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Are you interested in something more adventurous in the art of bonsai gardening?  If so, you need not stick with the more traditional coniferous, deciduous or occasional fruit trees as the sole items in your collection.  Your choices can range to the more exotic bonsai varieties which will help expand your skills.

Wisteria makes one excellent alternative to the more traditional bonsai. A native of China, Japan, and Korea, they can reach 30 feet in the wild. Shaping them into a bonsai is an interesting challenge, because they don’t conform to any of the usual styles.

With both beautiful and aromatic flowers that come in a variety of colors, such as, blue, pink, white, and purple, Wisteria can be an excellent choice.  Wisteria blossoms in the Spring at which time they need lots of water but with good drainage.  Wisteria does well in a wide range of lighting conditions, from full sun to partial shade.  To maintain healthy plants, be sure to provide them with ample fertilizer just before they bloom in the spring and once again in late summer prior to losing their leaves.

If you love fragrant flowers, an excellent choice is Orange Jasmine which produces a bright red fruit and fragrant white blossoms, bringing both delight to the nose and beauty to the eye.

Feed Orange Jasmine every three to four weeks starting in early spring and continuing through mid-autumn.  Only light watering is sufficient for most of the year, with slightly more required in the hotter summer season.

Because they generally grow better in moderate shade or filtered sun, Orange Jasmine is one of the few bonsai that can, and should be raised indoors.

The Mimosa tree, also occasionally known as silk trees due to their long silky filaments, offer another good choice.  They are as fragrant as both of the two alternatives mentioned above and their puffy flowers and lacy foliage are also just as lovely.

Moderate water should be given to the Mimosa during the blooming season which is from late April to early July.  However, care should be given to avoid getting water on the flowers themselves, since the flowers will rapidly deteriorate when wet, similar to a number of other flowering plants.

The Mimosa will be one of the larger bonsai in your collection. They grow rapidly, have large leaves and are very difficult to sustain at a very small size. So give them lots of room on the display bench.

An additional exotic bonsai is the Desert Rose which can turn an ordinary bonsai collection into an exciting full color display.  The Desert Rose is a native of East Africa where it grows up to 10 feet tall and produces large, pink, trumpet-bowl flowers.

Requiring lots of fresh air and ample sunshine, the Desert Rose should be kept outdoors most of the year. However, their very bushy habit makes them a great complement to the more traditional bonsai set in your collection.

Since they are sensitive to cold, they need to be moved indoors during periods of cold weather below 50F (10C).  They will lie dormant but healthy when temperatures are in the range of 50F-60F (10C-15C) and will require very little water during this period.

These fragrant and beautiful flowering plants will challenge your bonsai gardening skills, expanding your horizons.  They will provide an ever-changing display as they go through the seasons, blossoming in the spring and losing their leaves in the fall, adding interest to your collection and when placed among the more traditional evergreens, such as junipers, firs, and pines, they add a nice contrast.

George Dodge presents bonsai gardening tips for beginning bonsai gardeners on his Bonsai Tree Gardening site where he encourages you to experiment with exotic bonsai choices to enhance your collection. He has long enjoyed gardening and landscaping as a hobby.