Bonsai means plant in tray. Bonsai trees are real trees that are shaped and kept small. If no one tended them they would grow as big as any other tree in their species. To keep the tree small both the branches and roots are pruned. Any tree can be made into a bonsai. Miami Tropical Bonsai is a nursery that sells bonsai in the Redlands area of Homestead in Southwest Dade County. According to their website the nursery is owned by Alva Hayes. They have been in business since 1987 and are one of the largest bonsai companies in the United States. They create their own pottery and have over 30,000 trees in stock. I have always loved the bonsai trees at the Morikami Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach so when I passed this nursery I stopped to see what they had. They have a pond with a small waterfall and to the left of that was a large area with bonsai trees. Some of the trees are decades old and are of subtropical and tropical varieties. One small ficus tree was $600 and another tree was several thousand dollars. I guess Mr. Miyagi and Daniel were smart to try and open that bonsai shop in Karate Kid III. I did see more affordable trees on their website. There are a lot of different kinds of plant nurseries in this part of the Redlands and this is an interesting stop if you are in the area. The Redland Ranch is just right down the street and is also worth a stop. They serve food and smoothies in a tropical setting. read more

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My first visit to the location was 4 years ago And it looked like they where a little unkept recently but not terrible "it was raining also". Apart from that it was a grate experience, staff was helpful, knowledgeable and pricing was reasonable. Its been 2 weeks since I purchased my bonsais ,after some trimming and repotting the trees are as healthy as ever and throwing new shoots . Im very satisfied with my experience and purchase. Tip: the price is better when you bundle read more

Miami Tropical Bonsai - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Don't even try to drive and come if you are sure some one is there, it is the third time that we travel to here and it's closed I called and they said that they will be close from Thursday to Saturday So.... today is Wednesday 3 pm and is close already I just waist my time and gasoline driving read more

Miami Tropical Bonsai - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Great Great Great ! This is an awesome place not only for bonsai lovers and people that would like to purchase another plant, but it is also good to spend just some time outside with your significant others and enjoy the beauty of nature. Once you park your car in the attached parking lot and will be going to approach the entrance, you may be greeted by two adorable boxers (I guess both females), they have been always friendly not only with us but also with out yorkie dog that we were allowed to bring inside (holding her in arms obviously). I had previously managed to kill every bonsai tree that I had had before. But it is pretty hard to stop me , so my darling fiancé bought me a new bonsai, a jade this time . We were explained in detail by the owner how to take care of it and what to do to make it look nice and healthy. Guess what ? after two or three weeks I started to note that my new plant is loosing its leaves and does not feel well at all. So, we took it back to Miami tropical bonsai and asked them to put it in their recovery area for owners that do not know what they are doing. To be honest with you, there are many pour plants there. After about 6/7 weeks we went to visit our tree and the condition was amazing ! I don't know what they did, but they "recovered" my tree to the initial condition and again the owner of the business took his time to explain me what I did wrong. My tree is now amazing and cheering us with its beauty every day! I wish I could allow myself to buy one day a tree that they have at the entrance. True specimen! read more

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What a magical place to experience bonsai! The range of tree sizes and types is astounding. The containers the trees call home are beautiful and unique. The staff is welcoming and happy to share their love of bonsai. I love their WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) mindset so you know you are getting exactly what they have posted on their site. There is something for every taste and every pocketbook here. We were enchanted! read more

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Out of business due to exorbitant prices and bad service. Since Glen and Lourdes left it went downhill

Great selection. Very helpful and reasonably priced. They will transplant for you. A ride, but worth it

Saturday, july 22. 11 am. Closed!!!!!!!!!....they are suposed to be opened! This business is advertised everywhere in Homestead as a tourist attraction...should they close Saturday and Sunday? read more

Miami Tropical Bonsai - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Miami, Florida

It was an amazin experience for me. Amazing place, beautiful bonsai, & good Customer Service. I Love This Place. read more

