New to bonsai and looking for advice to start as a hobby

[SanderM3]

Hey People,

I once got a bonsai tree from a friend and in a few months the tree died, I kept it inside (I know I know). This is 20 plus years ago. I've always remembered the joy I got from that tree and felt a little shitty because a could not keep it alive.
Now i hope to get a few junipers in the spring and maybe a tree or two from other spicies. I hope to keep those alive, ofcourse. Problem is: We do not have a garden just a balcony, it is east facing and and about 1.70m by 5m. I just found out that I life in a USDA 8A zone.

Is it possible to keep bonsias alive on a balcony and make them thrive? I wachted videos on YouTube but all those guys have gardens.
When is a good time to buy bonsai trees and start with this hobby? I know it is not now since it is getting colder and winter is comming, so maybe early spring?

Thanks in advance for your help.

cheers

Sander

 

[leatherback]

Is it possible to keep bonsias alive on a balcony and make them thrive?

Absolutely

When is a good time to buy bonsai trees and start with this hobby?

Now is indeed a little more dificult, but late winter / early spring certainly is a good time.

I am not aware of any bonsai clubs in Leeuwarden. If you have time and transport, I can recommend checking our Deshima Bonsai over winter. And possibly Bonsai Dusseldorf.

 

[dbonsaiw]

welcome aboard. You dont need a garden and can definitely bonsai on your balcony.

 

[SanderM3]

Thank you for you quick replys. I know where i'm going to be a lot the spring and summer...

 

[Wulfskaar]

Welcome! Trees native to your area are good to start with because you don't need a lot of extra care. Start there and you'll already have the upper hand. You can also research non-native trees that can thrive in your area as well.

 

[Calnicky]

You can certainly keep bonsai on a balcony. I kept mine on an east-facing balcony for 5 years. But did they thrive?? They did okay, but as soon as I moved to a house with a yard they perked up and looked better. Then when I moved to a place with fewer landscape trees, fewer nearby buildings, etc. they really started to THRIVE.

Keep natives and other hardy plants and figure out how to protect them from extremes of weather that seem to be magnified by being up next to a building.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Gabler]

If your balcony is shady, be sure to choose shade-tolerant species.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

At the moment Nobilis Bonsai in Ens is having an end of year sale with lots of trees at a 50% discount.
Next week Lodder Bonsai is having the end of year sale with lots of nice discounted trees.

In spring Bonsaiplaza, Lodder and Nobilis are having "open days" with discounted trees.

If you check the "events" part of this forum you will find topics about these days (I regulary post those topics).

 

[SanderM3]

Thank you for the tips. Thank you so much.

 

[defra]

hi sander!
welcome to bnut and i agree with leatherback so wont repeat what he said.
maybe i know something closer to have a look at starter bonsai
nobilis ens https://www.nobilisens.nl/
its located a little closer to leeuwarden its worth a visit !

 

[SanderM3]

hi sander!
welcome to bnut and i agree with leatherback so wont repeat what he said.
maybe i know something closer to have a look at starter bonsai
nobilis ens https://www.nobilisens.nl/
its located a little closer to leeuwarden its worth a visit !

Hi,

Ens is indeed a bit closer to Leeuwarden then some of the others. I'll have a look there when the winter is over I think. Thanks for the advice.

 

[defra]

Hi,

Ens is indeed a bit closer to Leeuwarden then some of the others. I'll have a look there when the winter is over I think. Thanks for the advice.

yeah i figured i am in enkhuizen on the otherside of the water i have the same problem its all far away...
they do have a end of year sale discount up to 50% on some trees till the end of december!