carefully, if at all, to avoid scars and damage |
X | Outside of a container, this is considered an invasive plant in some areas: err on the side of caution and discard this plant’s clippings or a “dead” specimen in a trash bag, not just on the ground. |
^ | evergreen |
% | deciduous/semi-deciduous |
* | can bloom as bonsai |
Note: Plants labeled as susceptible to chlorosis when grown in the ground should not have this problem in a container with a quality soil mix and regular fertilizer schedule. “Established” plants are firmly rooted and producing a good growth of new buds which have opened up into leaves. |
Japanese Boxwood | (Buxus microphylla japonica) | F ^* |
prefers alkaline soil; be careful not to damage the shallow roots; needs a little winter chill; best bark texture can be found on 5 gallon+ size specimens; best time to trim is right before monsoon season starts in June or July; dig a hedge/landscape specimen when it is dormant and collect with as large of a rootball as possible, put in an oversized pot and let it recover for a year, doing light amount of trimming and thinning only; “Kingsville” is smallest-leaved variety available. [Buxaceae; Euphorbiales] SEE ALSO BCI Plant Sheet. |
Camellia | (Camellia sp.) | A,C,F,R,S,W ^* |
some say needs a little winter chill (in 50’s° F at night) for adequate flowering although is very frost-sensitive; prefers partial shade; do not fertilize when in bloom; feed every two to three weeks during growing season; hard prune during winter after flowering, then remove any spent flowers and trim to desired shape, though some say not easily shaped; CAN NOT be allowed to dry completely; increase watering during active growth, and when plant is in bloom; some growers recommend using Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) water; very prone to scale, aphid bugs, red spider mites, sooty mold, and weevils; should be repotted every two to three years, always in early spring months, but make sure you use lime-free humus rich soil, as it does not tolerate lime well; Sasanqua varieties have the smallest blossoms. [Theaceae; Ericales] SEE ALSO BCI Plant Sheet. |
Wintersweet | (Chimonanthus praecox) | W %* |
buds back well on old wood, so “Clip & Grow” rather than wire; give afternoon shade. [Calycanthaceae; Laurales] |
Arizona Cypress | (Cupressus arizonica glabra) | U ^ |
[Cupressaceae; Pinales] |
Gardenia | (Gardenia augusta) | M ^* |
likes full sun; use blood meal as fertilizer; use fast-draining soil mix with lots of organic matter; keep crown of roots uncovered; subject to scale and spider mites; same plant as G. jasminoides ; “Radicans” is smallest-leaved variety available. [Rubiaceae; Gentianales] SEE ALSO BCI Plant Sheet. |
Lavender Starflower | (Grewia occidentalis) | A,C,I,U %* |
a fast grower; prefers lots of water; takes heavy top pruning; leaves wilted from temporary nonlethal water deprivation will not rehydrate, but will eventually turn black and be shed as the plant puts out new ones. [Tiliaceae; Malvales] |
Jacaranda | (Jacaranda mimosifolia) | F % |
keep soil uniformly moist throughout the year; yellow leaves dropping could be due to too much water; shrinking brown leaves could be due to dry root ball; can be vigorously root pruned and transplanted in the spring; shorten new shoots to one or two pairs of leaves after they have produced at least four or five pairs; regularly remove all large leaves. [Bignoniaceae; Lamiales] |
Creosote / Greasewood | (Larrea tridentata) | M,R,U ^* |
pinch buds, don’t cut them; this plant is difficult to establish, but then hardy; roots grow slowly; it actually likes and does well with more water than you’d expect; trimming in the autumn may encourage spring blossoms; needs to be wired once or twice a year to keep the small branches horizontal, best in autumn, then remove in late October or November; wild-dug specimens can be large-trunked but very iffy in surviving: try to get as much of rootball as possible, plant in large/over-size container, and give it time; recommended digging is right after a rain anytime of year. [Zygophyllaceae; Zygophyllales] |
Liquidambar / Sweet Gum | (Liquidambar sp.) | C,S % |
can be used instead of Japanese Maple; prefers a neutral or slightly acid soil mix; remove all large terminal buds from the branches in the spring to encourage side buds; repot less often; can throw occasional large/disproportioned leaves; give as much sun as possible to set up good autumn coloring; you don’t have to leaf prune this plant. [Hamamelidaceae; Saxifragales] SEE ALSO BCI Plant Sheet. |
