Cal juniper

Dwight

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Now that we've established it is probably OK to keep one here , does anyone have one for sale ? I'd like to keep it under $500 if possible.
 

greerhw

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Why not buy that beauty on ebay.

keep it green,
Harry
 

Attila Soos

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The best deals are from club auctions, followed by the vendor sections at club shows, and then vendors at major shows, and conventions, here in So. Cal. I got some pretty good deals for no more than $150, sometimes less than that.

But, you have to come here, to close the deal..
The Golden State Bonsai Federation website has a lot of coming events on their calendar, I would take a one week vacation, drive down here, pick up a couple, and drive back.

You can even take the Grayhound bus, my in-laws are from El Paso, and they took the trip many times.
 
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Dwight

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Well maybe I should send you a couple hundred and you can grab one for me and send it back with your in;laws.

Seriousle , thats what I'd like to do but finding out when these events happen is proving difficult. I asked smoke about his club sale but got no answer. There's also the problem with lead time. I can't just jump in the truck and drive 800 miles.
 

Attila Soos

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Well maybe I should send you a couple hundred and you can grab one for me and send it back with your in;laws.

Seriousle , thats what I'd like to do but finding out when these events happen is proving difficult. I asked smoke about his club sale but got no answer. There's also the problem with lead time. I can't just jump in the truck and drive 800 miles.

Here's what I can do. Next time if I see something interesting and not too expensive, I will mention to the seller that there is a guy in El Paso who is interested. If you P.M. your cell phone number, I will give your info to the seller, and he may call you. After all, if I was a seller, I would be interested in contacting potential buyers.

The problem I see is that these things can get very heavy, and shipping can get pretty expensive. But I don't know the exact rates, so it may not be so bad. I do know that UPS does a lot of plant shippings.
 
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greerhw

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Here's what I can do. Next time if I see something interesting and not too expensive, I will mention to the seller that there is a guy in El Paso who is interested. If you P.M. your cell phone number, I will give your info to the seller, and he may call you. After all, if I was a seller, I would be interested in contacting potential buyers.

The problem I see is that these things can get very heavy, and shipping can get pretty expensive. But I don't know the exact rates, so it may not be so bad. I do know that UPS does a lot of plant shippings.

In my search for a Cal. juniper, I found most of them are very large, I guess small ones are hard to find.

keep it green,
Harry
 

Smoke

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Well maybe I should send you a couple hundred and you can grab one for me and send it back with your in;laws.

Seriousle , thats what I'd like to do but finding out when these events happen is proving difficult. I asked smoke about his club sale but got no answer. There's also the problem with lead time. I can't just jump in the truck and drive 800 miles.


First Sat in Dec this year....there will be no CA junipers for sale. They will continue to become sparse as the year go by.

I might ask a little back ground into the intense desire to own one. As a guy who has collected from the desert many times, it is increasingly hard to find good ones that will lend themselves to good bonsai practise. I mean, good taper, good rootage, good branching and in the correct places etc etc.

Now with that said, a "good" california juniper will not be had in the 500.00 range while a "good" prostrata or "good" shimpaku with some size could be attained for 500.00. Grafting shimpaku foliage on it kinda takes the Ca juniper out of the idea. Why not just gro out a shimpaku?

So I guess my question is what is it that you are looking for in a CA juniper....trunk size?

Trunks cost money, good trunks are not had for 500.00.


BTW, I have been very busy lately due to moving my wife back in after our seperation last summer. All is good now so PM's may have been missed as well as emails....sorry!

Al
 

Attila Soos

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Now with that said, a "good" california juniper will not be had in the 500.00 range while a "good" prostrata or "good" shimpaku with some size could be attained for 500.00.

Al, I bought pretty decent trunks for $150. Totally raw, though, no training at all.

So, I am not sure why you say that you cannot get one for $500.

Last year I got a monster juniper (cascade) from Paul De Rose, for $140. The lower trunk is around 7-8 inches in diameter, and good cascade material is pretty rare.

