I geeked out on plants today and am excited to have gotten 3 pre-bonsai plants and tools at Artisan Bonsai Nursery

Katie0317

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My husband and I went to Tampa today to visit Artisan's bonsai nursery. It was well worth the trip. He practices yamidori and his trees are exquisite and he's incredibly nice too. They do a big business.

I'm so excited! I got three pre-bonsai trees...A Bardados Cherry, A Water Jasmine, and a Chinese Elm along with a bag of their soil mix, a small amount of fertilizer, a small pot of bright green moss, a pair of Japanese scissors, Japanese wirecutters, three sizes of wire and a plain brown unglazed pot. I don't even know how to wire yet and I ended up with three sizes of it!

The scissors look like those cheap ones with red and white handles but they have Japanese writing on the blades.

I feel like such a geek to be this happy with getting these things. I bought the Bardados Cherry for my husband because he wasn't going to get anything and it was my favorite and I knew he'd get interested in it if he had one to care for...Sure enough he's Googling Barbados Cherry plants right now. Smile...

They teach a class on how to wire and we'll need to take that.

I bought a Chinese Elm because I want to grow it indoors and I like the S shaped trunks on them.

As I was checking out I noticed the Water Jasmine had two trunks growing half way up the tree very close together. I mentioned to him and he said he'd take one off and the next thing I knew he's cut it off and put cut paste over the cut and I stuck the stalk in the dirt to propagate. He began showing me how to keep it pruned and I was entranced walking him snip the tips of the branches explaining as he did so. He was working with a shiny stainless steel instrument and I was entranced. He was sold out of it...(He's having trouble getting shipments from Japan) but it was fun just watching him snip away.
 

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Katie0317

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Thank you NaoTK. It really was fun. Now we need to focus on growing them and learning as much as we can. I enjoy that part too.
 

Katie0317

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In Florida, I think you're right. Am going to try and grow the Chinese elm indoors after it grows a bit more and I learn how to shape it. We get a few cold nights a year but we bring our orchids inside on those nights...What's a few more.
 

Carol 83

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In Florida, I think you're right. Am going to try and grow the Chinese elm indoors after it grows a bit more and I learn how to shape it. We get a few cold nights a year but we bring our orchids inside on those nights...What's a few more.
The Barbados Cherry would be more successful growing inside than the Chinese elm, if you feel you need to keep one inside.
 

Katie0317

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The Barbados Cherry would be more successful growing inside than the Chinese elm, if you feel you need to keep one inside.
Thanks Carol. If the elm would start to decline I'd move it outside. We get a tremendous amount of light in our home. The windows have no screens or tint etc and we have two walls of windows in one room. It's very bright.
 

Potawatomi13

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Actually being a chinese tree the Elm should stay outside. They are not tropical.
 

penumbra

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I bought a Chinese Elm because I want to grow it indoors
Of the three plants you bought, this one should be outside. Some experts can keep them inside but a lot of us that have tried have failed. I had some cutting I rooted a few years back. The ones kept inside all died and those outside are growing strongly in bright sunlight.
 

TinyArt

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Did the seller say your Chinese Elm can be indoors?

Some cultivars (with smooth bark) can be kept indoors, according to Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Growing Bonsai Indoors, 2013... But as deciduous trees, they still do best with a rest period of lower temperature (60-65 degrees F) during winter.

So depending on your situation, you might find yourself putting the little guy out for the winter! 🤔
 

penumbra

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In zone 6 I have a few varieties of Chinese Elm. They have all wintered fine outdoors. The only one I ever killed was indoors.
It must mean something.
 

HorseloverFat

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In zone 6 I have a few varieties of Chinese Elm. They have all wintered fine outdoors. The only one I ever killed was indoors.
It must mean something.
Here in zone 5 we are on that “cusp”...

Although I personally do not own a Parvifolia, a practitioner from BABS I spoke with quasi-recently tells me that he needs to “Shed” them for winter.

To which I replied, in an intentionally thick Wisconsin accent, “Ope! I hear’ya. EVERYHING needs protection ‘round yere fir a minute o’dat Winter, yah!”

🤓

(When I make my accent thicker.. no one EVER notices... That means it’s pretty friggin thick up here. 🤣)
 

TinyArt

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In zone 6 I have a few varieties of Chinese Elm. They have all wintered fine outdoors. The only one I ever killed was indoors.
It must mean something.
I do believe you -- and it's definitely fair warning from someone experienced.

ALL of the inexpensive Chinese Elm that I've seen online have been billed as outdoor, or having textured bark, or both. (I'll be getting one for the "Cheap As Chips" contest, as learning material -- knowing that if/when I move, it may need a new home. Provided it has survived my tender mercies....)
 

Katie0317

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I agree that ideally a Chinese elm should grow outside but everything I've read says it can be successfully grown indoors. It is a tropical tree from Asia. I was surprised when my husband asked the owner of Artisan's nursery if it could be grown indoors. He said yes it could be. It's not going anywhere other than outdoors anytime soon. I'm going to leave it in the dirt so the trunk will get thicker. I read that letting the branches grow without pruning for a few months at a time will make a healthier plant so I'll do that too.

If I find a Fukien tea tree that I like, I may choose it to grow it instead indoors instead. I've grown a jade bonsai indoors for ten years and it's been happy but that's an easy tree to grow indoors.

It's funny but this nursery had spectacular bonsai. Each more breathtaking than the next. One had a fountain in it. When we went indoors to check out and chat I noticed that high up on a shelf above his pots were a jade, ficus and what I think was a schefflera. The room was not bright at all and the only light those trees got was from a florescent light in the ceiling. I was surprised to see them alive and seemingly well. Next time I'm there I'll ask about them. It seemed like they would need far more light.

Has anyone ever grown a water jasmine before?

On another note I just learned of a man who's selling his 30 year collection of trees and invited us to his home to shop. He's 2 1/2 to 3 hours away and I'm not sure I'm up for the trip. Florida interstate driving is bad these days due to so much construction. It's a lot of driving. I'd love to see what he has before we went.

I'm just happy to have gotten plants that I can start growing myself. It's not critical that the Chinese elm live indoors. I'll share a picture of it's trunk and maybe some of you can give me a clue how long it will take before it's becomes more interesting. I know there are things I need to do to fascilitate that but I need to read more about it.

Thanks for the input.
 

Katie0317

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I do believe you -- and it's definitely fair warning from someone experienced.

ALL of the inexpensive Chinese Elm that I've seen online have been billed as outdoor, or having textured bark, or both. (I'll be getting one for the "Cheap As Chips" contest, as learning material -- knowing that if/when I move, it may need a new home. Provided it has survived my tender mercies....)
TinyArt, what's the cheap as chips contest?
 

TinyArt

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TinyArt, what's the cheap as chips contest?
Here 'tis -- see what you think!

 

Katie0317

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Here in zone 5 we are on that “cusp”...

Although I personally do not own a Parvifolia, a practitioner from BABS I spoke with quasi-recently tells me that he needs to “Shed” them for winter.

To which I replied, in an intentionally thick Wisconsin accent, “Ope! I hear’ya. EVERYHING needs protection ‘round yere fir a minute o’dat Winter, yah!”

🤓

(When I make my accent thicker.. no one EVER notices... That means it’s pretty friggin thick up here. 🤣)
HorseloverFat, I meant to say I spent time there and never heard so many people use the phrase 'You betcha!'
I know just how you feel! Keep it up!
I know just how you feel! Keep it up!
Thank you Rustedtrew. The smartest thing I did was get my husband interested too! He's sitting next to me watching bonsai videos...It makes it more fun.
 
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