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The majority of bonsai gardeners stick with the more common deciduous, confierous, or fruit trees when developing their bonsai tree collection.  However, more exotic bonsai varieties are available that permit the bonsai artist to further develop his or her skills.

An superb alternative to the more frequent style bonsai is Wisteria, a native of Japan, China, and Korea.  In the wild, Wisteria can reach 30 feet or more in size.  However, because Wisteria doesn’t conform to any of the normal bonsai styles, forming them into a bonsai can be an interesting challenge.

The Wisteria flowers are both aromatic and beautiful and come in a variety of colors, including blue, purple, pink, and white.  Blooming in the Spring, they need lots of water with sufficient drainage and they do well in partial shade to full sun.  Just before they bloom in the spring, you should provide them with ample fertilizer, and once again in late summer before they shed their leaves.

Another good choice is Orange Jasmine which will provide a delight to the nose and beauty to the eye.  Orange Jasmine bears a bright red fruit and fragrant, white blossoms.

Feed Orange Jasmine every three to four weeks starting in early spring and continuing through mid-autumn.  Only light watering is sufficient for most of the year, with slightly more required in the hotter summer season.

Because they generally grow better in moderate shade or filtered sun, Orange Jasmine is one of the few bonsai that can, and should be grown indoors.

The Mimosa tree, also occasionally known as silk trees due to their long silky filaments, offer another good alternative.  They are as fragrant as both of the two alternatives mentioned above and their puffy flowers and lacy foliage are also just as lovely.

The Mimosa’s flowers bloom in late April to early July and moderate water should be given during this period.  However, you should avoid getting water on the flowers because, much like a number of other flowering plants, the flowers will quickly deteriorate when wet.

If you choose to cultivate a Mimosa, it will be one of the larger bonsai in your collection since they have large leaves, grow rapidly, and are difficult to maintain at a very small size.  So be sure to give then adequate room in your display area.

Another non-traditional bonsai is the Desert Rose.  The Desert Rose can turn what would be an ordinary bonsai collection into one full of color and excitement.  It is a native of East Africa and in the wild can grow up to 10 feet tall, producing large, pink, trumpet-bowl flowers.

The Desert Rose should be kept outdoors most of the year as they need ample sunshine and lots of fresh air.  With their very bushy growing habit, they will make a fine design complement to the many traditional bonsai in your collection.

However, the Desert Rose is sensitive to cold, so they should be brought indoors in cold climates or during periods of cold weather as they will not thrive in temperatures below 10C (50F).  With temperatures in the 10C-15C (50F-60F) range, they will lie dormant and healthy and during this period they will need very little water.

You should try your hand at some of these exotic beautiful and fragrant flowering plants to extend your horizon and further develop your bonsai gardening skills. They provide a nice contrast when placed among some of the more standard evergreens, such as, junipers, pines, and firs.  Additionally, as they lose their leaves in the fall and blossom in the spring, you’ll have an interesting season-changing display.

George Dodge enjoys landscaping and gardening as a hobby.  Bonsai gardening offers hours of enjoyment producing exquisit miniture shrubs and trees as an art form. His Bonsai Tree Gardening site shares tips for the beginning bonsai gardener.  Experiment with exotic bonsai choices to roundout your collection.

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Growing bonsai is an absorbing and extremely rewarding hobby. Growing bonsai trees is not an expensive hobby with only a few specialist tools needed. A bonsai tree is a living sculpture that anyone would be proud to display.

Bonsai are pot grown plants or trees that are expressly developed to be a smaller version of the full size tree. Bonsai can be grown from just about any perennial wood stemmed trees or shrubs that develop branches, and has the capacity to grow small through pot confinement with the aid of crown and root pruning.

Bonsai trees can be developed from seed, young shoots taken from the countryside (please observe any laws regarding removing wild plants in your area), or can be purchased as ready planted bonsai trees. Obviously growing bonsai from seed is the slowest route, but you will then have total control of how your bonsai will develop.

Bonsai trees are grown in special bonsai pots that not only restrict the roots of the bonsai, but are also designed to complement the appearance of the bonsai. Specialist soils are available that will provide the ideal conditions for your bonsai tree to grow.

Many methods are used to form your bonsai and give it character. These specialist techniques include trimming leaves, wiring, grafting, dwarfing and deadwood, (a process used to age bark). Only a few specialist tools are needed to sculpt bonsai, and these can easily be bought quite cheaply. Everything you require to get started can easily be bought from a bonsai nursery.

If you wonder if growing bonsai is for you, I would say have a go, bonsai trees are simple to grow, and take a small amount of your time, every bonsai tree is unique, and who can’t help but to admire a bonsai.

Bonsai trees can be had as both indoor and outdoor types, some bonsai are best left outside in the summer months and then brought inside during the colder winter months.

And for anyone that likes the idea, but doesn’t want to maintain bonsai, you can even purchase artificial bonsai trees.