In the last 5 years I got a few others, with great trunks, all for less than $150. The rest I collected myself.

Could it be that prices have gone up that much?
 
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Dwight

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If they are getting hard to find prices will of course go up.

Al , I can't really explain why I have a hankerin for a calley. I've see a few in LA and they just turn my crank. I also was born in So Cal so it's kinda like goin home in a way. Wierd........... Maybe I should save my money and see a shrink instead. There's also the matter of age , mine not the tree. If I was 20 yrs younger I'd be a lot more patient but when you get to my age time seems to compress a little. Of course there is the matter of patience. I have much more now than I did 20 yrs ago.
 

ianb

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Unless you get really really lucky. I picked this guy up for less than $600 earlier this year.:eek:

Though it wasn't too healthy back then it is coming back nicely. I'm taking my time cleaning out the deadwood (lots of rot as it was kept too wet for a while) right now.
 

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greerhw

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As soon as you cats fix up Dwight, keep me in mind, I'll buy most anything from California with the name Juniper on it !

keep it green,
Harry
 

Smoke

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Al, I bought pretty decent trunks for $150. Totally raw, though, no training at all.

So, I am not sure why you say that you cannot get one for $500.

Last year I got a monster juniper (cascade) from Paul De Rose, for $140. The lower trunk is around 7-8 inches in diameter, and good cascade material is pretty rare.

In the last 5 years I got a few others, with great trunks, all for less than $150. The rest I collected myself.

Could it be that prices have gone up that much?

Well you have not shown what you bought so your value may vary. Let's just say that what you may find a good deal at 150.00 may be a stick in a pot for me. It's all subjective.

Remember this part in my post.....
I mean, good taper, good rootage, good branching and in the correct places etc etc.
 

Attila Soos

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Let's just say that what you may find a good deal at 150.00 may be a stick in a pot for me. It's all subjective.

.....

I agree. Same here. Most of what people find great deals, are sticks in a pot for me. I am rather jaded, when it comes to getting excited about any bonsai. I've seen too many California Junipers in my life.

[This part of my post is subsequently edited]

I've changed my response here because after a second thought I realized that the bargains are not the norm, and they should be held confidential. It is in the best interest of our community to do so.
So, my official response is... (especially for those who work for the IRS):

Yes, you are right Al, one should not expect to pay less than $500 for a good Cali. Juniper material. The $150 in my previous post was a misprint. I just forgot the second zero.
 
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greerhw

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I agree. Same here. Most of what people find great deals, are sticks in a pot for me. I am rather jaded, when it comes to getting excited about any bonsai. I've seen too many California Junipers in my life.

[This part of my post is subsequently edited]

I've changed my response here because after a second thought I realized that the bargains are not the norm, and they should be held confidential. It is in the best interest of our community to do so.
So, my official response is... (especially for those who work for the IRS):

Yes, you are right Al, one should not expect to pay less than $500 for a good Cali. Juniper material. The $150 in my previous post was a misprint. I just forgot the second zero.

Price is not the object, quality is, who the hell wants a California juniper for 150 bucks, that looks like a pice of shit that will never make a bonsai. There are no GOOD DEALS in bonsai, you get what you pay for, period. If you are fortunate enough to live where you can collect them, then I'm wrong, but I'm not.

keep it green,
Harry
 

Smoke

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Price is not the object, quality is, who the hell wants a California juniper for 150 bucks, that looks like a pice of shit that will never make a bonsai. There are no GOOD DEALS in bonsai, you get what you pay for, period. If you are fortunate enough to live where you can collect them, then I'm wrong, but I'm not.

keep it green,
Harry

That Harry was my exact point. I don't care about price. I care about value. Long long ago when Ripsgreentree and I use to argue about material he would always tell me that I was a cheapskate and never gave his material a chance. I told him once that even if he wished to "give" me some of those things I didn't want them.

When something has value to me, money is no object. If I find value and the checkbook is low then I have to pass it by, though my wife can't live with me for a month......

Cheers, Al
 
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