Out of the 57 people that contributed to this survey in January, 1999, the most popular flowering plant was quite clearly voted the AZALEA - where the SATSUKI AZALEA (Rhrododendron Indicum) was the most popular of this group. Its most noted attributes was the variety available, its spectacular flowers, forgiving attitude, interesting year round structure and overall hardiness. Other flowering plants which were also very popular were the BOUGAINVILLEA, CRAB APPLE and FUKIEN TEA. A good book to read is The Art of Flowering Bonsai by Peter D. Adams.

Subsequently, the most popular fruiting plant was voted the DWARF POMEGRANATE (Punica Granatum var. Nana) - where its most noted attributes were the bright coloured small-sized fruit, general compact apperance and gnarled, old tree-like form.

Opinions :

Madhudar Nath from India says :
 
I have been associated with this art for the last seventeen years. During this course I find many plants which are very attractive and versatile to be developed as bonsai. Still my preference goes for BOUGAINVILLEA which is one of the most easily grown plants and is tough enough to sustain the extreme climate in the northern and central parts of India.

Brian Inglis from Queensland, Australia says :

Brian's Bonsai Website :

As far as I am concerned, for Aus. conditions, for flowers, you can't beat a BOUGAINVILLEA. They are hardy and forgiving. They flower for months on end and suit most styles. Avoid many of the hybrids like Klong Fire because they have huge clumps of flowers on long canes. In my opinion, 'Smartipants' is the best as it has small leaves, small flowers and is quick growing in the ground.

Steve Wachs says :

In my opinion, there is no one flowering tree that is more versatile than another, simply because each flowering tree has its season.

I enjoy working with trees that flower, berry or fruit in early spring. The MUME is a nice awaking from the winter and so is the FLOWERING QUINCE. Then, the CRAB APPLE is versatile in the sense that it offers an all year round season with its blossoms and then its fruit. Needless to say that an AZALEA in full bloom is exquisite, and hard to match. I have BOUGAINVILLEA that break the rules and flower in the spring and then in mid summer through fall (autumn). I have one indoors that is flowering right now. It may surprise you that I feel a PYRACANTHA can be included in this list, but I have seen them loaded with orange fruit and they looked fantastic. I have also displayed trees in the late fall (autumn) and would not hesitate to display an ILEX SERRATA, without any leaves but full of red berries.

If I had to choose one in particular which would represent flowering bonsai, I would have to say the AZALEA. It shows off its color so magnificently in any photograph. My favorite shape to see these trees is in a mushroom shape. It really allows for a maximum amount of color. AZALEA flowers may only last a short time but it is definitely worth the effort.

Hank from USDA zone 7 says :

My choice for flowering bonsai is - BOUGAINVILLEA; I think it would come under the category of visual effect. They are easilly propagated from cuttings, the larger the diameter of the cutting, the easier it is to root. They are relatively hardy - mine stayed outdoors in USDA zone 7 until frost; I brought it inside a month ago and it is still in bloom.

Vance Wood from zone five in the Detroit Michigan area says :

AZALEA and CRAB APPLE are probably the two most versitile of the flowering plants to use for bonsai. Most flowering species are only at their best when in bloom, the rest of the year they are fairly uninteresting and not what one would call a first rate bonsai for most of the year. AZALEAs and CRAB APPLEs are appealing trees even when not in flower and both bloom quite easily once you get them to flower the first time. This is of course for temperate trees.

There are tropicals, specificially SERRISA, that bloom all year long with proper care and still make credible bonsai when not in flower.

Carl L. Rosner from Atlantic City, Southern New Jersery, USA, says :

My favorite tree is FUKIEN TEA (Ehretia buxifolia). It was my first tree - but besides the nostalgia factor, it is wonderful to see the tree covered in small beautiful white flowers and then to see a plethora of green fruit hanging all over the tree - to daily watch the change of the fruit to a ripened red, and finally to fall on to the soil turning black. Then the process starts over with a small pause as the tree recoups its energy.

Dennis McDermott from Sydney, Australia, says :

What is best is a very subjective thing depending upon many factors, both personal and related to how easy they grow in your location.

