looking but dont know what to look for

OOooops i didn't first read the sticky post, but maybe you guys can help me out anyway

No worries about not reading the sticky frst, not many do. We may still be able to help, but first you need to be a little more specific than USA for your location. Roughly where or at least what USDA zone?

I live in south dakota near Sioux Falls.

I was thinking something more like an oak tree style.

Thanks, that should probably encourage someone with more local experience to help you. Sorry I can't, as I'm in Wales, UK.

Hi Adams,
While selecting a tree is a very personal affair, it's always a good idea to do your research and find out what will thrive and not just survive in your climate.

If I'm not mistaken, Souix Falls is in the 4 to 5 USDA hardiness range. That's pretty cold, so just about anything you try your hand at is going to need some winter protection.

Right of the top of my head I can't think of any tree for your area since my climate is dramatically different. However this page may help you a bit in your search.
http://www.bonsai-bci.com/species/indexcommon.html

Here you will find a list of many popular trees for bonsai and information on them. This is by no means an exhaustive list and you can always experiment with local trees.

Good luck,
Ed

He did specify 'indoor', so a Ficus is likely to be a good choice. While there are no 'indoor' trees, they will perform better than most. Bring it outside if you can during summer months.

And if you decide on Ficus (a good suggestion), I'd suggest Ficus nerifolia, the willow leaf fig. It is very forgiving, and can be grown to resemble an oak's growth. If you want something other than a stick in a pot, I recommend you spend at or near your upper limit.

Maybe Jerry M. can suggest a vendor. He grows Ficus and lives way up Nawth, also.

Whoa, for your bedroom?!?! It's a tree, not a table lamp. If you want a bonsai for your bedroom you should look into a fake tree. Seriously, unless you like dead trees.

Hi adams.

The main thing you have to bear in mind is that a bonsai is a living plant and needs the normal things that plants require to live and grow - water, a temperature appropriate to the species of tree, and light. What Ed is really saying in his post is that he would doubt very much if a bedroom would provide any or all of those aspects sufficiently for your plant to thrive. I would think your bedroom, pretty much like most people's, would give insufficient light at the very least. Unless you live in one of those ultra-modern houses whose walls are predominantly glass that is!

As mentioned, temperature is another crucial aspect. We bonsai nuts get our underwear in a knot over the term "indoor bonsai" as there really isn't such a thing - trees do not grow indoors in nature. When we talk about an indoor tree we really only mean those trees whose native climate is significantly warmer than the one we ourselves live in. To leave them outdoors in the worst of winter would kill them so we bring them indoors over that period. Ficus has been suggested by John and endorsed by others as a potential "indoor" tree with the caveat that you take it outside in the summer when the temperature is akin to its native environment. I don't keep this genus of trees so can't comment on it but I'd put faith in the advice of John, Jim et al who are used to dealing with them.

Good luck, but if you can do it, why not consider a tree that you can place outside your bedroom window - that way you get a much wider choice, potentially a bigger tree and you can still have the pleaseure of looking at it as much.

@fiona
A bit wordier, but I suppose your method of explaining works too.

Ed

Mr. Adams,
So far we know that you are in Sioux Falls, which is in USDA Zone 4, and that you would like to have a bonsai in your bedroom. But we don't know anything about your bedroom. How warm do you keep it in the winter? Which way does the window face? Are you planning on keeping the bonsai on the windowsill?
Is the bedroom big enough to install a fluorescent light unit? The simplest arrangement would be a table with a fluorescent light hung over it. A fluorescent lamp hung over the windowsill would be an excellent solution.
In terms of outdoor bonsai, or bonsai styling in general, I refer you to Andy Smith in Deadwood, www.goldenarrowbonsai.com/.
If your bedroom is totally unsuitable for growing plants, you might consider getting half a dozen bonsai (better than one anyway) and rotate them. Just keep each one in the bedroom a day or so at a time.
Why the bedroom? I always put bonsai on the dinner table.
Iris

PS. I would not recommend willow leaf fig, Ficus salicaria, for this situation. Unless he has a very sunny windowsill or a very bright fluorescent or HID setup, it will drop its leaves and sulk all winter. Some branches will probably die off. Ficus microcarpa or benjamina might be a better choice, or the small leaved Schefflera arboricola.
Iris