Some club members may also volunteer to care for your precious bonsai when vacations and business take you out of town. Read books and periodicals on bonsai. The Internet also has information. Before you buy a plant, purchase the essential tools. You'll need a proper container, a piece of screen to cover the holes at the bottom of the container, shears, concave cutters, wire cutters and copper or aluminum wire in various gauges from 10 to 24 gauge.
Containers come in a variety of shapes.
Conifers with straight trunks look best in square or oblong containers. Cascading bonsai is suited to deeper square or round pots. Group plantings are most attractive in rectangular containers. The container's width should equal two-thirds of the tree's height. Start with an inexpensive, hardy plant such as dwarf juniper.