Thai bonsai

I would love to start a long term project and grow some Thai bonsais , can anyone suggest me a plant similar to the one in the picture but frost hardy (the one in the picture is a Ficus Microcarpa ) or with a behaving roots ?

 

John what about buxus , do you recon will it work ? I`ve seen bonsai of buxus and they look pretty easy and absolutly frost hardy.

 

No go on that`s a joke!!!!!!!! £6450 for a plant that look like a £5 buxus plant???????? it`s japanese holly ...... did it come all the way from japan by taxi???????

 

I don't think you're going to find a sub-tropical to tropical tree that's frost hardy. Usually we keep tropical bonsai indoors only moving them outside if the temperature and humidy is right which isn't very often. The only one I can think of which might be of interest is Ficus Ginseng which has similar roots but not similar top growth. It's the perfect house-plant because it works well in shady well-lit areas and also full sun but is propagated by chopping off a bit of the stem of an existing tree and planting it so probably the only option is to buy a ready grown bonsai. My local Lidl store has Ficus Ginseng (Money Tree) bonsai for £4.99p.

To avoid roots like in the picture the thick anchoring roots are pruned and the crown wired to the pot. But quite frankly the malformed roots are the reason for growing them. In Bonsai the weirder the better!

 

The second picture with the roots could be ficus ???

 

Probably Ficus Microcarpa (Chinese Banyan)

 

I know it`s a ficus , that`s why I`m looking for and alternative frost hardy with the same roots behaving .... even if I was reading of actually growing the tree on a stone and slowly with years remove the soil and get the roots out....I was actually thinking of using a ficus carica .

 

Supplementary to my first post in this topic: The exposed roots are not a feature of the plant but a feature of the way it's planted. It's grown in a container and the anchoring roots have pushed the tree upwards. In a bonsai this can also be done with wiring so long as the thin feeding roots are not damaged.

Ficus Carica would work provided we don't get Arctic weather like in the early part of 2011 but even then you'll only lose the top growth and it will grow again when it gets warmer.

If tropical is your aim you might like to consider a tree which looks tropical but is not a Ficus like one or other of the hardy palms. For example the Jelly Palm (Butita Capitata) is frost hardy down to -5C and is quick to germinate in a few weeks if a temp of around 30C can be attained (in the airing cupboard?). This palm is next on my list if I can't get the Pygmy Date Palm seeds to germinate.

 

Thank you anthorn , already full with palmas , funny enough tonight I was just try to break few butita seeds to accelerate the germination , about the Pygmy palm already lost 2 big one in the green house and not going to replace.
Could you explain how to ancor the roots ? that sound really interesting , I`m not so much in bonsai , plus love trees but have small garden , It would be nice to grow some hardy tree and try (I say try) to make them look exotic in some way...so far got ficus carica , Punica granatum , japanese medlar and paulownia tomentosa.