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With over 800 sub-species, Ficus bonsai trees are easily the most popular species.
These indoor bonsai trees are super beginner friendly and the staple of any bonsai collection.
Commonly found in almost any garden center, this is the second tree I started my bonsai hobby with.
That said, there can be a lot of dodgy fake imports out there, so what would my recommendation be?
My recommendation for a Ficus bonsai tree has to be the Bonsai Boys Willow Leaf Ficus bonsai tree, which you can grab here (the link takes you to the Bonsai Boys website).
Why I recommend this tree
Now rather than just recommending you a tree and not giving you any reason, I wanted to go into more detail on why I recommended this tree:
Age
First up, this tree is 23 years old.
As a beginner, without worrying about the painful first five years of trying to grow and maintain your bonsai from scratch, the ficus bonsai comes to set and ready to thrive in any indoor environment.
On top of this, this ficus is incredibly slow growing, meaning it will be a lot easier for you to style how you want.
Size
As mentioned, Ficus bonsai are notoriously slow growing, adding only a few inches of growth yearly.
As this willow Leaf Ficus is already 15 inches tall, you can start styling this tree immediately.
Not your typical FIcus
While Ginseng and Ficus Retusa also make for fantastic bonsai trees, willow ficus trees have the best middle ground of both.
The retailer
Another reason I recommend this Ficus bonsai is because it comes directly from the Bonsai Boys website.
Unlike many other online Bonsai nurseries, bonsai boy has been a trusted retailer of Bonsai trees for decades, and the family business approach means that the utmost care is given to each of their Bonsai trees.
The design
While Ficus bonsai trees are super beginner friendly, sometimes the design of a lot of these trees leaves a lot to be desired.
That is not the case with the bonsai boy whose Ficus tree has a beautiful informal upright bend in the tree.
What to look out for when buying a Ficus bonsai
So regardless of purchasing my recommendation for a Ficus bonsai or not, I’ve made many mistakes throughout my bonsai lobbying career.
As such, it’s essential that any Ficus bonsai you do decide to opt for:
- Easy to care for – You want to ensure that regardless of any bonsai tree you buy, it needs to be easy to care for. There is no point investing money in a bonsai tree if it’s too complicated for you to work, making it much easier to forget about your tree.
- From a professional retailer – It can be very tempting to buy a bonsai tree from a cheap store; however, using reputable retailers will ensure peace of mind, not worrying about the tree dying right after you purchase it.
- Not the cheapest option – Similar to the above, you might be tempted to purchase the cheapest bonsai. While this will be your own choice, depending on your available budget, consider investing slightly more as, in my experience, premium bonsai will typically be much longer lasting and better quality than cheaper bonsai.
- Money-back guarantee – Ensure that whatever bonsai you purchase has a money-back guarantee to give you peace of mind.