A deciduous or evergreen would need to be wintered over in an unheated garage in it's pot, or planted in the ground for the winter. A tropical would need to be indoors over winter, with special light (or a good south window), water, humidity and food provided regularly. Which do you think he might like better? Oh, and a tropical could only be purchased locally now that the cold weather is here.

ez

I think he would like a deciduous or an evergreen either one

xmas can be a frustrating time of year to get started with Bonsai at least in the northern hemisphere. Not trying to discourage you at all, just noting father's day would be a lot more fun, timing wise - trees will be in active growth.

Daniel

Oh I totally understand. His birthday is close to Father's Day, so I believe I'll just get him something then.

No question about it - the best starter kit you could buy him would be a book on soil science and one on basic botany. Those two topics constitute the major bump in the road every budding bonsai artist runs into and few get by. Without a working knowledge of these topics, the frustration inherent in the inability to keep your trees alive/healthy enough to work on leaves the grower feeling unrewarded for his efforts.

Al