Dwarf Jade Bonsai

Dwarf jade (Portulacaria afra) is the succulent that behaves like a tree — and the better of the two plants sold as "jade" for bonsai. Small paired leaves on red-brown stems, fine twiggy branching, and a trunk that thickens fast. It stores its own water and shrugs off the kind of neglect that kills a juniper, which makes it the tree we hand to people who say they can't keep anything alive.

Care at a glance: Bright light. Happy outdoors most of the year here, and one of the few varieties that will genuinely thrive on a sunny windowsill. Water deeply, then let it dry out completely before watering again — overwatering is the only reliable way to kill one. Bring it in if temperatures approach freezing.

Choose your stage:

• Starter — untrained, in a nursery can. Your blank canvas: you choose the front, the style, and the first cut. The most forgiving option to keep alive.
• Wired — shaping wire already on the trunk and main branches with the movement set. Dwarf jade is brittle and stores water in its branches, so it's shaped as much by directional pruning as by wire.
• Potted — planted in a bonsai pot in free-draining bonsai soil, ready to display. Shallow pots dry fast, so plan on daily water in summer.

No two are alike, so the tree you take home will differ slightly from the photo. Available for local pickup at our shop.