I got my first bonsai tree as my BDay present from my in laws, a Funkien Tea. But it started to turn yellow since my in laws got it from here I immediately called and let me tell you the gentlemen that helped me was very kind and suggested that I should take it back so that he can take a look at it. When I arrived I was greeted at the front door with a big smile and a priceless welcome by Alva the gentlemen that helped me over the phone and a nice young lady. He checked my trees and gave me a lot of tips in how to keep her blooming and healthy. The place has sooo many choices, accesories, tools and handmade pots in front of you customized to your tree. How awesome is that!!!!... And the best part is that they service you a bonsai trees too... IM SO IN LOVE WITH THE PLACE that I will be visiting soon and the people that work there are even better.....thank you guys for the help with my baby. read more

Miami Tropical Bonsai - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Miami, Florida

Good selection of trees. But, overall terrible customer service from owner, extremely rude and not patient with inexperienced customers, to the point were he told me to "go buy a bonsai at home depot." Word of advice to owner, have patience with folks who are new to bonsai since your business can only grow thanks to us... read more

I bought 3 trees and they died within the month. I followed the instructions the man in the shop gave me. I even bought the food he recommended and made sure it was placed in a bonsai friendly environment. I am very upset because these trees are not cheap. I probably will never go back. read more

I've used Yelp for a long time as a means to find great places, but have never written a review. Miami Tropical Bonsai deserves a review. First of all, the plants I've ordered have been online strictly as I don't live in the area, though I wish I could see the nursery in person. I've had many phone conversations with both the owner (Alva) and his employees (Billy and Fred), every time impressing me with their friendliness, willingness to help, knowledge, and actually calling me back when they said they would. I was in the market for a very nice Bonsai, and being that they are really the only nursery I could find that sells a LOT of Ficus Nerifolia plants, they were the place I was drawn to. From $25 to $40,000, these guys have a plant for everyone. The plant I was looking at was reasonably priced, considering how magnificent it was. I spoke with the owner for a half hour and he even sent me texts, showing the current state of the plant, as opposed to just the picture online which was taken who knows how long ago. It looked beautiful and I bought it. The plant was shipped the same day and when I received it after a week, despite the very hot weather, the plant came just as it looked in his photos. Maybe 10 leaves had dropped. Unfortunately, the pot cracked in shipping, despite the insane amount of bubble wrap/cling wrap/peanuts that they use to keep the plant alive and everything safe. I texted him a few pictures of the pot and he immediately agreed to replace the pot. He texted me several pictures so that I could choose the pot I wanted. I found a custom made pot I really liked and he sent it to me with no charge. Once it arrived, I repotted the plant and it is thriving. My second plant just came the other day, and even though it was much less expensive, I spoke with him for 20 minutes about it. Alva's passion for Bonsai is completely contagious, no matter what the price of the plant is. The plant arrived with moist soil and no leaf drop. I repotted it because I wanted it in a larger pot and I also wanted it in my particular soil (it's actually soilless). Both plants are amazing, as are the staff. The negative reviews surprise me, but you can never please everyone. I constantly look at the website, looking for new plants, which is where I found this latest plant that most likely would've been swiped by someone else very soon. Bottom line, if you are into Tropical Bonsai, with different Ficus and Bougainvilleas being a large part of the inventory, Alva and Miami Tropical Bonsai can't be beat. Easy 5 star experience(s). read more

Awesome experience at an amazing place, huge selection of the bonsai regulars in every size with outrageous specimen pieces. Found the owners to be friendly & family oriented. Couldn't go home without four new trees & hope to attend a Saturday workshop soon. read more

Miami Tropical Bonsai - Bonsai - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Miami, Florida

Buyer Beware! In October, I purchased 3 bonsai trees for about $1,000. Within 1 week, I discovered they were infested with root aphids and had root rot. When I communicated with the owner, Alva, he was dismissive and told me they were "perishable products" and essentially to suck it up. I have purchased bonsai trees from many vendors for many years, and I have never experienced such an absence of professional accountability. If you can afford to buy diseased bonsai trees and lose your money, shop here. Otherwise, my advice - DO NOT buy a bonsai from this business! BTW, the place looks like a wreck - tree racks falling apart, trees covered with black mold and partially foliated that look nothing like the trees you see on their website. read more

here in florida, I'm a serious gardening hobbyist. I don't think you'll find a better place. I love the bonsai trees. they are very helpful and attentive. I highly recommend them read more

