I got interested in bonsai because my grandfather grew them, so I decided it would be a nice pursuit to grow them myself. I also like growing things from the start, because I like the way things turn out if you work hard from the beginning. In light of this, I bought a bonsai kit with cherry blossom seeds, but I looked into it later, and realized, not only does this tree not grow in zone 9b (sub tropical), and prefers temperate (zones 4ish-8), but this is NOT the tree for beginners. I canceled the order, but got the kit anyway. Despite the difficulties, I'd like to at least try to get it to grow here.
the kit includes 10 seeds, a 3"x3"x4" pot, a square of mesh, gravel roughly .5cm-1cm in diameter, and potting soil, unlabeled, along with unspecific instructions for this particular species. I do not know what kind of cherry blossom tree it is, and I cannot tell from the seeds.
I've started by looking on various sites, and have soaked the seeds in water, and they are now in the fridge, I'm expecting them to stay in there for 1-3 months. Depending on what further research leads me to. After this, I do not know what to do other than to plant it and wait for germination.
I also know that cherry blossom trees need some amount of winter. My problem is that it is Mid-late Januaury, and we've just gotten down to the 40's and it's not going to stay there, I can put it in the fridge for the winter months, but I'm not sure how good of an idea this is considering there is no light in the refrigerator.
Cherry blossom tree can survive if you live in a higher elevation over 1000 ft. The tree may grow for you but it may not bloom without the chill. However, depending on the species, 40 degrees long enough is enough is low enough, it just has to have the minimum chill days. I have to tell you though that sakura spend half their year leafless, They are not pretty trees in leaf and they are only beautiful for the two weeks a year that they bloom. I live in Hawaii. Okinawan and the Japan varieties of cherry blossoms do grow and bloom in Wahiawa above the 900 ft level in the ground.
Even if the trees don't work out, you can use the kit and find a more appropriate tree for your climate. Good beginner trees are ficus, they will acclimate to the light levels, but they will drop every leaf when you go from light to dark. They are more forgiving of neglect. Bonsai prefer to be outdoors and are not really houseplants so if you are warm enough to keep things outdoors a "nana" juniper can stay outside all year round and is easy to train in a cascade style. A dwarf geometry tree is another good bonsai starter. It shapes itself, just make sure it gets lots of room and even light all around. It requires minimal pinching.
After that you can go into the trees that require more styling and wiring.
Even if the trees don't work out, you can use the kit and find a more appropriate tree for your climate. Good beginner trees are ficus, they will acclimate to the light levels, but they will drop every leaf when you go from light to dark. They are more forgiving of neglect. Bonsai prefer to be outdoors and are not really houseplants so if you are warm enough to keep things outdoors a "nana" juniper can stay outside all year round and is easy to train in a cascade style. A dwarf geometry tree is another good bonsai starter. It shapes itself, just make sure it gets lots of room and even light all around. It requires minimal pinching.
After that you can go into the trees that require more styling and wiring.