Speaking for myself I like the various hybrid forms of LANTANA. They are very colourful, produce flower heads of an appropriate size and here in Sydney flower for at least 10-11 months of the year. They are very forgiving provided that you do not let them dry out. Pruning off dead flower heads produces continuous flowering and unlike many other flowering species is all that is needed to shape the tree.

Paul Ringo from Lake Charles, LA, USA, says :

In my honest opinion, SATSUKI AZALEAs have to be the leading flowering bonsai. Their variety, hardiness, longevity and overall ease of care put them at the top of the list for me, and this surprises me because I was not immediately drawn to Azaleas when I first became involved with bonsai. One can style them to look like standard trees or as strictly an art piece depending on choice. They can be easily hybridized, so that one can literally pick the genetic parentage of stock if you are so inclined, and they can be styled into virtually any of the recognized bonsai styles.

That being said, I also thoroughly enjoy the wide variety of POMEGRANATEs and CRAB APPLEs available for bonsai. Again, one has a number of choices regarding size, color and growth habit as well as hardiness that adds to the flexibility of styling. The added benefit of these two is the fruit that follows flowering. I thoroughly enjoy WISTERIA as well as CREPE MYRTLES but my experience with these plants is not as extensive as with the other plants mentioned. You may want to consider two separate categories. My choices for flowering would be AZALEA and WISTERIA and my votes for fruiting would be POMEGRANATE and CRAB APPLE with HAWTHORN running a close third.

Nice idea. Thanks for asking everyone to participate.

Iris Cohen from Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40 says :

It's a complex question. I can't think of one best plant. There are several I would name for various reasons...

• Prettiest but most difficult - NEW ZEALAND TEA TREE (Leptospermum scoparium, syn. Manuka).
• Not too difficult, but unpredictable, blooms all year round under lights - Double snow rose, SERISSA FOETIDA.
• Pretty flowers, easy for beginners - LAVENDER STAR FLOWER (Grewia occidentalis).
• Most spectacular when in bloom - DWARF POMEGRANATE (Punica granatum var. 'Nana') and other cultivars.
• Prettiest fruit, but only fruits when it reaches a certain size, susceptible to dieback - PORCELAIN BERRY (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata).

My favorite is the DWARF POMEGRANATE (Punica Granatum var. 'Nana'). It blooms and fruits almost all year round.

Yumiko says :

WISTERIAs for me because they are so tough and easy to care for (perfect for the novice like myself). The flowers are so stunning, you have something to show off from the first year. I have both Japanese and Chinese and I love them both.

John Bullis from zone 7a, Washington, DC, says :

SATSUKI AZALEA. Why? Because of the incredibly wide spectrum of choices: leaf size, flower size, conducibility to various styles. I have several now and will have many in the future. They are also relatively easy to grow.

Jim Lewis from Tallahassee, FL says :

'Best' is in the eyer of the beholder. I like native trees and shrubs. In the US what means 'best' in this group is probably a CRABAPPLE, or maybe a HAWTHORN.

Paul Welch from Ormond Beach, FL - Zone 9, says :

My choices of flowering/fruiting plants are in this order:

• 1. ROSEMARY - Mine bloom year around
• 2. BOUGAINVILLEA - Easy to care for in this zone
• 3. SERISSA - bloom year around except July and August

Cindy Dries from zone 4-5, US, says :

I find POTENTILLA to be a very satisfying flowering bonsai. It's been very forgiving as I attempt to maneuver from the ranks of novice to something just beyond. The dime-size yellow flowers occur throughout the summer months. And the plant has a most interesting, aged-looking, peeling bark. I have three that I am most pleased with; two being informal upright and one trained as a semi-cascade.

Daniel Avrin from Colorado, says :

I like POTENTILLA also since the small flowers are in nice scale to the plant. Most books now refer to it though as Shrubby Cinquefoil. In the Rockies of Colorado they grow wild all over the place. Garden centers also sell a great many as yard bushes although its hard to find any without multiple trunks (I guess that's why they're called "Shrubby"). They seem to be able to handle a wide variety of soil mixes but don't like to dry out completely. It takes a while to develop any caliper on them so I may try collecting some of greater age this coming spring.

