I received a juniper bonsai for a Christmas present; it was a very nice gift, but the gifter isn't a gardener and probably didn't realize that junipers are outdoor plants, and that my conditions aren't conducive to keeping it alive.
I live in an apartment in Chicago, with a small balcony/fire escape.I am new to bonsai, but I've done a lot of reading and the general sense is that I can't put the tree outdoors for the winter because it's too late for it to prepare for winter, and it would be too much of a shock (the plant came from a heated greenhouse, and it was -3 F yesterday evening here
).Most of the advice I've found online suggests that the ideal place to winter an unadjusted juniper is an unheated indoor space, like a garage. Unfortunately, I don't have access to anything like that in my apartment building.
I managed to come up with a compromise of sorts--my apartment has old inner sash windows and new outer storm windows. The space in between is significantly cooler than the apartment, but still warmer than outside--I'd guess it's usually between 30 and 40, depending on the outside temp. Obviously, being in a windowsill, it gets a fair amount of sun (East-facing window). I have it sitting on top of gravel tray full of water, to try and boost the humidity a bit.
Am I crazy to think this would work? I want to keep this plant alive--it's not the plant's fault that its gifter didn't realize it was being set up for failure (again, it was a very nice gift--I've always wanted a bonsai, but have never had the living situation to properly care for one).
Any and all advice will be tremendously appreciated!
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