每日吃瓜

Hi. I’m pretty new to bonsai and have still managed to kill a couple of trees so far. I’d love to hear any thoughts or suggestions on how to shape this Hawaiian Umbrella. I’ve been keeping it alive for about a year now and it seem to be pretty healthy. There are a few older leaves that have gone somewhat leathery. These are further down the branches. Let me know if that’s something to be concerned about. Thanks!

Most people here would say that umbrella plants dont do good bonsai. Despite that I will comment from a bonsai perspective.

This plant looks like it has been getting sun from one direction only. Windswept style comes to mind, but really that dont fit the species and will be realy hard to pull off. I would suggest to pul the other side of the tree facing sun for a season or two and come back to this thread and ask again.

In my opinion the umbrellas (dwarf schefflera) typically look appropriate with a canopy, with some aerial roots; gives a tropical vibe. With that in mind, this plant might be too young to prune for that style, or for any style for that matter. Like Tropfrog says, maybe give it more time and see what you can do with it in a season, or two, or three....lol. It's gonna take a bit.
Good luck.
Remy

Thank you both for taking the time to respond. I had read about this species not making great bonsai after getting it so I appreciate you guys not just limiting your comments to that. I’ll rotate on the window sill now. Is there any reason not to put this outside once the summer rolls in (in New York). Would direct sun on a 90 degree day be too much?

Cull, information found online will suggest that they requiring bright indirect sunlight, With that said, I've seen larger varieties do well in direct sunlight here in sunny southern California, and we get 90f+ days, but those are large leaf type and are usually planted in the ground. I'm not sure if the dwarf variety like yours can handle that. One thing is for sure, if you acclimate it beforehand (spring time) it will definitely stand a much better chance of survival. I keep mine in a mostly shaded area that is quite bright, near a north facing wall, but I feel like mine don't really grow all that well, to be honest. So maybe I shouldn't be posting on this topic... lol
Good luck.