I have never owned a bonsai tree. I got it and read that I would lose 30 percent of leaves. I lost nothing! I've had it for 2 months. I got 6 month fertilizer and ordered a moisture meter. I'm so excited about my little tree. I put it in window on north side and put it under LED lights at night.

Picture 1: Hawaiian Umbrella Tree (Delivery today)

Picture 2: Golden Gate Ficus (20 days after delivery)

Picture 3: Both

Day 1 of my new Hawaiian Umbrella. This is my second tree from Brussel's Bonsai. I have been extremely pleased with the product and the delivery. The packaging has been excellent and both trees and pots arrived with no damage.

Rant: I was iffy giving all the mixed reviews but I wonder how many individuals are taking into account the seasonal effects on Bonsai. Just because a tree drops all of its leaves doesn't mean it's dead. Just because there are no blooms on your Azalea, doesn't mean that you were mislead. Bonsai is an art and there is a lot to learn along the way. Do a little research and you'll have a beautiful little Bonsai that will outlive you. Rant over.

Update: this little tree is doing incredible. There is new growth on so many places.

Ficus = YES
Hawaiian Umbrella Tree = YES

Dwarf Jade = 50/50 - will she live or will she find solace I the dirt?

I did a lot of reading on bonsai types prior to purchasing, and chose the Hawaiian Umbrella (dwarf schefflera) due to it's hardiness and ease of care. The Brussel's Bonsai Hawaiian Umbrella I received came very well packaged, and was a hardy example that was at least three years old as stated. I was a little disappointed at first, as it was not really a "bonsai", but a pre-bonsai, however, now that I have had some time with it, I am actually glad it was pre-bonsai, as that gave me a blank canvas to start with. Since receiving it, I have defoliated and repotted it, and pruned and wired it into the initial shape I am looking for, and after one month, I have new leaves coming in strong. I am pretty sure as long as I do my part, this will be a hearty little bonsai for years to come!

I recommend also grabbing the "Brussel's Bonsai SPCOMBO1 Success Kit, 8"", along with a good set of pruners like the "Brussel's Bonsai TO6265 Brussel's 8-Inch Pruning Shear Bonsai Tool". I got all three together, and am very happy I did, as it gave me all the basics to get started.

If you are looking for a starter bonsai, or even another tree to add to your collection, I recommend this purchase. If you're new, watch some videos (search "dwarf schefflera bonsai"), and do a little reading, and you should have no problem turning this little tree into a beautiful bonsai.

I honestly was very hesitant when it came to ordering a live plant on the internet. It was challenging to find a live option in the first place, so it seemed too good to be true. I saw some reviews that were not so positive regarding whether their plant arrived or intact and that made me even more cautious. Ended up throwing caution to the window (clearly I'm super adventurous), and glad I did. The bonsai tree arrived VERY well packed with multiple layers of protective material to keep the plant from moving, keep the soil in the pot, and keep the decorative pot from being damaged.

Over the next few weeks the plant did shed some dead leaves, but this I think is just due to the stress of shipping and being in a new environment. The entire time though there was bright green, new growth. It has continued to have new growth and is very easy to maintain.

Named her Rachel, and she sits happily on my desk to greet me each morning for work.

The soil is comes with will run out of nutrients quickly, leading me to believe it is old soil. I didn't realize this until it started losing leaves after a month, and completely wilted at month 2. I purchased the small Umbrella with the ceramic pot. The pot is very nice, and the tree was in great shape and even had numerous new buds and growth in the first month.

It is at the point of being the maximum size for the pot, and I was not prepared for the fertilizer needs or repotting to a larger container...or trimming the roots and adding fresh soil.

Most of the complaints I'm reading are probably the same issue, but blame it on the plant and not the nature of the bonsai. I've always used fresh soil before, and never had a plant old enough to need constant fertilizer. I just assumed the soil would be fresher than it was.

So with that caveat in mind, you will be successful. I had it in partial light all day and it was fine for a month. I am repotting it now and have it under grow lights to see if I can recover it. The trunk still has life, and there are still some viable roots... *fingers crossed*