Z for Zelkova
With only six species, the Zelkova genus is probably one of the smallest genera grown as bonsai. It’s actually part of the Elm family, and many people mistake them for elm trees for this reason. However, closer inspection will show you that the bark and leaves are quite different, and the branches don’t form the same way. Make sure that someone doesn’t tell you they’re selling you an elm when it’s a Zelkova instead.
Yes, Zelkova trees also make good bonsai trees, just as much as the elms. You’ll probably not see as many articles for them, as there are so few species to speak of. The Chinese Zelkova is probably just as popular as the Chinese Elm. You might want to have both in your collection so you can educate visitors to your display.
We don’t have any guides for the Zelkova bonsai as yet, but we’ll remedy that shortly. I’ve been more focused on my Chinese Elm this year, but now I want to get one of these trees too. They seem easy to care for, and just saying the name is fun and exotic.
