Often times overlooked or misunderstand by beginners, choosing the right material for the bonsai we want to develop is a fundamental skill. In fact, choosing the right material will dictate not only the manner of tree development, but also the time it takes to develop this specific bonsai. So what are we looking for when choosing material?
First, we need to speak a little bit about the concept of "potential" - a most misapplied word in the context of bonsai IMO. "Potential" is defined as having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future. That kind of begs the question as potential does not exist in a vacuum. Rather, when we are discussing potential, we need to have an end game in mind and then ask ourselves whether the tree has the potential to become the bonsai we want. In understanding this potential, a more appropriate question is what is the timeline to achieve this intended potential? Let me explain:
A seed or seedling has unbridled potential. Given the time and effort, these can be developed into basically anything we want. It can be said that these seeds/seedlings have immense potential. But is that good material? Well, ask yourself what is that you would like to develop. If the desire is to develop a six inch base from a seedling, the timeline for this development will be extraordinarily long. No matter what material we start with, bonsai development will always be a multi-year project. So if a large base is wanted, a better material to start with would be a tree with a much larger trunk. This will greatly reduce the development time and would, therefore, constitute better material.
We can view potential from the opposite spectrum as well. Consider a Walter Pall tree developed for decades into a giant, wonderful informal upright. You want to drop the $10k or so to purchaser the tree and develop it into a shohin cascade style. I would submit that this tree, as spectacular as it may be, lacks potential. Its potential has already been actualized into the form it is in now. Putting the costs aside, there is far better material to start with if what you are looking to develop is a shohin cascade.
A key take away is that what is last in action is first in thought when it comes to bonsai. I used to go shopping for trees with species and an end design in mind before I ever got to the store. I now do the opposite. I try to observe the trees and ask myself "where can this tree be in 5 years?" I then make a decision if I want to develop this specific tree to that specific end. Again, I will be spending many, many years developing this specific tree regardless of what I start with. The goal is to start with something that resembles your finished product as closely as possible (as temporally remote as that result may actually be). Truth be told, even when starting with good material the timeline is quite long. So why would someone choose to start with material that only prolongs this process by many years? They should not as this would be an example of material not best suited for the project.
Of course, one can go shopping for a Japanese maple, for example, that they want to develop as an informal upright with a 3" base, great taper and lots of movement. It just may be harder to find the appropriate material at a specific shop given these restrictions. A seedling could be developed into this (or anything else for that matter), but each of the desired elements will need to be developed by you. The tree will need to be grown out for many years to develop the size. It will be cut back many times to develop the movement and taper wanted. 10 years can go by before you are actually developing branches. The seedling had awesome potential, but was it good material for the project - all things being equal, I would give this a resounding no. More suitable material would be those trees that bring you closer to the endzone (but still likely at the opponent's 20 yard line and far from the actual goal). A tree that already has 2+ inches of thickness so it doesn't have to be grown from scratch. Maybe some lower movement so that the trunk doesn't have to be pruned back hard low down to create such movement from scratch. With the above goals in mind, I would likely be looking for a tree that already has much of its girth and lower movement. I would prefer not to have to start nebari from scratch if possible. If I can meet these criteria, in 5 years I could maybe finish the skeleton of my trunk and start branch ramification. The nebari should be well on its way by then. This is much better material for the specific goal in mind.
Many of us want to feel as if we have "complete ownership" over the development of our trees. They may feel it's "cheating" or not really my work if I purchase a tree that is further along in its development. I don't buy into this at all and, frankly, think it's nonsense for most of us. Most of us have no ability to improve a Walter Pall tree and will frankly never purchase a tree of that caliber. We will be purchasing trees in the few hundred dollar range and then spend an eternity developing it. The work done makes it your tree as much as if you grew it from a seedling. Nothing against seedlings - they make for great grafting material. They even eventually grow into trees, but much more fun to grow as such if you already have some more developed trees growing.
The key take away is that material is measured against the intended goals. Material that is lightyears from where we want it to be is not suitable material - you can do better. On the other hand, material that allows you to teleport many years into the tree's development and towards an intended goal is better material. This is ultimately a subjective decision based on one's budget, skills and ultimate goals.
