.::.STOP GLOBAL WARMING.::.

For the sake of thousands of trees - particularly Junipers, which might actually have a hope of surviving, I think it's time to kill the myth of the indoor tree. Trees are supposed to live outdoors. That's what they like.

It probably seems like a foolish point to make, but if there is any hope that you'll ever understand more about the care and nurturing of your bonsai, it's important to make a clear distinction between an indoor tree and one that just can't handle the cold. Sometimes the heat can actually be the problem, but take it from me, a resident of Toronto, Ontario. The real defining factor is the cold. But the question is "How cold?"

If you're looking at a bonsai tree for sale online and it is listed as an indoor tree, chances are that it simply is not cold tolerant. If you're lucky, additional information might be forthcoming because while many trees are not frost tolerant, there are some that will throw off their mortal coils when it's a heck of a lot warmer than 32 degrees Fahrenheit. If you're living in a cold climate, it means that you have to bring a tree that can't take the cold, inside for the winter months. It will keep them alive but doesn't mean they like it.

Now you have the same problems with outdoor trees too. And they can be even more perplexing. A Siberian Crabapple will survive in Zone 2- which makes Toronto's zone 6B look positively balmy, but left to sit on the deck over the winter it would die. The roots you see have no protection sitting in those little pots. But the trees NEED a cooler winter or they won't get the rest.

But right now I want to focus on the indoor trees and what you can do to keep them as healthy as possible. My number one bonsai wish is that every bonsai should be able to spend the summer outside. You'll need to find a spot that is sheltered from the wind and the hot afternoon sun, and when you move the tree outside you'll probably want to put it in a fair bit of shade to start. There are penalties you'll endure when you bring your trees outside. They will need to adjust to the change. You'll need to watch for bugs and hope that the squirrels don't get too curious and the raccoons stay away. You'll need to pay attention to the water and be sure they're not burned. Your reward will be a healthier tree.

Taking a tree like a Chinese elm outside for the summer and allowing it to run through the fall, pretty much guarantees that it will drop its leaves and go dormant for the winter. On the other hand, left indoors all year round your Chinese Elm will be evergreen, but it won't have the vigor that the deciduous version enjoys. Another tree that is regularly brutalized by being seen as an indoor bonsai is the ubiquitous Juniper procumbens bonsai. They can survive inside for a long time with the right care, but for the most part they're slowly dying from the minute they're brought into the average home which is hot, dry with bad air circulation and not nearly enough light.

Every tree is different. Learn more about where your tree lives in the wild. Is it a tropical rainforest diva, or a scrappy little subtropical tree that can handle some temperature fluctuations? You might also find that the tree a Southern California grower confidently labels as outdoor absolutely needs to come inside for your winter. Start here. With an eye on the warmest and coldest temperatures that it will happily endure, (modified to accommodate that little pot it's in rather than the ground) take the extra steps to give it the longest dose of outdoor weather that you can reasonably provide. Your tree will love you for it - as long as you don't forget about it.