Top 20 Best Bonsai Plants

Japan Nakama
11 min readMar 17, 2021

In 1981, a 250-year-old juniper bonsai tree reportedly sold for a mind-blowing $2,000,000 US dollars, but a picture remains to be found. More recently, in 2011, a white pine bonsai tree (over 800-years-old) was sold for a whopping $1.3 million dollars at a bonsai exhibition in Takamatsu, Japan — and officially stands as the most expensive bonsai tree today.

World’s Most Expensive Bonsai
Photo Credit: Setouchi Explorer / Convention in Takamatsu, Japan, 2012

I know what you’re thinking: how can miniature trees be so expensive?

In this article, we show you the world’s best bonsai plants.

What is bonsai?

Dating back to 700 AD China and first appearing during 12th century Japan, bonsai (盆栽), literally meaning ‘planted in a container’, are trees planted in a container or tray. Smaller versions of regular trees that reflect nature in miniature.

Today, bonsai is extremely popular. Both indoor bonsai trees and outdoor bonsai trees provide an attractive aesthetic and require proper care from their owners.

Photo Credit: Unsplash / Mark Tegethoff

Nevertheless, calling bonsai a ‘hobby’ may cause a look of disapproval from a dedicated bonsai enthusiast. For the Japanese especially, bonsai is art. These trees require detailed, purposeful, and…

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Japan Nakama
Japan Nakama

Written by Japan Nakama

Japan Nakama are a London based online publication that investigates and explores all aspects of Japanese Culture.