If you just bought a dwarf juniper bonsai, you’re likely asking the same question that many first-time bonsai owners ask: Should my bonsai live on my windowsill, or out on my patio? It’s a valid question, considering junipers look nice on desks.

However, most product photos don’t share the secret most people learn the hard way: junipers are not indoor plants. Knowing that can make the difference between a healthy tree and a struggling one.

Junipers Are Outdoor Trees By Nature

In natural settings with real seasons, like hot summers and cold, junipers (also called trees) grow in areas with plenty of sunlight. Like all other living things, a dwarf juniper bonsai loses nothing when it is potted. It still requires full sun for most of the day, plenty of fresh, moving air, and the true winter-season rest.

If these optimal growing conditions are not met, like with most living things, declining health becomes noticeable, but slowly. Needles become brittle, branches dry out, and the health of the tree diminishes over some months.

Why Are They Sold as Indoor Décor?

Bonsai involve a lot of patience and bring an element of tranquility to your décor, so it makes sense that they’re sold as decorative pieces. Imagine a mini tranquil landscape on your mantle, featuring a bonsai and your favorite figurine! I absolutely love bringing my bonsai inside to enjoy as a centerpiece or for a special occasion.

However, there is a major concern with keeping them indoors as an indoor plant too.

The Optimal Position

Maintaining the durability and health of your bonsai relies on treating it less like a traditional indoor plant and more like an outdoor one. This should cause minimal disruption to your lifestyle, as it really only needs infrequent indoor time.

The ideal location for this and daily care is a garden or outdoor area that is sunny for about 5-6 hours per day.

Winter care

As long as it isn’t too windy, surprisingly, the juniper is cold hardy, so it’s actually healthy for your tree to spend winters outside.

Watering

Since the bonsai is now located outdoors, the needs for watering will be more survival-based, so watering should be done on an as-needed basis.

This Details What to Expect

Even With the Purchase of a Dwarf Juniper Bonsai, Some Unprecedented Growth Is Yet to Come

Worry not if you bought a dwarf juniper bonsai thinking you had purchased an indoor plant. Growing your trees outdoors will reward you with a longer, healthier life! Outdoor spaces allow them to grow for up to 100 years! They love to soak in the sun and only need the outdoors to fulfill their growing needs.

With a combination of their impressive age potential and their space needs, you are sure to turn that small juniper into an impressive work of art.

In fact, there is no room for a small ceramic fisherman scene on your windowsill once your juniper outgrows it.

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