Scandalously Off-Topic: Is There Such A Thing As a Cold Hardy Bonsai?

[chopper]

Temps in my office can drop to the 50s at night. Would like to get a few bonsai in there but am leery of them dropping over dead on the first cool night. Might anyone here have a an idea on a type that will live in the cold?

[Manlove]

Bonsai trees need to live outside.They are real (small) trees. They are not office plants, except for short durations of a few days. I think you want office plants like these...
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/indoor/b...onment.htm

[Mini 9]

I wondered the same thing earlier. There is a guy that sets up a Bonsai sales table at a local intersection. It's very cold out there at times.

[iaJim]

I would think that you need to "bonsai" a woody house plant to keep inside an office.

[Manlove]

As iaJim points out, 'bonsai' is a thing that is done to trees (plants). It is not a type (species) of tree.
From the wiki page- Location and overwintering are also species-dependent, and it is important to note that few of the traditional bonsai species can thrive or even survive inside a typical house.
In (very) general terms, if the natural tree can survive cold then so will the bonsai version. Neither can survive being in an office.

[btfc]

http://www.bonsaiwest.com/care.html

"CATEGORIES OF BONSAI:

At Bonsai West, we have found it useful to group trees into three general care categories: Indoor, Temperate, and Cold Weather Bonsai, according to their natural habitats and maintenance requirements."

"Temperate Bonsai are trees which grow in regions with distinct seasonal changes. They like to be outdoors for the summer and fall, or in an open window with good sunlight and ventilation. Place them in a cool but protected area for the winter. They can generally handle a light frost, even down to 25 degrees F., but no colder than that. Gradually decreasing temperatures will put a tree into hibernation, slowing growth and storing the tree's energy for Spring. Whenever a tree is kept at 40 degrees and above, it needs sunlight. Darkness does not make a tree go dormant."

"Cold Hardy Bonsai are varieties which need a full change of season to do well. These trees cannot be grown as indoor Bonsai! From May through mid-November, keep your cold-hardy Bonsai outside, in a fairly sunny spot. Gradually decreasing temperatures will put your tree into dormancy, slowing growth and storing energy for spring. When it becomes too cold for your Bonsai to stay outdoors, move it to a protected but unheated area. Some options are a cold-frame, a garage, and enclosed porch, or a bulkhead. Be careful to avoid temperatures below 20 degrees. If you suspect that your winter location will go below that temperature, you should mulch your Bonsai in with pine needles or peat moss."

[Trouble]

http://www.entertonement.com/clips/yqxls...-Danielson