Also known as the Japanese Grey Bark Elm, Zelkova serrata is a wonderful starting point as you enter the magical world of bonsai. It is a delightful deciduous tree with a naturally upright growing habit, peeling grey bark and serrated glossy dark green leaves. Years of highly skilled training and pruning have resulted in an elegantly shaped miniature tree, grown in a special ceramic bonsai pot and already well established. A native of Japan and China, Zelkova is happy in a cool, bright room away from heat sources, and it will also thrive outdoors from early summer, where it will soon acclimatise to cooler nights and warmer days. As a deciduous tree, it will lose its leaves in the autumn, and it's at this time that you should bring it back indoors for the winter, gradually reacclimatising. Trees that have been kept indoors year-round may retain some of their foliage over winter. Bonsai need regular watering as they can easily dry out. This is especially important if your Zelkova is growing outdoors, when the small amount of compost in the pot can dry out amazingly quickly on a warm, sunny day. Also, regular feeding between March and September is necessary to keep it growing healthily. Pruning will be required to maintain the shape of your tree, so give it a light trim each autumn. Also, during the growing season any long shoots or crossing branches should be trimmed back. Supplied ready planted, 22-25cm tall including a 12cm ceramic bonsai pot with tray.