intro: new to BonsaiNut

[Mr. Miyagi]

While sitting at my computer, I noticed the 'miniature maple leaves' sprouting from a branch tip...
their slender pointed tips and delicate scale reminded me of how I love bonsai. (ironically, it's a big leaf maple!!!)

This realization inspired my idea to create a 'miniature forest' in my window. This 'landscape' would edit the view from my 3rd floor apartment window, from a parking lot view... drawing my gaze towards the distant treetops and horizon beyond.

My dilemma: my apartment has east/west exposure. I would need to use plants that are tolerant of 'full sun'. I'm thinking that an indoor planter box would be the best choice. Do any of you have any suggestions? I thought that perhaps some desert species might work. Maybe some sage brush, or texas ranger, and ponderosa pine might be good.

Please feel free to offer any advice you may have!

I'm so glad that my searching found this wonderful site. BonsaiNut is pretty cool!

Miyagi

 

[Vance Wood]

While sitting at my computer, I noticed the 'miniature maple leaves' sprouting from a branch tip...
their slender pointed tips and delicate scale reminded me of how I love bonsai. (ironically, it's a big leaf maple!!!)

This realization inspired my idea to create a 'miniature forest' in my window. This 'landscape' would edit the view from my 3rd floor apartment window, from a parking lot view... drawing my gaze towards the distant treetops and horizon beyond.

My dilemma: my apartment has east/west exposure. I would need to use plants that are tolerant of 'full sun'. I'm thinking that an indoor planter box would be the best choice. Do any of you have any suggestions? I thought that perhaps some desert species might work. Maybe some sage brush, or texas ranger, and ponderosa pine might be good.

Please feel free to offer any advice you may have!

I'm so glad that my searching found this wonderful site. BonsaiNut is pretty cool!

Miyagi

Trying to grow any Maple species indoors on a Window ledge (as I understood what you wrote) will be an exercise in futility. Pines, Junipers and Maples are temperate zone species and as such will not tolerate indoor conditions for long. They need direct sun, wind, rain, and fresh air, without the preceding they will quickly decline and perish. It is however possible to accomplish what you have in your mind's eye with some of the tropical species such as the Ficus Too Little, the easiest of all of the tropicals for the beginner.

 

[Mr. Miyagi]

thanks for the reply!

I guess my vision needs to shift towards the tropical/indoor friendly species:

Since I live in an apartment, I probably would be prohibited from 'attaching' a planter box on the exterior of the building. I was thinking that using native plants from eastern Oregon would be well suited to the dry/sunny climate of my east facing windows.

[no, I had no plans to grow a maple indoors! The big leaf maple is the tree next to our bldg.]

Thanks for the advice on using the tropicals...