Top 15 Biggest Bonsai Trees In The World

When people ask you to describe a bonsai tree, what do you really think of as an answer? A small, miniature tree that has been grown through propagation from a regular tree. What if I tell you there are giant bonsai trees? Intrigued? Well, that’s what we will show in this blog. Bonsai trees which have existed for decades and have been taken care of by bonsai masters are now giant trees with the appeal of a bonsai.

We’re going to exhibit 15 biggest trees that are amazing and delightful, items that you almost can’t believe can be cultivated in a miniature form as well, to fully highlight the beautiful art of Bonsai.

If you’re looking for a beautiful and unique addition to your indoor space, indoor bonsai plants for sale are a great option. These miniature trees offer many benefits, such as improving air quality and reducing stress. With a variety of species and sizes available, there’s an indoor bonsai plant for every taste and space. Shop around to find the perfect one for you.

15 Stunning Big Bonsai Trees

Giant Bonsai at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace

The Imperial Palace in Tokyo is home to a massive bonsai that has to be strengthened to prevent it from bending because of its weight. This tree, in its diminutive form, may embellish any home with its lush foliage, which is a darker shade of green, implying everlasting history.

Japanese maple, by Walter Pall

This tree is one of the most famous Bonsai trees in the world, and it is exceedingly exquisite and realistic. It is part of the collection of a European Bonsai artist (Walter Pall). The maple is large (almost a meter tall, which is the maximum height for a Bonsai tree) and over a century old. Without a doubt, a masterpiece styled by an inspirational artist!

The bonsai was imported from a major bonsai nursery in Japan around 1980. There it was not getting the treatment it deserved and after Walter owned the tree, years after years of care made the tree one of the most famous bonsai trees in Europe.

Red Pine Bonsai at the Akao Herb & Rose Garden, Japan

The Akao Herb and Rose Garden has twelve themed gardens, unique trees, a wide variety of roses, a herb garden, a Rose valley, and bonsai trees. This flowering garden is around six hundred and sixty thousand square meters.

The red pine bonsai at the Akao Herb & Rose Garden is not only one of the oldest bonsai trees in the world, but it is also one of the world’s largest bonsai. The tree is more than 16 feet tall and over 30 feet wide. The red pine qualifies as a bonsai despite its unusual size for a bonsai since it is contained in what is effectively a container.

Because the tree is so large, support was needed to hold up one of its main branches. This eye-catching tree is displayed in the middle of the garden.

Though this Red Pine bonsai size is not normal for a Bonsai, it is still acceptable as a bonsai tree as it is growing in such a pot that it can be technically considered a bonsai Pot.

Red Pine Bonsai at the Akao Herb & Rose Garden, Japan

Because the tree is so large, a support was needed to hold up one of its main branches.

Sandai Shogun no Matsu

The Sandai Shogun no Matsu, a five-needle pine, is one of Japan’s National Treasures. The bonsai, named after Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, is thought to be over 500 years old. Iemitsu bought the tree when it was almost 200 years old, and since then, the bonsai has been passed down from emperor to emperor.

The Sandai Shogun no Matsu bonsai tree has been cared for by Japan’s emperors for over 500 years and is now on display in the Tokyo Imperial Palace collection.

1,000 year old Bonsai Tree

The Kato family owns the Mansei-en bonsai nursery, where the 1,000-year-old Juniper bonsai tree can be found. The Juniper tree was found in the wilds of Japan and was found to be more than 1,000 years old.

Mansei-en is one of the six notable bonsai gardens that make up the Omiya Bonsai Village; it is the village’s oldest garden, having been owned by the Kato family since the 19th century and officially opened to the public in 1925. Old bonsai trees, including a 700-year-old Shimpaku Juniper tree, may also be seen in the garden (which can be seen in a picture on the website linked in this paragraph).

Ficus Retusa Linn

With an estimated age of 1,000 years, the Ficus retusa Linn, which can be found at the Crespi Bonsai Museum in Italy, is thought to be the world’s oldest bonsai tree. The founder of the Crespi Bonsai Museum, Luigi Crespi, spent ten years attempting to acquire ownership of the bonsai tree before finally succeeding in 1986.

The tree had previously been cared for and sculpted by Chinese masters, and it was fashioned by Japanese bonsai artist Shotaro Kawahara during its first years in Italy. Since then, Crespi and Alberto Lavazza have been looking after the tree. The tree was installed in a glass pagoda and became the museum’s centerpiece after the Crespi Bonsai Museum opened in 1991.

