Tree #303 is a large Tiger Bark Ficus with serious character — a thick, gnarled base flaring into exposed roots, a muscular S-curve trunk mottled in the speckled bark this variety is named for, and a broad layered canopy about 17 inches across. It stands 24 inches tall in a classic unglazed Japanese pot (9″ × 9″ × 8″) whose quiet, dark clay lets the trunk do the talking.

Tiger Bark Ficus is one of the easiest bonsai to live with — happy indoors year-round near a bright window, tolerant of the occasional missed watering, and quick to push new growth after a trim. The tree in these photos is the exact tree you’ll receive, hand-raised at our Southern California nursery.