Here goes... I would first advise you to do some reading, so you get an idea what it's all about, and don't end up getting something home with no idea how to keep it alive - bonsai are not house plants and in fact, the majority are grown outdoors, where they do better, but if you have no outdoor place to grow things, then you can grow tropicals, which are often grown with supplementary lighting, humidity, etc. Bonsai is a lifelong learning 'hobby' (to most of us, it becomes an obsession very quickly), but as you need to know at least the basic horticultural requirements, and how to choose appropriate trees for your environment, it's important to start by reading (many books available, plus www.bonsai4me.com, www.bonsaihunk.us/cultural.html (for tropicals), and www.evergreengardenworks.com), all of which give good overviews on bonsai in general, and info. on growing specific trees. A really good intro for you would be a local club/assoc., so you get to see hands-on what it's about (there is a lot involved re pruning roots, various ways to shape the tree, why it's important to know in which season to do what work for which tree, how to 'compose' various soil mixes, and maybe most important - how to water (sounds silly til you understand what it entails and how important it is to get it right). Every tree has diff. requirements and every environment is different in various aspects, so find out first if in fact you really would want to get started on the journey, but stay far away from little pots in big stores sold as 'Bonsai' - most of which are just cuttings of larger trees stuffed into little pots with one-size-fits-all care tags [useless!] stuck on them, and imported from overseas in huge truckloads, with pebbles glued(!) to the soil that then need removal, and sold in bad soil destined to discourage you after the trees die of root rot if not repotted into the right stuff. Patience is the first thing you need and if you don't have it, you won't get far, but if you do, you can have an awful lot of rewarding time learning to take care of your little trees (did you know bonsai can be as large as 4' tall and wide?). PS - the trees only end up being 'miniature', but start out as 'regular' trees, not some odd 'special' type of plants. They're more often cut down from larger ones, rather than grown up into 'bonsai', so as to keep the illusion of age with a fat (and well tapered) trunk, but new batches of smaller branches and leaves, and bonsai pots are often not used until the trees are ready for display, sometimes being 'grown out' in the ground for years - the fastest way to achieve good trunk girth. To (finally!) answer your question - every tree grows at a different rate, but you'll learn which are which along the way, but you'll also find that a good place to start is a local nursery (if not supermkt for tropicals) rather than a place that sells 'Bonsai'.

LUCY-- THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELPFUL ADVICE. i DIDN'T REALIZE A TRUE BONSAI WAS GROWN OUTDOORS. I LIVE IN AN APARTMENT COMPLEX SO IT MAY BE HARD FOR ME, BUT I HAVE ACCESS TO THE TREES AT THE NURSERY I WORK AT, SO I GUESS I CAN EXPERIMENT A LITTLE AT LEAST. DO YOU THINK KEEPING THEM IN BIG POTS IF YOU KEEP THEM OUTDOORS IS OKAY?

IT IS INTERESTING WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT "FAKE" BONSAI BEING SOLD IN NURSERIES. WE DO SELL SOME OF THOSE, BUT I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WARY BECAUSE THEY DO HAVE STONES GLUED TO THEM, AND THEY SEEM TO JUST BE PLANTED IN A BUNCH OF SPHAGNUM PEAT MOSS. THEY ALSO SEEMED FISHY BECAUSE THEY WERE AROUND $40, WHICH I KNOW THE TIME AND EFFORT PEOPLE PUT INTO BONSAI IS PRICELESS.

THERE IS A JAPANESE GENTLEMAN THAT CAME INTO MY NURSERY LAST SPRING AND TOLD ME HE DOES HAVE SOME BONSAI THAT ARE ABOUT 4' TALL AND WIDE. HE SAID HIS LIFELONG HOBBY HAS BEEN BONSAI AND HE HAS MANY OF THEM. HE SAID HIS WIFE WOULD NOT BE TOO HAPPY IF HE CAME HOME WITH ANOTHER PLANT, BUT HE WOUND UP LEAVING WITH A EUGENIA!

I AM GOING TO CHECK OUT THOSE SITES YOU SENT ME. THANKS AGAIN AND AND THANKS A LOT! HAPPY "BONSAI-ING!"

hsernulka,

Lucy has given you some great advice. Start reading a lot.

However, if you are anxious to begin "playing" with bonsai, and you are limited to indoor culture, I have a few suggestions.

The following plants can adapt to indoor culture, and indeed will have to come indoors in the winter in your zone. They have specific light, humidity, and watering-frequency requirements, so you should become familiar with those requirements before you begin. However, they are both quite forgiving in that they can withstand (and even demand) being watered less than some plants, are tolerant of pruning and root disturbance, and are readily available and reasonably priced.

Ficus benjamina - One of my favorites to play around with. Quite a tough and tolerant customer. You can "cheat" and develop a thick trunk in relatively short order by binding multiple trunks together, which subsequently fuse into a single trunk. Tolerant of pruning, soil being allowed to dry, and root disturbance. Needs at least some indirect sunlight. Available everywhere.

Crassula ovata - Some will argue that miniaturized versions of this plant are not true bonsai, but that's semantics; they can be trained to look like interested small trees. Available from nurseries with thick trunks already developed. Very tolerant of drastic pruning; defoliating large leaves will result in the production of a bunch of little leaves (until they grow), enhancing the illusion that it's a small tree. Tolerant of dry soil and root disturbance. Needs more light than the Ficus.

These plants are cheap enough and readily available, so that you can afford to screw up while you are learning.

Cheers

THANK YOU, REDNECK GROWER, FOR THE ADVICE. THOSE ARE GREAT SUGGESTIONS, ESPECIALLY THE FICUS BECAUSE LIGHT IN MY APARTMENT IS TRICKY. I NEED TO GO TO THE LIBRARY AND GET OUT SOME BOOKS, BUT THE LINKS LUCY SUGGESTED WERE VERY HELPFUL. THANKS AGAIN!!!