Bonsai ("tray gardening" in Japanese) is the Japanese art of growing very small trees indoors. Most bonsai trees are grown to make them look old, even though they never reach a foot in height!

Bonsai trees are not dwarf plants. Bonsai trees are cultivated in such a way so they can never grow above a certain height. This is done is three ways: the roots are snipped regularly; the shoots are snipped regularly; and a smaller pot is used to constrict the growth of the roots.

Bonsai trees can be grown out of most trees, but the most popularly used trees are species such as beech, bamboo, pine, juniper and maple. When choosing a Bonsai tree, it's important to use a tried and tested species, as some do not take to the rigorous shaping Bonsai growers use to create the desired effect of age.

For your first Bonsai tree, I would suggest buying a ready-made tree from a gardening shop. Then, using the ready-planted tree, you can prune and shape it to how you want it. Sadly, many of these ready-made, "mass produced" trees can already be dead after being stored in a warehouse and planted in poor quality soil. Because of this, when buying one, it's much better to buy them from a Japanese shop or specialist Bonsai shop where, although you'll pay a bit more, you will get a much better tree that will last for years.

The care of Bonsai trees is very complex and individual to each tree, so if you do buy from a specialist shop, the staff will be more than willing to advise you on how to care for your new plant.