My New Juniper Bonsai Tree

I bought a Juniper bonsai kit at Home Depot. I’ve always wanted to have a Juniper bonsai, but the problem is that junipers are outdoor trees, and all I have in my apartment is a little balcony outside. When the weather is above freezing, it is fine for my tree, but I’m going to have a problem when the weather gets colder. Outdoor bonsai trees must go through a period of cold weather in order to survive. If they do not go through this cold period of time each year, eventually the plants will die. Most people who have outdoor bonsai trees take the entire pot, and dig a hole, and plant it in the ground during winter. The reason for doing this is that while the top part of the plant can withstand the coldest winter temperatures, if the roots are left in a little shallow bonsai pot, the roots will freeze, and the plant will die.

My problem is that I have to figure out some way of protecting the roots during winter, particularly because the winds on my balcony become extremely cold during the winter in Chicago. I will need to construct something to be able to protect the roots of my bonsai tree so that the roots will not freeze this winter. Maybe I can construct some kind of an insulated box for it. Previously, I had another Juniper bonsai tree that I tried to keep indoors. After about three or four months, it dried up, and died even though I watered it regularly, so I know from experience that this type of tree will not live indoors.