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The choice of site for your bonsai display will depend the tile layout of your garden, but it is important to consider your bonsai’s requirements as well. Although different species prefer diltereni conditions, it will help it you can keep all your collection in the same part of the garden in order to make daily watering and inspection a lot easier.

Conifers generally love to be in full sun all day and can even tolerate the heating of the pot a.nd soil. Some tough deciduous species, such elm, birch and hawthorn, also enjoy the sun but prefer their toms to be kept cooler. This can be achieved by placing them so that their pots are shaded from the afternoon sun by other trees.

Species with more delicate foliage, like Japanese maples, hornbeam and beech need to be protected from strong winds as well as sun. Azaleas also stiffer from over-exposure to wind and sun. However, this does not mean that they should be placed in total shade.

Morning and evening sun can do no harm, but during the middle of the day they should be in the shadow of a nearby building or full- grown tree. Failing this, you can construct a canopy of greenhouse shading mesh which will simulate the dappled shade of the woodland margin where these plants naturally thrive.

Bonsai growing in small pots will all need a certain amount of shade, regardless of the species. Small pots heat up quickly, cooking the roots and drying the soil. A permanent shadery featuring a slatted roof eliminating fifty percent of the sunlight is ideal.

If you can’t arrange this then put your trees against a west-facing wall, but remember to turn them round at regular intervals. Otherwise the branches at the rear will slow down and may eventually die.

Keep all bonsai on tables or custom-built benches - never on the ground. Every pest known to the gardener: slugs, ants, cats and even kids will conspire to destroy your collection in no time. Besides this, when your trees are displayed at eye-level you can appreciate ‘he’ll much more and will be able to spot pests and diseases a lot sooller. Benches should have slatted surfaces to allow to circulate the trees and the water to drain