- Perfect for beginners
- Fun to prune
- Great twig structure
- Easy to care for
- Fast growing
- Beautiful leaf proportion
The Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) makes a truly beautiful bonsai.
The leaves are small, bright to deep green and are slightly serrated.
The tree has excellent twig structure and has great character throughout, making it the perfect representation of a woodland tree.
In our opinion the Chinese Elm is the most perfectly proportioned, easy to care for and adaptable tree and makes a superb bonsai. Can be grown as an indoor or outdoor bonsai.
A must for anyone and absolutely perfect for beginners. This is a fabulous bonsai to learn pruning, styling & potting techniques because it is fast growing and back buds quickly forming lovely dense foliage pads.
 | Buy Chinese Elm Indoor Bonsai (Ulmus parvifolia) with free delivery to most areas. |
Tree meanings
Bonsai in general symbolise peace, harmony, order of thoughts and balance.
Known as ‘The tree of harmony’, the Elm symbolises inner strength, intuition and wisdom.
A beautiful bonsai which signifies love, balance, calm and a peaceful energy.
Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) Bonsai Tree Care Summary
Positioning
The Chinese Elm is an easy bonsai to care for. It is not overly fussy about positioning but prefers a position with good natural daylight but out of direct sunlight, especially during the hottest summer months. We recommend a position away from radiators if possible. A window sill would be great but avoid south facing window-sills in mid summer.
Temperature
As an indoor bonsai the Chinese Elm is not fussy about temperature. If you are growing your bonsai outside, please place in a sheltered position in the garden. Outside this bonsai is semi-evergreen so you should expect the leaves to drop. For very cold nights (below freezing) we would recommend that you bring the bonsai into a shed, glasshouse or cool room.
Watering
Watering is an important part of growing bonsai trees, an indoor bonsai is dependent upon us to check it regularly to ensure it does not dry out. Please check the soil daily whilst you are learning. To touch the soil surface, if the soil is wet or damp then your bonsai does not require water. When the soil is barely damp to the touch please soak the soil. Please view our video for help.
Misting
All indoor bonsai trees benefit from having their foliage misted with water. This is in addition to watering the soil. Misting helps to maintain the humidity around the tree, this is more important during winter months when the central heating is on, as this tends to dry out the air.
Feeding
If you are growing your bonsai indoors, please feed weekly with a liquid bonsai fertiliser. Please avoid using houseplant fertiliser as it can be too strong and scorch the roots. Bonsai Direct fertiliser is ideal for all varieties of bonsai has contains all the nutrients and trace elements your tree requires.
Pruning/Styling
An indoor Chinese Elm will grow all year (only a little more slowly during winter months). It is a fun bonsai to prune and ideal for beginners. We usually recommend allowing 2 new pairs of leaves to form before pruning back to the first pair. Pruning encourages new leaves to form and helps maintain a highly defined shape. New leaves have a fresh lime green colour. You can prune at any time of year.
If you would like to add shape to existing branches you could try wiring your bonsai. This is a technique used to add more character to your tree.
Growing/Propagating your own Chinese Elm bonsai trees
We are frequently asked for bonsai seed kits but the reality is that thee kits are rather a disappointed. They frequently don’t germinate and it is not the best way to propagate indoor bonsai trees. You are far better to purchase a bonsai, so you can enjoy growing it, and propagate new bonsai by taking cuttings.
These are best taken in spring. Allow new shoots to grow 8-10cm and then prune with clean pruning scissors. Pop these cuttings into some fresh multipurpose compost in a small pot. Water them and then keep misting to maintain humidity.
Re-potting your bonsai
Young bonsai will require repotting more regularly that mature specimens. All plants become pot bound over time, and bonsai trees are no exception. We recommend re-potting or root pruning (if the pot is still aesthetically larger enough) usually every 2-3 years.
Bonsai tip
We recommend a weekly spray with Plant Invigorator to prevent pests and diseases and to keep your bonsai healthy. This really stimulates the Chinese Elm.
Please avoid using air freshener near your bonsai, they are not overly keen!
