Check out this 'zalea stump

[berobinson82]

I was at a mom and pop nursery, and saw this trunk among the hundreds of azaleas. The proprietor tells me it's a Rhododendron Karens or a Karen's Azalea. Dunno. It was 5 feet tall when I snagged it and now it's about 10 inches. Just starting to push buds all over except the very top... azaleas are jerks. I might repot this year but I've no kanuma so it might stay put until the next year. Just thought I'd share a decent find. ~$70



Cheers,

B

 

[cbroad]

Awesome trunk!!! Where'd you find it?

 

[berobinson82]

Awesome trunk!!! Where'd you find it?

Hey neighbor. Check out the Gardener's Nursery off Broad. Andy and Shelly are good people. There may or may not be other trunks that I plan to pick up at a later date

Cheers,

B

 

[VAFisher]

Nice one. I knew where that came from before you said it. I've got one of his big ones planted in the landscape. I keep meaning to go back and get some more to try for bonsai but it seems like he's never open. He is a nice guy when you can catch him though.

 

[just.wing.it]

Dude.....
Nice.
I'd get rid of those low right side branches...
Inside of the curve...
I'd probably take it all the way down to that large curved section...
But I have only had about a 50% survival rate with that kind of treatment.....so don't listen to me.

 

[vaibatron]

Brob, almost certain I eyed that one at some point!

That place is a gold mine if you are willing to weed out the pots and get a little dirty. I've had a tough making it over there recently ( new work hours), but I spoke to Shelley on the phone this week and they are going to be open this Saturday! Here are a few I picked up last year. Needs some cutting back.

 

[berobinson82]

Dude.....
Nice.
I'd get rid of those low right side branches...
Inside of the curve...
I'd probably take it all the way down to that large curved section...
But I have only had about a 50% survival rate with that kind of treatment.....so don't listen to me.

I should have done that originally... Yes. Right now the tree is pushing so hard that even the sealed cuts are dripping. Makes me nervous to do any current surgery. And by the way, my reason for being cautious is that I've not yet kept an azalea through a growing season...

Cheers,
B

 

[berobinson82]

Brob, almost certain I eyed that one at some point!

That place is a gold mine if you are willing to weed out the pots and get a little dirty. I've had a tough making it over there recently ( new work hours), but I spoke to Shelley on the phone this week and they are going to be open this Saturday! Here are a few I picked up last year. Needs some cutting back.

Already time for summer hours? Alright then! Let us know what you pick up on Saturday.

Cheers,

B

 

[cbroad]

@berobinson82
Haha thanks, GBGH is keeping me pretty busy right now so I actually doubt I'll get out there anytime soon... Haven't seen you around there in a while, probably for the best because it's been a mad house, literally... there was almost a fight there Sunday.

I actually have this weekend off and going to visit my sister for my nephew's 1st birthday in Frederick Maryland, which happens to be right down the street from Meehans's, hoping to score some fat trunks in a 3 or 7gal. pot. I think I talked the indoor buyer into trying to bring in some outdoor prebonsai from them in anything larger than a 6" pot, hopefully 3s and 7s... I assured her we could sell it and any of you other Richmonders could also get first crack at it: @VAFisher , @vaibatron , @Moonster and anybody else close to Richmond, I won't even let them hit the selling floor.

 

[VAFisher]

@berobinson82
Haha thanks, GBGH is keeping me pretty busy right now so I actually doubt I'll get out there anytime soon... Haven't seen you around there in a while, probably for the best because it's been a mad house, literally... there was almost a fight there Sunday.

I actually have this weekend off and going to visit my sister for my nephew's 1st birthday in Frederick Maryland, which happens to be right down the street from Meehans's, hoping to score some fat trunks in a 3 or 7gal. pot. I think I talked the indoor buyer into trying to bring in some outdoor prebonsai from them in anything larger than a 6" pot, hopefully 3s and 7s... I assured her we could sell it and any of you other Richmonders could also get first crack at it: @VAFisher , @vaibatron , @Moonster and anybody else close to Richmond, I won't even let them hit the selling floor.

Cool. What are you bringing in?

 

[cbroad]

@VAFisher
I'm not really sure, I'll ask her about it today. When we talked about it, it was in January and she was putting together an order for their smaller stuff so it was a little early and I told her not to bring that stuff in until they broke dormancy (because she has brought in some deciduous stuff out of season and it's been left in the greenhouse to over winter if you'd call it that, I had some amurs and bald cypress that didn't do well the following spring).

I'm hoping for anything with a decent trunk in a larger size, maples, elms, really anything... Do you have any requests? I'm still looking out for any Virginia pines for you also.

