The 10 Best Indoor Bonsai Trees for Beginners in 2021

What’s the best bonsai tree for beginners indoor? This is a question often asked by bonsai growers new to the interest, especially if they are in an apartment or a home with limited outdoor areas.

If you’re a bonsai enthusiast and want to be a part of the green culture, then you should probably be looking for beautiful investment pieces to inspire your creativity. No matter you’re a beginner or a pro, a bonsai can be a huge source of joy.

The best part is that you don’t need to go out and buy expensive trees initially to enjoy the serenity or peace it brings. However, to select the best indoor bonsai trees for beginners, it’s sometimes tricky to select the right ones.

To help you find the perfect bonsai tree, we’ve selected some of the best indoor bonsai trees that are not only easy to maintain but also provide great joy and peace if kept under proper care.

Do Indoor Bonsai Trees Lives Long?

If you’re wondering, the answer is yes. Indoor bonsai trees are just as long-living as their outdoor counterparts. The best indoor bonsai trees for beginners are meaning that plants which can withstand low light, neglect, and temperature changes. They come in a variety of shapes sizes and colors which make them perfect for any room.

If you want an indoor bonsai tree to stay green then you’ll need one that loves indirect sunlight or artificial light. These plants are also great if you don’t have much time to take care of them or are busy because they’re able to thrive with minimal care.

What are the best indoor bonsai trees for beginners?

There are lots of bonsai trees nowadays available for indoor decoration. But as beginners, we’ve selected some of the best indoor bonsai trees that are not only easy to maintain but also provide great joy and peace if kept under proper care.

1) Fukien Tea Tree Bonsai:

This Fukien Tea is a low-growing, slow-growing evergreen shrub native to South China. The plant will continue to grow up to fifty feet in cultivation or when planted outdoors in milder climates. In colder areas, it grows slowly and has dense foliage so it makes a beautiful addition to any home indoors.

Its leaves have a very attractive appearance with reddish petioles and large dark green leaves that have a wavy edge giving them a unique look that can be displayed even without flowers or fruit. The Fukien leafs out readily in spring and can produce new growth within a few weeks. This species does great as an indoor Bonsai plant.

2) Dwarf Jade Bonsai Tree:

Another tree that falls into the best bonsai tree for beginners indoor is the Dwarf Jade Bonsai.

The Dwarf Jade Bonsai is popular for its tight, shiny leaves and slow growth. This bonsai species is relatively new to the bonsai world it’s only been around for about two decades. It got its start as a naturally occurring seedling of the Fukien tea tree.

Even though small compared to other types of jade plants, this bonsai still has that classic jade look that’s easy to appreciate anywhere because it basically has no trunk, just straight branches all up from one point at the base of the plant.

The Dwarf Jade Bonsai Tree does great indoor and looks best displayed without training wire or any attaching devices because its branches are very pliable and can be positioned effortlessly.

3) Portulacaria Afra, aka: Porkbush Bonsai Tree

The Porkbush bonsai is also called elephant bush/Elephant food/Spekboom, etc. It is a small tree with crinkle-edged leaves. This type of bonsai is native to southern Africa now it has become popular among bonsaists worldwide who grow this plant mainly for its ease in growth, small leaves, fast rate of growth, cute shape. It grows well if retained well through pruning and provides very water requirements.

This plant is highly flexible and can be shaped into a bonsai tree really easily including bending roots down to the ground to create a unique look of a cascade style planting.

The leaves of Portulacaria Afra which are succulent in nature grow opposite each other on the branches. The Porkbush Bonsai prefers bright light but not direct sunlight so it’s best kept indoors away from windows where the sun strikes most directly.

4) Ginseng Ficus Bonsai Tree:

Love the health properties of ginseng? This tree definitelt should be  in the best bonsai tree for beginners indoor.

The Ginseng Ficus Bonsai is popular among bonsaists because it’s very easy to grow, tolerates low light conditions well, and makes a beautiful indoor bonsai tree. The plant has small green leaves growing on petioles or stalks which are one of the characteristics giving this ficus its common name.

This Ficus will never get too big for indoors, so if you’re looking for an indoor bonsai tree that grows slowly but still provides plenty of greenery.

The ginseng ficus is a good choice. It can also be grown successfully as a potted houseplant since it doesn’t demand much care beyond proper watering and feeding occasionally.