Magnolia | (Magnolia sp.) | %* |
leaves are disproportionately large, but the flowers make this tree a worth-while bonsai; prune after flowers start to wither; cut the top off the plant and a number of buds will sprout below; branch placement not always good; M. stellata said to be best for bonsai. [Magnoliaceae; Magnoliales] |
Crab Apple | (Malus sp.) | %* |
fertilize once in the spring; if you fertilize during the summer it could dehydrate the plant; might show a little windburn on the leaves; needs a winter chill to do well and develop flower buds; the flowers develop out of last year’s growth; needs full-day filtered sun; water only when showing wilt: watering every day unnecessarily can quickly kill the plant due to root rot; prefers being in a deeper pot for cool roots; needs a period of freezing weather to stay healthy and look its best; keep soil away from direct contact with the bark of the trunk; can be a very fast grower; keep upwind from junipers or keep as far away as possible from junipers — bonsai or landscape specimens — because junipers can spread rust infection to crab apples. [Rosaceae; Rosales] SEE ALSO BCI Plant Sheet. |
Eldarica or Goldwater Pine | (Pinus eldarica) | R ^ |
see other pines. [Pinaceae; Pinales] |
Italian Stone Pine | (Pinus pinea) | B,M,R ^ |
see other pines; yellow needle tips means soil too wet, but don’t let roots dry out; best bargains can be found right after Christmas, especially in the garden section of department stores (just be sure your choice was watered regularly). [Pinaceae; Pinales] |
Pear, Flowering | (Pyrus calleryana) | C,U %* |
recommend using Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) water; sometimes has fungus problems on its roots; showy flowers for only about a month in January; leaves come out and harden in February/March; best pruning time is May but not after August when flower buds start to develop; filtered sun best; full sun O.K. October to April. [Rosaceae; Rosales] |
Oak | (Quercus sp.) | % |
NEVER leaf prune or defoliate oaks; prefer deeper pots because they root deeply; leaf burn on edges indicates hard water salts, so use Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) water; can be bare-rooted when dormant; some oaks have dark brown roots, which are healthy but not the expected light color; cut tap root only if tree already has a good-sized ball of fine feeder roots. [Fagaceae; Fagales] |
Rosemary | (Rosmarinus officinalis) | M,R,U ^* |
do not let go dry; a fast grower: keep pruned; repot in January or February; pale green leaves are dying/dead and will never regrow, plus that particular stem is dead also; in Phoenix seems to have a short lifespan of only a couple of years when potted. [Lamiaceae; Lamiales] |
Chinese Sweet Plum | (Sageretia theezens) | D,F %* |
fast grower; likes water; will not tolerate cold drafts or a constantly dry atmosphere — mist with Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) water, especially if in a heated indoor location; wiring not often used with; needs some shade; may take a few years to hold on to branches rather than drop them; said to do better in a peat-based soil as opposed to the typical bonsai soil; needs frequent, at least annual, repotting in fresh soil; this is a hungry species and seems to need high fertility and lots of root space to grow vigorously; the type of fertilizer makes a difference: responds best to ammoniacal forms of nitrogen; though can put on a lot of shoots and foliage quickly, it forms a larger trunk at a painfully slow rate; seems to put on a rapid growth spurt after the heat of summer and the onset of cooler weather and shorter days. [Rhamnaceae; Rosales] SEE ALSO BCI Plant Sheet. |
Chinese Tallow Tree | (Sapium sebiferum) | A,D % X |
get during autumn so you can check leaf color; no high Nitrogen fertilizer in autumn; tree exudes an allelopathic chemical which prevents growth of other types of plants, so don’t use in multi-culture forests. [Euphorbiaceae; Euphorbiales] |
Australian Bush Cherry | (Syzygium paniculatum) | B,D,F,I ^ |
accepts low light levels, but does better when brighter; prune lightly regularly; let soil dry slightly before watering; it is the same plant as Eugenia paniculatum. [Myrtaceae; Myrtales] SEE ALSO BCI Plant Sheet. |
Cape Honeysuckle | (Tecomaria capensis) | D,F,U ^* |
trunk very slow — seemingly slower than most other types we use — to fatten in pot, so best to start with as large a specimen as possible; fast growth spurts; needs to be cut back strongly once or twice a year to hold shape, some dieback might follow. [Bignoniaceae; Lamiales] |