Virginia friends....

markyscott

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As we continue searching for retirement destinations, my wife and I have been visiting Charlottesville for the past couple of weeks. Is there anyone from that area participating in the forum? Is there a local bonsai club? How do you like the area? Are there challenges in growing bonsai here that I should be aware of?
 

Adair M

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As we continue searching for retirement destinations, my wife and I have been visiting Charlottesville for the past couple of weeks. Is there anyone from that area participating in the forum? Is there a local bonsai club? How do you like the area? Are there challenges in growing bonsai here that I should be aware of?
I thought you had purchased land in the Asheville area?
 

markyscott

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I thought you had purchased land in the Asheville area?

Not yet - we’re still poking around. I’d thought we’d have been further along, but it’s been tough to make progress for the past 6 months. If I live in Virginia, can I still be in the redneck club?

S
 

cbroad

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Is there anyone from that area participating in the forum?
I'd say @VAFisher, @penumbra, @rockm, and I are probably the most active members from VA, but there are more here. I'm not sure about local Charlottesville members though.

Richmond Bonsai Society is pretty active and is only 45 minutes to an hour drive east of Charlottesville. There are/were other clubs in Charlottesville, Roanoke, and Lynchburg but I'm not sure how active they are.

The only challenge I would see for growing bonsai there is the snowfall. It is zone 7, but they usually get at least 15 inches of snow every year.

Summers are warm to hot (80-100°F), but cool down considerable at night (upper 60s to upper 50s sometimes).

I personally love the Blue Ridge mountains and everything it has to offer, but I unfortunately don't get enough time to enjoy it. Plenty of lakes, rivers, hiking and biking trails. Tons of history everywhere you go in the state. You can literally be in the mountains in the morning and be at the ocean in the afternoon, or drive up I95 :eek:to D.C.

The only other challenge I can think of in that area is black bear.

Maybe us Virginia folk can answer more questions if you have any!
 
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rockm

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As we continue searching for retirement destinations, my wife and I have been visiting Charlottesville for the past couple of weeks. Is there anyone from that area participating in the forum? Is there a local bonsai club? How do you like the area? Are there challenges in growing bonsai here that I should be aware of?
I grew up just over the Blue Ridge from C'ville in the Shenandoah Valley. Loved that area of Va. have many friends there still.

There are no challenges to keeping bonsai there--unless you have tropical, then you have problems anywhere you go.😁

Bear ain't a problem. Money can be in that area--takes a bit of it if you're looking in some places to buy a house. 😜

I don't know if there is a bonsai club in C'ville these days. I used to belong to the Rappahannock Bonsai Club, but it was run by my friends who own a bonsai nursery. They've since stopped selling bonsai, so no more club, but they do lessons. There are five bonsai clubs up in the D.C. area and you're not that far from the N.C. arb, the D.C. Bonsai and Penjing Museum.
I would move back to that area in a minute. I'm getting close to retirement, it's on the list along with the Northern Neck of Va.

If you do wind up deciding on Charlottesville, drop me a line. Also if you have any specific questions about that area before in general, PM me. happy to help.
 

rockm

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Also FWIW, I keep Texas collected cedar elm, bald cypress and live oak here in N.Va. have for 20 years. Not a problem if you overwinter them in mulched beds. Charlottesville is a bit colder, but not all that much. Jefferson had vineyards. The Rockfish Valley has a few climate zones and its been mapped out historically going back three centuries-- apples grow in the coldest elevations, peaches and grapes in the lower. Va. wines are winning a lot of international awards these days... most of those vineyards are over near C'ville.
 

coh

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I think we talked about this via PM. I lived west of Richmond (Powhatan county) for 5 years, and worked in Charlottesville. Wasn't doing bonsai at the time but can't think of any particular climate issues. Winters are very short and mild compared to up here (duh!), but there is some snow and ice most years. Summers are long, hot, humid but sometimes quite droughty. I would think most species would do pretty well there, though not sure if something like larch would last. Probably a better chance if you're up in the Cville area than Richmond.

One problem we did encounter with some plants in the landscape was the tendency for growth to get started quite early in the spring, then get damaged by frosts. We had a big wisteria vine that had the buds destroyed most years.

Check in with Julian Adams, he is in Lynchburg which isn't too far away.
 

cbroad

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One problem we did encounter with some plants in the landscape was the tendency for growth to get started quite early in the spring, then get damaged by frosts
This is definitely an issue around central VA... At least in my area, and I'm sure Charlottesville too.

Especially this past spring, I had some plants wake up 30-45 days early. We were having frosts into late April and probably early May; I didn't pull any plants out of the mulch beds until mid May to be safe.
 

VAFisher

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Hey there @markyscott . First of all, you can definitely be in the redneck club if you live in VA. I live in Goochland county, which is roughly half way between Richmond and Charlottesville. I work in C-ville.

Everyone else has pretty much already filled you in but I'll just reinforce that there aren't many challenges to growing bonsai here with the exception of early springs and frosts or freezes after things start growing. I lost a nice water elm from Zach this winter. My best guess is that it broke dormancy during a really warm January and then froze afterwards. I didn't notice it growing and took no extra precautions when it got cold again. Lesson learned.

My favorite thing about the area from a bonsai standpoint is the wide variety of stuff you can keep here. Southern species like water elm, water oak, crape myrtle, etc do fine here. And northern species like ponderosa pine, black hills and Colorado spruce do well also. I leave my spruce sitting out on benches most years.

Definitely drop me a note if you're in the area.

Dan
 

rockm

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And @markyscott, you might want to expand beyond the C'ville area into surrounding counties--like Albemarle, Nelson and Orange counties. You might even consider looking on the other side of the Blue Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley. All offer less expensive housing, more beautiful scenery and less people. Nelson County, southwest of C'ville is a great option if you stay on the Rockfish Valley side of the Blue Ridge (BTW-fun fact--that area is where the Blue Ridge is its own mountain range, separated from the Appalachians by the Shenandoah Valley)...It is home to the "real" Waltons Mountain--Schuyler, Va. Alot of C'ville expatriots are moving to Nelson counties and places in southern Albemarle like Crozet...

some of my favorite places in Nelson County






 
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markyscott

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And @markyscott, you might want to expand beyond the C'ville area into surrounding counties--like Albemarle, Nelson and Orange counties. You might even consider looking on the other side of the Blue Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley. All offer less expensive housing, more beautiful scenery and less people. Nelson County, southwest of C'ville is a great option if you stay on the Rockfish Valley side of the Blue Ridge (BTW-fun fact--that area is where the Blue Ridge is its own mountain range, separated from the Appalachians by the Shenandoah Valley)...It is home to the "real" Waltons Mountain--Schuyler, Va. Alot of C'ville expatriots are moving to Nelson counties and places in southern Albemarle like Crozet...

some of my favorite places in Nelson County







Thanks very much!! I’ll add these to our list. I did make it to Crab Tree Falls - very beautiful. I also hiked Old Rag. Pretty challenging, but views from the summit were pretty spectacular. Definitely worth the effort.

S
 

Adair M

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Not yet - we’re still poking around. I’d thought we’d have been further along, but it’s been tough to make progress for the past 6 months. If I live in Virginia, can I still be in the redneck club?

S
You can, it’s a bit far to drive.
 

markyscott

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We have a contract on a fairly large tract of acreage in Delaplane…. Looks like a Virginia move is definitely in the works. Taking a break from meeting contractors and heading to DC tomorrow to visit the National Arboretum.

S
 
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