Are Schefflera or Ficus considered true Bonsai?
 

I'd like to have a Bonsai in my Office at work where it will be difficult
to provide any sort of outdoor time for them.

Are these two plants considered viable Bonsai plants? Either one seems like
it would work fairly well indoors.

Are Schefflera or Ficus considered true Bonsai?
 

I'd like to have a Bonsai in my Office at work where it will be difficult to
provide any sort of outdoor time for them.

This is a common question. However, it is in the same class as the person who
is employed full time & wants to keep a Great Dane in an apartment, or the
person who wants to own a cat, but not clean the litter pan.
A bonsai is a tree grown in a pot which is styled to look like a miniature
representation of a full size tree. So, yes, you can have a Schefflera or Ficus
bonsai. The Taiwanese particularly have taken Ficus bonsai to a remarkably high
level. However, you can not keep a bonsai indefinitely in your office, unless
you have a sunny window and other good conditions. And as you have guessed,
bonsai of all varieties need to be outdoors for the summer. My suggestion would
be to own half a dozen bonsai, which spend most of their lives under
appropriate conditions, and rotate them so you have a different one in your
office for a week or so.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Are Schefflera or Ficus considered true Bonsai?
 

Ficus is a good indoor bonsai. Not too many trees can take indoor climate.
Ficus and some cacti are the only ones I know that can prosper indoors.

Are Schefflera or Ficus considered true Bonsai?
 

Anything that can be made to look much older a plant than it is/ YES/
considered Bonsai.. maybe AMERICAN bonsai LOL
: ) So try some... or maybe a Sago palm looks great in bonsai pot...