Keep in mind though that ginseng ficus bonsai trees can grow very rapidly if given proper care and light.

Interested in bonsai fruit trees? Read more here

5) Dwarf Schefflera Bonsai Tree:

The Dwarf Schefflera plant is one of the best aesthetic look bonsai trees that are easy to maintain as an indoor bonsai tree that tolerates little light, dry air, and infrequent watering well.

This species of Schefflera gets its common name Australian Umbrella tree from the fact that its leaves are shaped like an umbrella. The single stem of this plant gives it a shrub-like appearance which makes it different from traditional Bonsais where trees are always displayed with multiple trunks or stems.

Dwarf schefflera bonsai does great as an indoor Bonsai plant. It’s one of the easiest indoor bonsai to grow. It’s also pretty versatile in that it can be grown as a tabletop plant or grown into small, medium, or large size Bonsai trees.

The Dwarf Schefflera Bonsai thrives best if kept indoors and placed near a window for natural light but not direct sunlight.

The branches readily bend downwards without causing damage to the plants making Dwarf Schefflera a great choice for topiary style bonsais where the foliage is meant to cascade over its pot.

So if your tight on space, this is definitely one of the best bonsai tree for beginners indoor.

6) Ming Aralia Bonsai Tree :

Native to China, The Ming Aralia has a very thick waxy-looking foliage that gives the bonsai an exotic look. Its leaves are highly textured and arched giving this species of Bonsai its common name, Ming being short for “mystic. When taking care of Ming Aralia Bonsai trees it’s best to trim new shoots soon after they’ve emerged from the trunk so that the plant will have dense foliage all over.

This vining variety thrives in partial shade or bright indirect light indoors. Keep in mind also that dense shady areas outdoors are not suitable for growing these types of Bonsais because it would require too much watering around summertime when humidity levels are outdoors.

7) Desert Rose

As minimalistic bonsai plant, The Desert Rose does well in glass enclosures, terrariums, and under grow lights. It also grows fairly slowly indoors making it a good choice for new bonsai enthusiasts who want to take their time getting used to the process of growing bonsais.

If you’re looking for an indoor plant that’s easy to grow, this beautiful succulent could be your top choice as a Bonsai plant.

The Desert Rose is grown mainly because its unusual twisted trunk which boasts tiny white flowers when it reaches maturity. The bonsai itself can grow up to 18 ft tall outdoors but easily fits on most windowsills even when kept small by pruning.

8) Juniper Bonsai Tree

Juniper is a popular choice for bonsai because of its distinctive foliage. They can appear either in pine tree style or formal upright style.

These plants are easy to care for indoor bonsais too though but require more attention when watering. Junipers do well with regular watering but still need to be kept on the dry side too, making them one of the most versatile bonsai trees you could choose to grow indoors.

A juniper Bonsai will tolerate almost all light conditions though prefer bright indirect light or partial shade outdoors and full-shade indoors.

A juniper bonsai is very popular and makes on of the best bonsai tree for beginners indoor.

9) Hawaiian Umbrella Bonsai Tree :

Hawaiian Umbrella trees are the perfect choice if you’re looking for an easy to grow bonsai that doesn’t need much attention. On top of being one of the easiest bonsais to keep alive, it’s also great choice if you want a fast growing Bonsai plant.

This species is native to eastern Asia where it can be found thriving in dense thickets. It adapts well in low light conditions making it highly suitable as indoor bonsai too. As outdoor bonsais, they have natural blue-green color but indoors they do great with full sun exposure so long as the soil is kept moist at all times.

10) Japanese Maple Tree:

There are dozens and dozens of different kinds of Japanese Maple Trees, making them one of the favorite bonsai plants among enthusiasts. They have striking foliage with five-lobed leaves in lush shades from red to purple, green to gold, or pink to orange depending on variety. It’s also a very hardy plant that can withstand lower light conditions so it doesn’t need as much attention when being kept indoors either.

The best indoor bonsais will have small miniature trees which originally grow quite slowly but eventually sprout into gorgeous little specimens that would take away the heart of any bonsai enthusiast.

Conclusion:

At the end of the article, As a beginners bonsai enthusiast, the tree species mentioned above would make the best choice if you’re looking for easy-to-grow bonsai plants. These species can thrive indoors without much attention and also tolerate a wide range of conditions, making them just right as first bonsai tree that’s easy to care for.

So, let’s get to start with your favorite Bonsai plant.