Matt Ward from the US says :

My favorite flowering trees are :

• BARBADOS CHERRY (Malpighia glabra) flowers are in scale with foliage and the scent is divine. An easy "indoor" tree for beginners. Scent is too often ingnored in bonsai. Barbados cherry also blooms very compactly and the berries are also in scale when the tree is designed as a shohin or larger.
• STAR-OF-DAVID (Grewia Occidentalis syn. four corners, lavender starflower) [often misnamed as caffera] Awesome "star" flowers, but still in scale.

Bill Kovach from the US says :

LAVENDER STARFLOWER (Grewia Contorta) I prefer the contorta version of Grewia. In my opinion it just looks a little more gnarly to me.

Walter Pall from Munich, Germany - zone 5 to 6, says :

# 1 in my collection is the ordianry garden LILAC (Syringa Vulgaris)

Colin Lewis from the US, says :

Colin Lewis' Website :

Haven't tried all flowering species by any means, but the one that gives me the most reward to date is the common garden YAMADORI AZALEA. Check it out in the gallery section on my web site.

Anne K. Alt from Chicago, US, says :

I find it very satisfying to work with the FUKIEN TEA because it responds so well. I've only had these two young trees for 1 1/2 years and they've already made noticeable progress towards getting good trunks. They are fairly forgiving about moisture level and very resilient. They recovered very quickly from transport shock when I initially brought them here. With regular feeding and good light, they have flowers and fruit year round. I currently have them under a grow light for several hours each day, since we don't get a lot of sunlight here in winter. They respond well to training. I consider it a very attractive species that offers ample rewards without a lot of fuss.

Merritt Barnett from zone 7/8, Raleigh, US, says :

I prefer the SATSUKI AZALEA because the variety of colors and patterns of the flowers seem to be endless! The ease with which Azaleas back bud offer the grower more opportunities to manipulate the growth of this plant into the desired style. As a newbie, I have found Azaleas to be hardy (at least in my zone) and easy to take care of.

Author's Opinion :

I've been involved in bonsai for quite a long time and I have many opinions on the best type of plants to use for bonsai. My top three plants which are best for flowering bonsai are the JAPANESE RED FLOWERING QUINCE (Chaenomeles speciosa, syn. Cydonia japonica), DWARF POMEGRANATE (Punica Granatum var. Nana) and the KURUME AZALEA (Rhododendron obtusum). The reason why I recommend these very different three flowering plants is just because of that reason - they are different.

The Quince is a very vibrant plant with bright green, dense foliage for the main of the year - until in fall (autumn) when the plant loses all leaves - revealing its facinating branch structure. Then in late winter, leafless, the plant sets flower with bright, blood red to orange flowers - producing an elegant, beautiful sculpture. This is a plant very suited to the multiple trunk, clump, and raft styles - due to its creeping tendency. It is an effective, forgiving and very classic looking plant, suited to a mild climate.

The Dwarf Pomegranate is another great flowering plant to use for bonsai - but apart from its seasonal yellow-orange 'trumpet style' flowers, it presents so many other notable characteristics. It has a marvelous naturally-twisting style trunk, that very easily adopts a gnarled, ancient appearance - something widely sought in bonsai. Its leaves are quite small in scale and after flowering, the plant fruits, producing attrative spherical-like red pomegranites which are also in scale to the bonsai. Suited to bonsai styles such as informal upright, forest, windswept and twisting trunk style, this plant responds well to hot, sunny conditions, such as that which would be found in the Mediterranean.

The Kurume Azalea is a great plant - probably one the most utilised and popular flowering plants for bonsai. Suited to a great range of styles - namely informal upright, cascade, semi-cascade and root over rock, the humble Azalea which is used largely for landscaping in Japan and other Asian countries has been hybridised to produce many fantastic colours and shapes of flowers.

You can see now why I chose three plants as my favorite for flowering bonsai - they are suited to different styles, climates and provide various defining attributes which make them each attractive in many ways.

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