Although the results of this survey were hard to collate, the tree claimed to be the most difficult species to train into a bonsai was the SERISSA FOETIDA. Other noticeable species mentioned were the HINOKI CYPRESS and BLACK PINE. The answers given depended largely on the level of experience for the respondents and how the question was interpreted. Many people answered the question as if it was asking what the most difficult plant to keep as a bonsai was.

The recipient of the gift voucher from Amazon.com was Nicolas Wilkins, involved in bonsai for over 5 years, who said the SERISSA FOETIDA was the most difficult species to train into a bonsai.

Opinions :

Tony Chu from Singapore, says :

Practicing bonsai for over 5 years.

BLACK PINE. I don't know whether these plants simply hate me or not, but for me the black pine is extremely hard to train into a bonsai. They are quite temperamental, especially when repotting and it is hard to gauge when a plant is in distress until it is too late. You may still be watering a black pine for several months after it has actually died, simply because it retains its green appearance. They are also relatively unforgiving if you make a pruning mistake on old wood.

Justin Whitistt from zone 7b/8a, Plano, U.S., says:

Practicing bonsai for over 10 years.

MESQUITE. This tree, where I am from, grows like a weed. Unless you grow it from a seed, the root system is far reaching. You will have a very hard time digging one up in the wild. As full grown trees, they have a lovely shape and look to be good candidates for the twin trunk style. They also seem to be excellent weeping style specimens. The biggest problems with Mesquite trees are that they grow too quickly, and they are virtually impossible to collect in the wild due to their huge root systems.

Volker from U.S., says :

Beginner at bonsai.

BAMBOO. Grows very quickly and is hard to control.

Sean South from Glens Falls, NY, U.S., says:

Practicing bonsai for over 10 years.

AMERICAN OAK. So brittle and hard to wire, I would almost say Japanese Maples but these iron clad babies (American oaks) would rather break than be trained into bonsai. I'm still working on a few saplings - I can't wait to see a bonsai drop acorns.

Diega from Canada, says:

Beginner at bonsai.

SERISSA. The Serissa foetida needs a lot of water and needs a lot of light and therefore the plant is very dificult to train to grow indoors.

Brandon Raily from Nenah, U.S., says:

Practicing bonsai for over 5 years.

DWARF POMEGRANATE. In my opinion I believe that it is really hard to keep small and indoors. Its just really hard to train as a bonsai plant.

Sue Larri from Marshfield, U.S., says:

Beginner at bonsai.

BIRCH. I'm not that good at doing bonsai even though I love it. Some people may think that it is really easy, but I think it's really hard to train the birch tree into bonsai and I hope that I can get better at it.

Leslie Jackson from zone 3, Cochrane, Albarta, Canada, says:

Practicing bonsai for over 10 years.

SERISSA. I had one, and it was the fastest of any of my bonsai that died.

Roderick (Eric) Bernardo from Philippines, says:

Beginner at bonsai.

JAPANESE BOXWOOD. The shallow roots are a little bit sensitive our climate here maybe too warm and it also prepare alkaline soil I think it would be better not to place it in full sunlight.

John Neale from Neosho, U.K., says:

Practicing bonsai for over 10 years.

SEQUOIDENDRON GIGENTEUM. It constantly needs finger pruning. Grows very fast and seems to hate being turned into a bonsai, probably because it can grow to be one of the largest trees on the planet.

Anna Stebelskyj from Dundalk, Canada, says:

Beginner at bonsai.

FIG. Ever since i pruned it a year ago, the leaves refuse to grow back. Now I have a half-naked fig. Our hibiscus is doing amazing considering it nearly died a few years ago! Sadly, our fig tree is naked and i don't know what to do about it.

Nicolas Wilkins from Floridale, FL, U.S., says:

Practicing bonsai for over 5 years.

SERISSA FOETIDA. Serissas are fantastic-looking bonsai specimens, and their leaves and flowers are nicely in proportion. They are immensely hard to train however, as they are extremely temperamental and do not like being moved, overwatered or excessively pampered. Whilst I have killed my fair share of Serissas, I now have a general understanding of how they should be kept in my climate. My main concern is how malls constantly sell Serissa as bonsai. They do not provide proper care instructions and in most cases the inexperienced bonsai enthusiast will kill them, either out of too much love or not enough.

Doug from Cincinnati, U.S., says:

Beginner at bonsai.

WALNUT. First, the seeds take an eternity to germinate. Once they sprout, walnuts grow like crazy but hideous black scars result when leaves, trunks, and branches are damaged or are even slightly bruised. This makes wiring, pruning, and pinching next to impossible (but hasn't kept me from trying!).

Paul Knaus from Buffalo, NY, U.S., says:

Beginner at bonsai.

HINOKI CYPRESS. I had a "varigated dwarf" version of this species. Wire training is nearly impossible since the foliage is scale-like and tends to crumble in your hands when you are working on the branches.
Another problem I found out, too late as it happens, is the species will die indoors from the dry air, and will die outdoors if there is a drying wind... except you don't realize the plant is dead, since the foliage tends to die off after the tree itself has been dead over a month.
I have two very small Templehof False Cypress planted now, and will have to keep a close eye on them. I don't think I'll try wire training again on this type of plant anytime soon, so I'll have to be happy with what I can do just by pruning alone. I'd sign off the plant all together, but the foliage is too beautiful to pass up.

Frank Nawrath from zone 7, Leesburg, VA, U.S., says:

Practicing bonsai for over 10 years.

HORSE CHESTNUT. To begin with the roots are very hard to kepp under control. It responds well to shaping and pruning... but. I have not found any method yet to bring those massive leaves into any even remotely small enough size to get pleasing proportions. What looks pretty awkward are also the large shells of the chestnuts themselves. To me an impossible tree unless you grow it to ca. 2 meters (6 ft). And that is too big for a Bonsai in my view.

Tazia Lemay from Kenosham U.S., says:

Beginner at bonsai.

SERISSA FOETIDA. They are very fragile trees and they will drop their leaves in an instant if you put them in the wrong place. They also can be very hard to make good looking specimens out of, as with my two trees. One looks unexplainable - actually it is quite grotesque. I don't know what to do with it.

Andrew from zone 4, Sydney, Australia, says:

Practicing bonsai for over 10 years.

BAEKEA. They are an Australian native. They have so many irritating things, from the spiders that love to live in the fine soft needle like leaves building dense webs, to the temperamental branches that you can only prune the tips of. They also require so much water over summer it's unbelievable.The dwarf form is the hardest to train but the result is well worth the torture.

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