Our services

Bring your bonsai to us.

We board trees while you travel, repot and style them when they’re ready, and care for your recovering family heirloom.

Most bonsai die when you go on vacation, so trust your tree to us. We only use reverse osmosis water injected with a balanced fertilizer and silica for optimum health. Our nursery has a variety of shade levels to accommodate any tree species.

  • Vacation bonsai-sitting: Includes daily watering, pest checks, and shade.
    • Up to 18″: $10/week
    • 19–30″: $15/week
    • 31″ and up: $20/week
  • Monthly boarding: Includes everything in bonsai-sitting, plus weekly feeding and maintenance pruning.
    • Up to 18″: $35/month
    • 19–30″: $50/month
    • 31″ and up: $70/month
  • Winter greenhouse boarding for tropicals: Runs December 1 to February 28. Space in our heated greenhouse is limited, so we recommend booking early.
    • Up to 18″: $105/season
    • 19–30″: $150/season
    • 31″ and up: $210/season
  • Multiple-tree boarding discount: 15% off three trees or more.

Repotting includes root pruning and our house soil mix (expanded shale, pumice, black lava). Different soil types are available for an additional fee. Pots are sold separately. All repotting services are done only on healthy trees during the correct time of year (depending on species).

  • Up to 12″: $35
  • 13–24″: $65
  • 25–36″: $100
  • 37″ and up, or specimen trees: quoted individually, starting at $150

If you buy a tree and pot from us, we’ll pot it up free. Potting a tree bought elsewhere into one of our pots is $15.

  • Maintenance trim:
    • Up to 12″: $25
    • 13–24″: $45
    • 25–36″: $65
    • 37″ and up, or specimen trees: quoted individually, starting at $90
  • Wiring and styling: $90 per hour with a 30-minute minimum. Wire is billed at cost.
  • Deadwood carving: $100 per hour with a 30-minute minimum. This includes styling consulting, jin and shari design, and lime sulphur application.
  • Grafting: $90 per hour with a 30-minute minimum. Includes grafting tape and after-care consultation.
  • Quick check-up: Free during Saturday nursery hours.
  • In-depth consultation: 30 minutes for $25, credited toward any service you book that day.
  • Pest or disease treatment: $20 per tree, per treatment.
  • Bonsai Hospital: This special service is for sick, dying, or recovering bonsai trees in need of daily supervision and expert care. Fees are quoted based on the individual tree’s condition and needs, but includes weekly or monthly boarding plus treatment.
  • Intake Form and liability waivers: All bonsai left in our care will be accompanied by an intake record and tagged with your information. Customers must sign the intake form and liability waivers before leaving any tree in our care.
  • Late pickup: Trees left past their pickup date are subject to a $3 per tree per day fee.
  • Unclaimed trees. Please pick up your tree by the date on your intake record. If a tree is still here 30 days after its pickup date, we’ll contact you by email and phone using the information on your intake record. If we don’t hear from you within 30 days of that notice, the tree becomes the property of High Water Bonsai. It may be added to our stock, sold, or rehomed, and any outstanding fees will be considered settled. We’d always rather get your tree home to you, so if plans change, just call or email us and we’ll work something out.
  • Sizing: Trees are measured from the soil line, by height or width, whichever is greater. If being repotted, pots deeper than three times the size of the tree’s nebari (trunk diameter at the soil line) may be subject to additional soil costs.
  • Caring for living trees. Bonsai are living plants, and we can’t guarantee how any tree will respond to boarding, repotting, styling, or treatment. It is typical for trees to drop leaves due to stress or environmental change. We give every tree in our care the same attention we give our own collection, but some trees decline or die despite good care, especially trees that arrive weak, diseased, or stressed. We’re not responsible for losses caused by a tree’s existing condition, pests or disease present at drop-off, or severe weather beyond our control.
  • Hospital stays. Trees in the Bonsai Hospital are already in trouble. We’ll do our best to bring them back, but recovery isn’t guaranteed. Treatment fees aren’t refundable if a tree doesn’t survive. High Water Bonsai is not liable for the loss of sick or damaged trees in our care.
  • Pests and quarantine. To protect the trees already here, we inspect every tree at drop-off. We may quarantine, treat, or decline any tree carrying pests or disease. We routinely apply pesticides, miticides, and fungicides to all of our trees here at the nursery, including bonsai we are caring for. Please tell us about any problems you already know of at the time of intake.
  • High-value trees. If your tree is a specimen or carries significant value, tell us at drop-off. We’ll note it on your intake record and talk through options before we accept it.

Testimonials

Most of our customers started as bonsai students, local club members, or interested hobbyists. Here’s what a few of them have to say:

  • Testimonials are a social proof, a powerful way to inspire trust.
    Customer Name
    Customer Title
  • Testimonials are a social proof, a powerful way to inspire trust.
    Customer Name
    Customer Title
  • Testimonials are a social proof, a powerful way to inspire trust.
    Customer Name
    Customer Title
  • Testimonials are a social proof, a powerful way to inspire trust.
    Customer Name
    Customer Title

Trust us with your tree

Submit your services request here, contact us at drew@highwaterbonsai.com, or stop by any Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm. We’re here to help.