I got my husband a bonsai for father's day and he fawns over it like its a child?

Question:he goes to all of these websites and prints info on how to better take care of it. He keeps it outside on the patio and brings it in rarely, as he states the instructions say to keep it outside majority of the time. My question is posed to anyone who knows anything about bonsais..it doesnt look like it has grown much at all inspite of all his fawning...do they just grow slow like...kids? I guess I am used to plants springing up fast, it has been a little over a month.

Answers:
Bonsai is a traditional Japanese style of container gardening that dates back thousands of years. Your husband is doing the right thing by researching on the web, there is a set way of doing things with bonsai especially if you are going to try and follow traditional methods. Most of the plants used are outdoor plants and do not do well inside at all, they are meant to be brought in for display occasionally and usually are allowed to go dormant in the winter, sometimes taken out of their pot and planted in the ground for the winter, covered with plenty of mulch to help protect them while they sleep through the winter. You should indulge in a good bonsai book.
Some bonsai plants live to be 200+ years old. The idea is to try and create a miniature version of a full grown tree and there are many different styles to choose from. The finished shape is obtained through pruning the branches and roots and wiring separate branches in a certain direction for a year or more until they are trained to grow in the direction you want.
Bonsai is an art form that takes many years, sometimes more than one lifetime. You should not expect the plant to "spring up fast".

arent those the trees that look like big trees but are really small? i have one...had it for over a year now. its just there...it never grows. but maybe mines just broken

Yes Bonzai's roots are intentionally trimmed to cause them to grow slowly. That part of the zen of the bonzai tree, being patient. :)

good for him, at least he take care of it if he didnt , you would complain right , poor guy give him a break , its his after all.......

Oh, yes. They grow very slowly. That is the point, to conrol the growth at root and at the top.

Bonsai aren't supposed to grow big. The whole point is to keep them small. But yes, they are trees, so like a normal tree it should take a long time to grow. Most fully grown bonsais are over a hundred years old.

WOW, you're getting some advice, and the folks don't even know the species of tree. FIRST, you must determine the species of tree. Hundreds of species of trees are made into the “bonsai” design. By the way, "bonsai" is also plural (2 bonsai, 3 bonsai, etc.). You may send a photo or description of the foliage to me (and tell me where you live) at:
wchoat@american-bonsai.com and I'll send you care instructions for that particular species. You may also want to look at the Bonsai Care page of my website:
http://www.american-bonsai.com