Wigert's = WOW

Eric Group

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I am in south Florida to visit my grands this weekend and as I usually do I searched the web for some bonsai stuff in the area and found Wigerts is only a couple towns over so we planned a trip today... I didn't really know what to expect but I was freaking BLOWN AWAY! So many beautiful trees... Most are tropicals which I don't d well with, but they had a few tables of Juniper and Black Pines as well.. The Bouganvilla he had on display were quite simply the most beautiful I think I have ever seen and some of the best trees I have ever seen in person period. If any of you are on the southern gulf coast of a Florida and don't make a trip over here, you are missing out! It is worth the trip just to SEE the trees, even if you don't need to buy anything! I wound up purchasing a nice little shimpaku, some wire and a large plastic pot just to use as a training pot for medium to large trees. Wish I could have gotten something of a little more substance but we simply have no room on the ride home and I didn't come prepared to drop $500-$1000 on a specimen tree... I felt the prices overall were very fair for what you were getting! I will try to post some images in a minute, but I haven't gotten the stream from my phone to my iPad yet.
 

tmmason10

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I too was blown away by the trees they have on display. The prices are very fair, I'd say half compared to what I would spend up here. It is definitely worth a visit I wish I could go more often.
 

mat

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I have yet to make it down there, but everything I've seen (from afar) and heard agrees with you that it is an awesome nursery. Next year I'll have to suck it up and make the drive...

Here's a little promo video they released last week.

http://youtu.be/R6wtrWaPKsk
 

Eric Group

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This was at the entry way... I guess if you go with a strict definition of "tree in a tray/ pot" that many claim is the literal translation of the word bonsai, this wouldn't quite qualify.. It is more of a landscape tree, but the rock is pretty much acting as the pot I guess... Regardless they had two of these set ups and they are really cool! Never seen anything quite like it... Sort of the extreme Root over rock style I guess!

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One of my favorite bougies- damn, he had some nice ones!

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I think this was a Fukien tea.. I have seen hundreds of these, used to own a couple myself... NEVER seen one anywhere close to this mature and developed though. I usually think of them as a weak, kind of wimpy tree... Never could figure out why people liked them... This one was amazing!

Of course, beating in a tropical area, there were beautiful ficus all over the place:

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And I am telling you they have TONAGE! Like, a CRAZY number of "potensai" of all species from Fukien tea, okinawan Holly, ficus, Elms... To Shimpaku, Hollywood Juniper, some really nice SanJose over to one side with big ole beefy trunks, cypress, and a table of black Pine as well! I was torn between grabbing a Shimpaku or a black pine, finally landed on Shimpaku because I can't find them easily in my area and the people i know with pines in Columbia have been eaten up with Needle cast it seems... So, I didn't want to drop coin on a tree and watch it get sick in less than a year. I already have two black pine that are more developed than the ones I could afford from Wigerts anyway (I haven't noticed any signs of needle cast on mine yet... Could be cause I only have the two and there are no wild pines on my property). He HAS some nice Juniper and Pines, but it is clear that tropicals are his focus! The Bougies are my favorites, but I am really impressed with Buttonwoods lately and if I could do better with tropicals, that would be a species I would own. I just don't have a good place for them inside my home, they always struggle through the winter and eventually pass away it seems. I do have two Bouganvilla I have kept happy for 5+ years right now, but they are the exception to my no tropicals "rule". Until I build a nice sun room in my house just for plants or construct some sort of complex indoor grow system with lights, I am just not gonna get a bunch of tropicals!

They have a ton of cool pots at Wigert's as well as soil, tools and some of the individual components for soil, like small sized lava rocks and turface.. Next times come down to see my grand parents I am bringing more money! I really left that place impressed... I was trying to leave my girls (fiancee and two daughters) home with my grandparents so I could spend some time there, but they tagged along which meant of course I was "on the clock". They can spend 8 hours roaming around an outlet mall, but if I spend more than 30 minutes at a nursery, I get the stink eye! Oh well, I got to see pretty much everything, got to buy a couple things and I know where to go next time we com south... Ya'll need to go check it out!
 

Eric Group

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I have yet to make it down there, but everything I've seen (from afar) and heard agrees with you that it is an awesome nursery. Next year I'll have to suck it up and make the drive...

Here's a little promo video they released last week.

http://youtu.be/R6wtrWaPKsk

I didn't meet Eric, he was teaching a class but I met his wife (I assume they are married?..) she was really cool. She introduced herself right when I pulled up and was super helpful the whole time..

I am really glad I went there!
 

mike sommers

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I am in south Florida to visit my grands this weekend and as I usually do I searched the web for some bonsai stuff in the area and found Wigerts is only a couple towns over so we planned a trip today... I didn't really know what to expect but I was freaking BLOWN AWAY! So many beautiful trees... Most are tropicals which I don't d well with, but they had a few tables of Juniper and Black Pines as well.. The Bouganvilla he had on display were quite simply the most beautiful I think I have ever seen and some of the best trees I have ever seen in person period. If any of you are on the southern gulf coast of a Florida and don't make a trip over here, you are missing out! It is worth the trip just to SEE the trees, even if you don't need to buy anything! I wound up purchasing a nice little shimpaku, some wire and a large plastic pot just to use as a training pot for medium to large trees. Wish I could have gotten something of a little more substance but we simply have no room on the ride home and I didn't come prepared to drop $500-$1000 on a specimen tree... I felt the prices overall were very fair for what you were getting! I will try to post some images in a minute, but I haven't gotten the stream from my phone to my iPad yet.
I live only 20 miles from Wigert's Bonsai Nursery and buy all my trees and supplies from them. Erik and Andrea are wonderful people. They are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, and the quality and prices are hard to beat. Check out their website: http://www.wigertsbonsai.com/ and facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wigertsbonsai. Intro video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXrU3KUrMoI
 

tmpgh

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I had a Bougie shipped to me from there last year. Very nice little tree at a great price. I'm very happy with them and intend to shop with them again.
 
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