My interests and this website are focused on growing indoor bonsai. I don't offer any discussion of most conifers, such as pine and juniper, and many deciduous trees like maple. These classic plants for bonsai must be grown outdoors in temperate areas. There are many excellent books and websites that cover outdoor bonsai growing.

Although I have long admired bonsai, particularly since I am both a botanist and an artist, the growing of bonsai myself is a very new interest. I have kept indoor plants for countless years. My first tree was an avocado grown from seed, very easy to do but they quickly get out of hand. I delved into growing orchids indoors for several years with mixed results. Nurturing forty plants over pebble trays at a large south window is a lot of work. Recently I've been at the other extreme, keeping only six kinds of plants that are lucky to get watered once a week.

My living conditions in Chicago are likely similar to other homes across the Upper Midwest and the Northeastern United States. In the summer months my apartment (in the absence of an air conditioner) ranges from 75 to 95 degrees, with a few hotter days in July. Opening the windows allows breezes to make it cooler at night. In the winter I heat the apartment to around 65 degrees, but the sunny east and south-facing windows make the front room warmer.

In August of 1999 I went with friends to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden. It happened to be the weekend of the Annual Mid-America Bonsai Exhibit, hosted by the Midwest Bonsai Society. Seeing the many excellent bonsai on display was a rewarding experience. I was further intrigued and inspired but limited myself to simply buying two books on the subject. Returning with friends to the botanic garden on August 18th, 2001, my express purpose was to see the 24th annual exhibit. I knew this time that I would very likely be coming away with a plant. I purchased a Bahama berry or Nashia inaguensis. I was told that direct sun was good and that the plant liked water. My bonsai adventure had begun.