First, we need to speak a little bit about the concept of "potential" - a most misapplied word in the context of bonsai IMO. "Potential" is defined as having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future. That kind of begs the question as potential does not exist in a vacuum. Rather, when we are discussing potential, we need to have an end game in mind and then ask ourselves whether the tree has the potential to become the bonsai we want. In understanding this potential, a more appropriate question is what is the timeline to achieve this intended potential? Let me explain:
A seed or seedling has unbridled potential. Given the time and effort, these can be developed into basically anything we want. It can be said that these seeds/seedlings have immense potential. But is that good material? Well, ask yourself what is that you would like to develop. If the desire is to develop a six inch base from a seedling, the timeline for this development will be extraordinarily long. No matter what material we start with, bonsai development will always be a multi-year project. So if a large base is wanted, a better material to start with would be a tree with a much larger trunk. This will greatly reduce the development time and would, therefore, constitute better material.
We can view potential from the opposite spectrum as well. Consider a Walter Pall tree developed for decades into a giant, wonderful informal upright. You want to drop the $10k or so to purchaser the tree and develop it into a shohin cascade style. I would submit that this tree, as spectacular as it may be, lacks potential. Its potential has already been actualized into the form it is in now. Putting the costs aside, there is far better material to start with if what you are looking to develop is a shohin cascade.
A key take away is that what is last in action is first in thought when it comes to bonsai. I used to go shopping for trees with species and an end design in mind before I ever got to the store. I now do the opposite. I try to observe the trees and ask myself "where can this tree be in 5 years?" I then make a decision if I want to develop this specific tree to that specific end. Again, I will be spending many, many years developing this specific tree regardless of what I start with. The goal is to start with something that resembles your finished product as closely as possible (as temporally remote as that result may actually be). Truth be told, even when starting with good material the timeline is quite long. So why would someone choose to start with material that only prolongs this process by many years? They should not as this would be an example of material not best suited for the project.
Of course, one can go shopping for a Japanese maple, for example, that they want to develop as an informal upright with a 3" base, great taper and lots of movement. It just may be harder to find the appropriate material at a specific shop given these restrictions. A seedling could be developed into this (or anything else for that matter), but each of the desired elements will need to be developed by you. The tree will need to be grown out for many years to develop the size. It will be cut back many times to develop the movement and taper wanted. 10 years can go by before you are actually developing branches. The seedling had awesome potential, but was it good material for the project - all things being equal, I would give this a resounding no. More suitable material would be those trees that bring you closer to the endzone (but still likely at the opponent's 20 yard line and far from the actual goal). A tree that already has 2+ inches of thickness so it doesn't have to be grown from scratch. Maybe some lower movement so that the trunk doesn't have to be pruned back hard low down to create such movement from scratch. With the above goals in mind, I would likely be looking for a tree that already has much of its girth and lower movement. I would prefer not to have to start nebari from scratch if possible. If I can meet these criteria, in 5 years I could maybe finish the skeleton of my trunk and start branch ramification. The nebari should be well on its way by then. This is much better material for the specific goal in mind.
Many of us want to feel as if we have "complete ownership" over the development of our trees. They may feel it's "cheating" or not really my work if I purchase a tree that is further along in its development. I don't buy into this at all and, frankly, think it's nonsense for most of us. Most of us have no ability to improve a Walter Pall tree and will frankly never purchase a tree of that caliber. We will be purchasing trees in the few hundred dollar range and then spend an eternity developing it. The work done makes it your tree as much as if you grew it from a seedling. Nothing against seedlings - they make for great grafting material. They even eventually grow into trees, but much more fun to grow as such if you already have some more developed trees growing.
The key take away is that material is measured against the intended goals. Material that is lightyears from where we want it to be is not suitable material - you can do better. On the other hand, material that allows you to teleport many years into the tree's development and towards an intended goal is better material. This is ultimately a subjective decision based on one's budget, skills and ultimate goals.
