The 2018 growing season for northern areas is just about finished and winter hardy bonsai should be protected from wind, heavy snow, intense sunlight and extreme cold temperatures. Watering will be very sporadic for the next few months, while people living in southern Florida and California must still keep up their watering and trimming schedules.

Protecting bonsai for the winter depends on your location. In northern regions this might mean digging a four foot pit in the garden, cold greenhouse or garage. While in areas which do not normally experience extreme cold, simply putting the bonsai pots on the ground should be sufficient.

In northern areas, which experience severe cold, a dark location is best to avoid temperature ranges. A greenhouse is not best because deciduous bonsai will begin to leaf out in late winter and the growth will be tender which will not easily acclimate to full sun once they are put outdoors in spring. You can simply paint the greenhouse with whitewash. Or poly houses are ideally covered with white overwintering poly, which keeps the sun off the trees. Yes, even evergreens do not require light during the winter if it is cold. In northern areas where extreme cold is not normal, some light is fine, but try to keep the trees out of the sun to maintain even temperatures and avoid variations.

If you want to provide extra protection, throw some pine needles or other organic mulch around the pots and lower sections of the tree. Whichever technique you use, it is important to maintain moisture in the pot and also to protect from rodent damage. One year a friend had a Zelkova bonsai he trained for 30 years eaten down to a stump.

Tropical or indoor bonsai should be brought inside until the danger of frost passes in spring. All bonsai are not suitable for indoor culture. Many species which have proven to be suitable for indoor culture are few. Visit Brussel's Indoor Bonsai to see an excellent selection and species suitable for indoor cultivation are clearly indicated.

Cultivating indoor bonsai requires a carefully controlled temperature, humidity and light. There are many species which can be easily maintained in a normal home or office and these are clearly identified in their catalog. Recommending species for inside is not a common practice and some vendors will try to sell you a pine, maple or crabapple for indoor cultivation.

It is most important that you enjoy your bonsai and to keep it healthy and well trained. An excellent suggestion is to contact a local or regional bonsai organization for specific help in your area. Also, to improve your understanding of bonsai consider subscribing to the first and only professional bonsai magazine published in the United States, International BONSAI.