Is Delonix Regia A Good Tree For Bonsai?

The Delonix Regia, also known as the Royal Poinciana, or Flame tree is a tree you will often see sold as “bonsai seeds” which should normally make you suspicious, but don’t worry, these can be good trees.

The tree is a tropical tree and can be easily grown from these seeds. It can take a while to get them into a decent bonsai, but it’s not impossible. They are probably most well known for their bright red flowers, which is where the “flame” name comes from.

Is Delonix Regia A Good Species for Bonsai?

Delonix can be an okay tree for bonsai. They are probably not at the top of the list when it comes to species you could pick, but they can be okay.

The trouble is they can be hard to work with, which is ironic as they are often sold as “beginner bonsai seed kits”.

They are easy to grow, but trying to get them to be bonsai is the tricky part. They naturally want to be quite big and the leaves do not help with this.

They also cause a lot of people trouble because they are tropical and like that kind of environment, which a lot of us can’t really give to the tree, so you will they can struggle a bit, especially through the colder, darker months, where they need to be inside to survive.

It can be hard to find good examples of then being used as bonsai. This is usually because the majority of people growing them are beginners and they fail to be able to get them to a good standard, as they lack the skill.

If you dig a little deeper you can find some decent examples, they can actually make okay bonsai.

I own one, which is still a long way from being decent, but you can follow its development in my Delonix Regia Bonsai Progression.

Is Delonix Regia Foliage Good For Bonsai?

The foliage can actually play a trick on you. It looks like it has lots of small leaves and branches, then you get closer and realise that this whole “branch” you where looking at is actually just one leaf. There leaves are more like a fern, than a traditional leaf.

These leaves can get pretty big and long and they spread out pretty wide, so you need plenty of room around your tree. The good thing is that the “mini leaves” on leaves them look small, although they also they sort of make it look like you have let your tree grow out and never pruned it. Even if there are only a few leaves on the tree, the illusion is that there is more. This isn’t ideal foliage bonsai, but you can work with it.

To get these more into proportion you are going to need your tree to be a little bigger, which can take a while if you are growing from seed.   

I also have the problem that I get a lot of die back from the leaves. I think this is more to do with my environment than anything.

I am giving the tree plenty of light, but I think it’s too cold. It seems to panic and let the leaves turn yellow then drop off. There is a chance it may be over watered, but I am still doing my tests on it to see why it is doing this.

The good thing is that it keeps growing, so it is pretty tough.

Is Delonix Regias Growth Rate Good For Bonsai?

I have found the growth rate to be quite fast. I have seen new shows almost explode in growth over night. This can cause you to end up with a seedling that is more like a beanpole, which isn’t ideal for bonsai.

However, I have also found that my trunk has surprisingly thickened up pretty quickly, even though it is in a pretty small pot, which is very ideal for bonsai.

Response To Pruning

Delonix will respond to pruning and will back bud very easily if you prune them back very hard.

I have not done enough testing yet to decide if the new foliage is smaller and finer, but I have seen some pretty developed trees, so I will assume it is possible.

I also need to do more test on how easy it is to get back budding and how to promote branch divisions and ramification, as I haven’t seen any of this naturally occur, but I know it is possible.

If this mystery can be solved, it will really make my time growing them as a bonsai a lot easier.

Is Delonix Regias Styling Ability Good For Bonsai?

Really the best way to style these is going to be in a sort of tropical umbrella canopy style. The tree is going to want to go in this direction, so it’s best to just allow it.

Wiring

Wiring is possible on young branches. I have seen some interesting examples of trunks that have been wired into some crazy shapes while the tree was young.

If you try and wire the tree when a branch is a bit older, it can be very hard to move them into the position you want and you also need to be careful about the wire biting in.

You are probably better trying to move these branches with guy wires.

Is Delonix Regias Fall Colours Good For Bonsai?

Delonix is a tropical tree, but it is deciduous. I have had small amounts of leaf die back throughout the year, but during the winter my tree did lose all its leaves and it bounced back in spring with no problems.

The colour change wasn’t super; the leaves went yellow and dropped off. Although, I think on tree with more dense foliage the colour change could look good.

The fact that they are deciduous is kind of cool though,  as most tropical trees are evergreen and it really allows you to look at the winter silhouette and study the structure of the tree while the leaves are gone which you don’t get with most tropical trees.

Is Delonix Regias Bark Good For Bonsai?

The bark is quite nice. It’s pretty thin and smooth, but it is a nice light brown colour. It works well with the colour of the leaves.

It does mean that it is hard to hide scars, so you should try and make any wounds as few and as small as possible.

Deadwood Opportunities

Deadwood is probably not going to look the best on the Delonix. They are quite feminine looking trees with their smooth bark and dainty leaves.

It may work on some trunks, but for most I would not want to see deadwood on them. The same goes for dead branches, it just isn’t going to work and it will not look right. 

Is Delonix Regia Roots Good For Bonsai?

The roots are not too bad and they are totally useable for bonsai. They are maybe not as forgiving as some species, I would not go too crazy on the pruning, but they can certainly take more than a pine for example.

They do like slightly acidic soil, which is another reason why I think mine could be dropping leaves throughout the year, but this is an easy problem to solve if you are trying to grow them as bonsai.    

Is Delonix Regia Easy To Care For As Bonsai?

Overall they are fairly easy to grow. If you did not want to use them as bonsai, they would certainly make a cool house plant, although I imagine they might get a little big after a while.

The only thing you need to do is just make sure they don’t get cold, so you will have to keep them inside over winter. Apart from that, they are easy to care for.

Conclusion

So delonix is an interesting tree. They are maybe not every ones favourite and they be slightly tricky to deal with, but they can make okay trees.

I probably wouldn’t recommend them to a beginner, as the leaves are a little different and not the easiest to work with, but if you like a challenge, they can be a good tree, especially if you get some age and size to them.