Bonsai is reasonably easy if you follow three common sense rules!

          1. "Choose plants that will grow well for you in your environment or change your environment to fit the needs of the plants."  A bonsai is simply a tree or plant growing in a pot.  It's container growing and the required care is dictated by the type of plant. Pines generally require strong outdoor light and special winter care.  If you want to grow plants indoors,  research the many different kinds of "Indoor Bonsai." Some are simply tropical trees that do not require special winter dormancy but require very high light and greenhouse-like conditions.  The easiest and most successful indoor bonsai are plants that are known to be durable houseplants.

          2. "Choose a tree that already has character and prepared for bonsai training to avoid the long and difficult training to create an exciting tree."  There really are no secrets. Even the best bonsai master cannot produce exceptional bonsai with a young seedling that has no character. Regular nursery plants may have taproots and long roots that circle the container and these are daunting challenges as bonsai requires a compact healthy root system.  Beginners should consider starting with professionally grown "prepared bonsai stock" that already have some trunk interest, an abundance of strong branches, and a shallow compact root system.

          The picture above shows a young Dwarf Schefflera seedling on the left. A pre-trained "premium keiki bonsai prepared stock" on the right is several years older, has already been rock-planted, has a trunk with interest, strong branches, and a compact protected root system. Obviously, if you start with the tree on the right, you'll be well into enjoying the challenges of bonsai training. The cost would be significantly higher, but there is much higher potential!

          A close-up photo of the bases shows the huge difference!  The young tree has very little character with no branches.  The taproot has not been removed and when it hit the bottom of the nursery container it will continue to grow around and around.  Even if it is aged, it will be difficult to create a good bonsai from it.

          The tree on the right has roots protected within the rock, has roots growing over the rock into the pot, has a stout trunk with interest, and has several strong branches.  Bonsai training emphasizes 1" to 2" above and below the soil line.  Success is usually based upon a person's ability to select or acquire high potential prepared bonsai stock!

          3. "To create optimum growth, provide optimum growing conditions!" Bonsai are not stunted trees.  They are healthy plants growing in containers.  From time to time when they become pot-bound they may need to be root-pruned to improve their health and encourage stronger growth. With the proper amount of water and as much light as possible, they will grow strongly so when you prune them, new shoots will emerge to build into the vision in your mind.

          By choosing plants that will thrive in your care, by starting with those that have the spirit and potential to inspire you, and by creating the optimum growth conditions, you will greatly increase your odds for bonsai success!  Good luck!