What is the longest time you have spent looking at a nursery specimen before buying it?

Aiki_Joker · Mar 19, 2017

Looking at a tree for over two hours the other day and the sales guy said, 'are you going to buy that or just look at it, we sell to make money here, it is not a show.' Cheeky baastuud ha ha ha!

I said to him, 'maybe... not sure if you remember but I purchased a straggly one armed bougainvillea that you failed to look after the other day. You sold it to me for 3 rial' (6 GBP or 5 USD ish).

I pulled out my phone and showed him a picture of the vine now looking like a scale tree in a decent pot about 10 inches tall. 'There it is, doing well right?' 'Yea,' he said sheepishly.

I said, 'someone offered me 30 rial (60GBP or 50 USD ish) for it recently, but I'll sell it to you for 20 if you like!' I leaned in smiling and lowered my voice whispering, 'Take the time and you will make more money my friend!'

Ha ha ha

We laughed about it in the end and he explained his logistics and the lack of choice. Just order so many of each plant and hope half of them survive the shipping. Not many good nurseries here and this guy knows he has a half decent one which is cool. Pretty decent business man if nothing else lol!!

Brian Van Fleet · Mar 19, 2017

I deliberated over these trees about a year each before I pulled the trigger. I still have the juniper.

Aiki_Joker · Mar 20, 2017

Brian Van Fleet said:
I deliberated over these trees about a year each before I pulled the trigger. I still have the juniper.
View attachment 137365 View attachment 137366 View attachment 137367

Awesome! Thought I was alone ha ha ha

Aiki_Joker · Mar 20, 2017

How big is that Juniper with the deadwood? Look$ massive!

Wilson · Mar 20, 2017

It is pretty much a guarantee that when I stop into a nursery, I will spend hours there. My lady rarely joins me any more!

leatherback · Mar 20, 2017

Wilson said:
It is pretty much a guarantee that when I stop into a nursery, I will spend hours there.

And I find it is almost guaranteed I will walk out without buying anything.

sorce · Mar 20, 2017

Waiting ain't a good idea.

I call it the dissappearing tree trick!

Screw that!

Sorce

Brian Van Fleet · Mar 20, 2017

Aiki_Joker said:
How big is that Juniper with the deadwood? Look$ massive!

About 27" tall from the soil line. Smaller than it probably looks, but isn't that the goal?

rockm · Mar 20, 2017

Three years. In ground Bald Cypresses. Saw them one spring, took a closer look the next spring, chopped and dug out the following spring. Cost like $50 or so for an eight inch diameter trunk. Took and hour and three employees to get it out. Lost it the following spring to a creeping fungal infection... DAMN.

M. Frary · Mar 20, 2017

There are a couple large a murder maple stumps out back at a nursery I found 2 years ago.
I didn't buy them then because they wouldn't fir in either my Explorer or my wife's car. They were dug out of the ground with a tree spade. The rootballs are 3 feet across.
I called last summer and they were still there.
Maybe I'll go get them this year.
No one but me wants them. They have been cut off and are ugly. Ugly to other people that is.

leatherback · Mar 20, 2017

How much will you let them pay you for taking them out of their Nursery, @Mike

ColinFraser · Mar 20, 2017

leatherback said:
And I find it is almost guaranteed I will walk out without buying anything.

THIS!
As I've gotten pickier about material, I leave nurseries empty handed most of the time too!

Regarding the original question, there's a big liquidambar in a box at a little wholesale nursery that I've been thinking about for two years now. If I'd just bought it and chopped it back then, I'd have the second trunk segment by now!

Bonsai Nut · Mar 20, 2017

Generally I don't deliberate too long. However in one case I saw a big Chinese elm stump one year and decided I didn't want to take it on as a project. It was gone the next time I visited the same nursery, and I thought they had sold it. Then two years later I was at the same nursery again - and this time they had it on sale

So I bought it

It's still a project, however.

M. Frary · Mar 20, 2017

leatherback said:
How much will you let them pay you for taking them out of their Nursery, @Mike

He wanted $100.00 each when I asked the first time.
It should be less now. And I have a pick up truck this time.

justBonsai · Mar 20, 2017

I used to frequent San Gabriel Nursery on a regular basis--now not so much.

They have a ton of old raw material at really good prices. Generally I will sweep through their entire raw stock/pre-bonsai material and see what is the best bang for your buck tree they have in my budget. Once in awhile I'll find something really nice and pick it up. My large hibari elm I posted in one of my threads ran me under $150 I think. For a 4-5 inch trunk, an old one at that with tons of character, and an extremely desirable cultivar it was a really good deal. Sometimes I will find good project trees that I'm tempted to buy. If no one picks it up over the course of several trips I will grab it. Generally my criteria for buying a tree is 1) must be a good deal, 2) will improve my collection, and 3) will grow well in my climate. The past year and a half the quality of my trees have improved a lot and I've steered away from trees that don't do well in the heat.

chicago1980 · Mar 20, 2017

1 year. Took that long for the seller and I to make it happen.

Fastest I purchased in 10 minutes of being offered.

Aiki_Joker · Mar 22, 2017

rockm said:
Three years. In ground Bald Cypresses. Saw them one spring, took a closer look the next spring, chopped and dug out the following spring. Cost like $50 or so for an eight inch diameter trunk. Took and hour and three employees to get it out. Lost it the following spring to a creeping fungal infection... DAMN.

Nightmare man

Aiki_Joker · Mar 22, 2017

chicago1980 said:
1 year. Took that long for the seller and I to make it happen.
View attachment 137552

Fastest I purchased in 10 minutes of being offered.

View attachment 137553

Wow! Juniper? Looks like good but difficult material

JudyB · Mar 22, 2017

I'm waiting for someone to say - not long enough...

chicago1980 · Mar 22, 2017

Aiki_Joker said:
Wow! Juniper? Looks like good but difficult material

Yes, both are Rocky Mountain Junipers.

Top was collected by Sam Miller out of Utah.

Bottom was collected by Randy Knight out of Portland.

Both offer their challenges.

Hopefully by early spring 2018 I can style the Sam Miller collected Juniper.

The bottom one is at least 2 years out from me doing anything besides fertilizer, water, and treatment for fungus or insects.

What is the longest time you have spent looking at a nursery specimen before buying it?

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