My husband and I fell in love with every bonsai we saw. The two owners were very helpful and answered all of our questions. They were extremely knowledgeable and experienced. I recommend anyone looking to get into bonsai to visit them! They even offer beginners and advanced classes which my husband and I would consider in the future. We cannot wait to visit them again! read more

Walked into this place with out any knowledge on bonsais. As I walked in I was greeted by one of the owners and was treated like family. I had tons of questions and he was happy to answer all of them. This place is a hidden gem. I go now at least once or twice a month!! read more

Mr. Miyagui would envy this place. Best variety anywhere. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Had chosen a more expensive bonsai and they recommended a least expensive one because it was our first. They want to make sure you leave happy. Would recommend this place hands down. read more

Miami Tropical Bonsai - My first bonsai - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Miami, Florida

Visited this nursery with my husband. Very poorly maintained and no help from the person behind the counter. We were not able to walk around due to muddy terrain from improper watering and neglect. We understand trees need watering and maintenance but this is still a store and in order to find the right plant you need to walk around which was impossible. Most of the trees are overgrown and poorly maintained except few in front. Everything in this nursery is overpriced especially when they sell "hatch back" regular trees for the price of genuine bonsai, scamming people that don't know much about bonsai. Being out of the city nursery we expected to find a great deal but we went home empty handed and disappointed. Lots of great nurseries in the area. This was a waist of time. read more

Great selection, friendly service. Be sure to leave yourself plenty of time to wander around and, if you're a newbie, to pose your many amateur bonsai questions to the patient owner. This place also offers beginner and advanced bonsai classes to those seeking to take the hobby seriously. If nothing else, it is worth the 30-40 minute trek from Miami to enjoy their beautiful collection and get a taste of the verdant agricultural region of south Florida. read more

Updated 12/19. Just ordered yet another tree from Miami tropical. You know a place is treasured when customers keep coming back for more and more. You won't find a more knowledgeable, customer friendly Bonsai nursery than this place. Alva is simply the best and I love every tree I've purchased from them. If you're not getting your trees from this place, you're missing out. I like this place so much that I bought a plane ticket to visit them next month. Can't wait to meet them and check out the nursery. read more

Love this place! Fred is awesome. Visiting the bonsai garden could make your day better.

This is by far one of the largest bonsai nurseries I've ever seen, there's bonsai nurseries with little bonsai trees, this place has huge bonsai trees and very old ones. The best bonsai tree I ever saw was the one they were doing for a Lamborghini dealer, most beautiful bonsai tree ever. These guys sell serious bonsai trees, this isn't cheep home depot crap. read more

just bought my 2nd tree from MTB. WOW great trees, very reasonable shipping rates. good doing business with you.I WILL BE BACK, BONSAI

I went to Tropical yesterday with my family. They couldn't be bothered to come from behind the counter,. When I asked about a pest problem I was told "My brother knows about that." Then he went back to what ever he was doing on his computer. The prices are at least 5 times higher than they use to be. The nursery looks quite run down and they have no prices on the plants. I almost passed out when they told me that the plant I picked was $150 before planting. I have about 12 plants from them and shocked at the price spike and the lack of service. Maybe they are relying on internet sales they have no interest in local loyal customers. It is heart breaking to see one of my favorite places no longer an option. Those guys need to go over to RF orchids to see how it is done. They are passing out juice, more than happy to give info and a bow for your holiday gift. read more

After looking everywhere I found this place and couldn't be happier. The service is great and great prices. Alva helped me with great tips and was very knowledgeable. After I selected my tree they took it to get it ready and when I got it back I was speechless. The made it look amazing with mosh and rock details. If you are looking for a bonsai this is the place to go. read more

Miami Tropical Bonsai - First bonsai - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Miami, Florida

Great place for Bonsai. Nice place to visit. Wish it was closer to my apt. (Ft. Lauderdale) and I would be there more often spending money. Nice place to wander around. Lots of tables of Bonsai as they wholesale as well as retail. Bougainvellia were blooming. Very colorful areas. He had several OLD bonsai that he imported from Japan or China. They were also out and around the property and nice to look at. I could not afford any of them. read more