Bonsai Plants at Shukaen Bonsai Museum

Kunio Kobayashi owns and operates the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum, which is home to two of the world’s oldest bonsai trees, both estimated to be over 800 years old.

Kunio Kobayashi has been a bonsai master for more than 30 years. In 2002, Kobayashi founded the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum to promote Japanese culture, particularly the art of bonsai, and to display his and his trainees’ work.

Yamaki Pine

After its true history was discovered in 2001, the Yamaki Pine has become one of the most well-known bonsai trees in the world. The bonsai tree was given to the United States by Masaru Yamaki as part of a 53-specimen present for the nation’s bicentennial in 1976, and this is a survivor of the atomic bomb detonated on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II.

Until two of Yamaki’s grandchildren came to check on the tree in 2001, the National Arboretum was unaware of its history. Yamaki’s grandkids gave the museum information about the tree, including news footage filmed at the Yamaki Nursery after the blast, which showed the tree intact in the background.

As the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima explosion approached in 2015, the National Arboretum paid tribute to the tree’s history.

Penjing landscape by Yee-sun Wu

This beautiful Chinese scenery is part of the Hong Kong-based Man Lung collection. The trees are Chinese Bird Plums (Sageretia Theezans), and the scene is incredibly realistic. Ficus bonsai are also prominent in the collection. The trees, rock, and small figurines are arranged in this environment on a shallow rectangular marble pot, which is then put on an antique table.

Japanese black pine can be categorized as the main attraction of Penjing. The pine’s dramatic primary branch, the underneath and most extended branch off the right of the tree, is a special Chinese bonsai Penjing quality. Much of Wu’s penjing was styled in the Lingnan style (the clip and grow technique) which was popularized by his father and grandfather. Now that the penjing is more grown, it handles the shallowness and size of its existing pot, which keeps water well and limits root growth, encouraging shorter branches.

The Million Dollar Bonsai

Bonsai can cost anywhere from $20 to hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars at your local big-box garden center. And when they get older and outlast the individuals who have cared for them for a lifetime, their monetary value skyrockets.

Many of the oldest or most uncommon species (such as the Crespi ficus or the Hiroshima pine) are practically priceless and will very certainly never be sold again. But every now and then, a valuable species comes up for sale, and the audience goes crazy.

When these rare plants are sold, they aren’t cheap; the most expensive bonsai to date was this 800-year-old bonsai pine, which sold for 1.3 million dollars!

Hinoki Cypress

This bonsai cypress tree has been in the same bonsai pot for nearly two centuries. It is currently the oldest bonsai in the United States. It is on display at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum as the crown jewel of the Lars Anderson Bonsai Collection.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this bonsai tree is that it necessitates regular maintenance and care. It takes a lot of effort to keep someone alive for this long.

Goshin

John Y. Naka invented the Bonsai Goshin (“protector of the spirit”). It’s a forest of eleven Foemina Junipers, the first of which Naka started bonsai training in 1948. In 1984, Naka gave it to the National Bonsai Foundation to be displayed at the US National Arboretum, and it has remained there ever since.

Rikushu-no-Matsu Ship Pine

The Rikushu-no-Matsu Ship Pine, one of Kyoto’s main botanical attractions, may be found in the gardens of the Kinkakuji temple. The branches and trunk of this heritage tree, which is roughly 650 years old, were grown to resemble a ship design, with the mast and bow represented by the branches and trunk.

It’s not the simplest tree to cultivate, but if you persevere, you’ll be rewarded with a gorgeous, dense tree that will complement any interior décor scheme.

Brazilian rain tree, by Budi Sulistyo

This tree was grown from a little cutting, and the photo above was shot after 12 years. The Brazilian Rain Tree, a native of Central and South America, is regarded as one of the most beautiful tropical trees in the world, as well as one of the most popular Bonsai topics.

This tree stands as a fine specimen of an unselfconscious naiveness that’s not always that easy to find. It looks like it just evolved in that form, no human hand is required. The overall proportion is right on, the trunk is firm and full of texture and direction, and the top says for itself. Bonsai perfection.

Masahiko Kimura’s Bonsai

Last but not least, Masahiko Kimura, Bonsai sensei. His extensive collection of Bonsai trees is renowned throughout the world. Kimura began as an apprentice to master Hamano in Omiya Bonsai village when he was 15 years old.

Conclusion

With so many magnificent huge Bonsai trees to pick from, narrowing it down to a top three seems nearly impossible. While raising these unique trees can be quite rewarding, it also presents a difficulty, as this is not a simple potted plant that you can water as needed. The masters who grew them were definitely the true masters at their art. Tell me, do you think you have what it takes to be a bonsai master too?