Ok... so you have offically been bitten by the bonsai bug... Awesome!!!
I am going to go off topic for a minute but please bear with me... I promise I have your best interests at heart here.
From now on... I want you to take a few minutes and do something for me... an excercise if you will. Write down the purchase for all your current trees and add them up. include the cost of the pots you have put them in. Now... I want you to write this number down. We are going to play a game now. if this price is less than 75 i want you to round to one hundred. If more than that round to the nearest fifty. This is the price range of your NEXT bonsai (you can pay more if you wish) _and_ you need to purchase it from a reputable bonsai nursery. Oregon is full of them and you have a personal invitation from Chris at Telperion.
still with me?
The point of this excercise is to change your mindset... now that you have "project" trees its time to get you some trees that need very little work to become bonsai and can become quality trees in a shorter time frame. The project trees will give you a place to play and trees to try things on. The new found Bonsai will teach you the joy of caring for a valuable and inspiring tree.
that sound weird?
Just think about it... if you have a 150 dollar Bonsai vs a 20 dollar tree in a pot.... which are you most likely to show concern and be inspired to care for and ensure it gets all the attention it needs? Caring for an established bonsai while working on creating your own will teach you so much and you will be able to truly appreciate the outcome of what you will have with those project trees in several years.
This is my attempt to give you something many newbies don't get. Advise about when its time to slow down and think more about quality over quantity. Believe me every single established bonsai I have purchased that was of great quality has taught me so much more than any project tree and has given me so much delight.
is there more to this?
absolutely!!! the best part is that it festures the love you already have for bonsai and helps you feel the satisfaction of a beautiful work of art. If you don't believe me ask Harry(greerhw) about the quality established bonsai he has. He will tell you that caring for them and enjoying them gives him great joy. You can ask Will (grouper52) and he will tell you that some of the best parts of bonsai are sharing them with friends and viewing trees that are established.
My wife's favorite tree is her Satsuki Azalea that I purchased for the Xmas before last. It was an established tree imported from Japan a long time ago. After making some changes to it (jinning a branch and shortening the Kiki-eda ) she had put her stamp on it. The tree is showable and in its prime... no waiting... just pure enjoyment... and refinement work that can only be learned on established trees.
I hope you understand that I am trying to suggest that the next tree you buy be the one that will keep you excited about bonsai. The one that will inspire you while you work on your projects. The one that will give you the knowledge to refine those projects into established bonsai. I want you to stay excited and this is a great way to do it!
my 0.02 (ok more like $1.50)
P.S. This has nothing to do with this tree in particular... I just have noticed your posts and wanted to give you that advise before it was too late.