Everything Bonsai

Bonsai Fruit Trees

While conifers and some deciduous trees make up the majority of bonsai, there are several bonsai fruit tree species that can make interesting and delicious additions to your collection.

These species are not dwarf varieties but like other bonsai trees, are carefully crafted miniatures of a standard sized tree.





Cherry, orange, blueberry, fig and several other fruit tree species offer excellent choices for this living art.

For example, lemon and orange bonsai trees will flourish in dry, sunny California.

The "Calamondin" Orange bonsai tree pictured here will thrive in nearly every climate, as long as it is brought indoors before freezing.

Fruit and flowers appear over the course of a year, often at the same time.

Citrus prefer a bright sunny location and are easy to care for both in or outdoors.





Cherry bonsai trees will do well in parts of the Mid-West and the South where there's lots of moisture in spring and fall and long, cool winters.

A sub-tropical evergreen with dark green leaves formed in pairs and striking red exfoliating (flaking) bark.

In spring, it bears small white flowers which is then followed by red edible fruit.

Surinam Cherry is a popular landscape tree in the southern part of North America.

The example shown here is trained in an ever popular bonsai style and does very well indoors.



The Barbados Cherry (Malpighia Pendiculata) is another variety with edible fruit and is native to St. Croix, Trinidad and Curacao.

A distinguished naturalist in Bologna, Italy.

The natural form of the Barbados Cherry is Pendulous with weeping twigs and branches.

The flowers are rose-pink, often several together in a cyme.

It has a weeping growth habit if the branches are allowed to elongate.

The round edible fruits are borne singly or in 2's or 3's and are bright red with glossy skin.

The fruit is very juicy and extremely high in ascorbic acid. A great bonsai for indoors.



A Blueberry bonsai can make a great addition to any collection.

Native to northern and alpine North America, blueberries thrive under conditions that suit azaleas and rhododendrons to which they are related.

The Top Hat dwarf Blueberry pictured here is covered with small white blooms in spring followed by sweet full size 1/2" edible blueberries.

It has a harvest season of one month starting in early August.

Self pollinating and only 18 inches tall when fully grown, the foliage turns a beautiful bright red color in the fall.

It's small leaves, gnarled trunk and slow growth make this one of the best edible bonsai.

The Top Hat Blueberry is deciduous and best when grown outdoors.



Quince is among the more exotic choices for a bonsai, but with proper care they can make a wonderful bonsai.

The Japanese Flowering Quince posses a rare combination of red, white and pink flowers creating a rousing floral display in late winter and throughout early spring.

And while the fragrant fruit are inedible when raw, they are prized in Japan as bonsai, for jam making and their large colorful blooms.

In winter it's form can be dramatic with gnarled and twisted branches.

Japanese Flowering Quince is deciduous and best when grown outdoors.



Even grape vines can be made into a miniature bonsai-like plant, though they don't grow in the same form as trees.

Beware, though, grape vines and the fruit can grow quickly and you must take care not to have them overwhelm the pot.

The Tempranillo wine grape pictured here is a "classic" quality grape variety and is responsible for making some of Spain's best wines.

Tempranillo is deciduous and will have no foliage during the winter months.

Best when grown outdoors.



While you're thinking of vines, consider a black olive tree.

They can be easily encouraged to spread out, making for a beautiful display.

While their fruit is not edible, their bluish leaves can lend a dark color contrast to some of the brighter fruit trees in your collection.

Black Olives thrive in areas with hot dry summers and prefer a rich well drained soil.



Figs are one of the more popular choices for a bonsai fruit tree.

Native to the mediterranean, the American Brown Turkey Fig is prized and it's name refers to the color of its large ripe pear-shaped fruit.

Delicious when grown fresh and very popular as dried.

This sun loving tree is capable of producing up to three crops of their fruits per year.

Figs do not need pollinating to produce, and fruit on the previous years growth.

Best when grown outdoors.



Though it does not fall under the fruit tree category, the European Hazelnut is often grown for its tasty nuts.

They are followed by broad, fuzzy, droopy leaves that turn yellow before they drop in the fall.

In spring, summer and early autumn it has 2 inch leaves so dense it hides the limbs.

The European Hazelnut is deciduous and enjoys full sun and well drained soil.



Many bonsai fruit trees are sold very young, some no more than a root and small trunk.

However, there are a number of high quality bonsai fruit trees that are well aged, shaped and available from professional bonsai growers and suppliers.

Like any bonsai, you'll want to place the tree's roots into water immediately, then plant the next day.

Prune, soak, then place in the container with the usual bonsai soil mixture.


Photographs courtesy of - Bonsai Boy Bonsai Nursery - Bonsai Boy - high quality bonsai trees and supplies.

Good Luck and Happy Gardening!