And if any other Richmonders have any requests let me know, I'll see if I can look at their availability today or soon.

 

[berobinson82]

@berobinson82
Haha thanks, GBGH is keeping me pretty busy right now so I actually doubt I'll get out there anytime soon... Haven't seen you around there in a while, probably for the best because it's been a mad house, literally... there was almost a fight there Sunday.

I actually have this weekend off and going to visit my sister for my nephew's 1st birthday in Frederick Maryland, which happens to be right down the street from Meehans's, hoping to score some fat trunks in a 3 or 7gal. pot. I think I talked the indoor buyer into trying to bring in some outdoor prebonsai from them in anything larger than a 6" pot, hopefully 3s and 7s... I assured her we could sell it and any of you other Richmonders could also get first crack at it: @VAFisher , @vaibatron , @Moonster and anybody else close to Richmond, I won't even let them hit the selling floor.

The Richmond Bonsai Society is a thirsty one. It's so tough to get decent stock around here and having a local option would be ideal.. I'm quite sure you'd have a hard time holding onto any stock that is more advanced than the S-curved elms and the 1 year juniper whips. I'll make sure to come in and say hi in the next week or two. I need a few items you stock anyways.

Cheers,

B

 

[cbroad]

@berobinson82
Yeah definitely, I went to their last meeting when they had Frank Mihalic, that was pretty cool and I was at gbgh when he did his instructional, haha he really butchered some trees.

Yeah I told the buyer if the stuff didn't sell I'd buy it all. I'm not sure what the retail will be but I have an idea to keep the cost down . I really need to up my stock and stop buying crap or sticks in pots, this will be the year

 

[coh]

That's some nice material to find at a local nursery! I rarely come across that kind of stuff anymore, most places just seem to carry the pots with a bunch of small trunked plants stuffed in them.

Used to spend a lot of time (and money) at GBGH when we lived down there.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

If you can't find kanuma, you can just repot in 80% non-organic with 20% milled peat moss. I have had good success with that mix.

 

[VAFisher]

@VAFisher
I'm not really sure, I'll ask her about it today. When we talked about it, it was in January and she was putting together an order for their smaller stuff so it was a little early and I told her not to bring that stuff in until they broke dormancy (because she has brought in some deciduous stuff out of season and it's been left in the greenhouse to over winter if you'd call it that, I had some amurs and bald cypress that didn't do well the following spring).

I'm hoping for anything with a decent trunk in a larger size, maples, elms, really anything... Do you have any requests? I'm still looking out for any Virginia pines for you also.

And if any other Richmonders have any requests let me know, I'll see if I can look at their availability today or soon.

That sounds good. Hornbeam would be cool. And ungrafted Japanese Maples. As you said, anything other than tropical species and procumbens juniper with a larger trunk size would be nice and I'll certainly be interested.

 

[berobinson82]

That sounds good. Hornbeam would be cool. And ungrafted Japanese Maples. As you said, anything other than tropical species and procumbens juniper with a larger trunk size would be nice and I'll certainly be interested.

My dude, if you want hornbeams, you don't need a wallet, just a shovel. X that a sawzall. They are abundant around here although, to be honest, I've never seen a decent Carpinus carolinianus [?]. I grew them for 3 years before I either lost them or lost interest in them. Korean hornbeams, if they can be purchased, are a much better bonsai fit or so I've observed. Would you agree?

Anyone have a good example of a local hornbeam bonsai?

Cheers,

B

P.S. I'm loving that this thread is basically all the VA heads on the site.

 

[VAFisher]

My dude, if you want hornbeams, you don't need a wallet, just a shovel. X that a sawzall. They are abundant around here although, to be honest, I've never seen a decent Carpinus carolinianus [?]. I grew them for 3 years before I either lost them or lost interest in them. Korean hornbeams, if they can be purchased, are a much better bonsai fit or so I've observed. Would you agree?

Anyone have a good example of a local hornbeam bonsai?

Cheers,

B

P.S. I'm loving that this thread is basically all the VA heads on the site.

True enough. I finally advanced to collecting something other than volunteer seedlings in my yard this year. Jury is still out if I was successful on a couple of them. I'll have to hunt around for some hornbeams next year. I couldn't say which is better suited for bonsai because I've never worked with either one. I do admire the trunks I see on some of the ones Zach Smith posts on his site.

Water Elm is a species that would be awesome too, and we definitely can't get those around here. I've been taking cuttings from mine but it will be many years before they are anything worthwhile.

 

[vaibatron]

@VAFisher
I'm not really sure, I'll ask her about it today. When we talked about it, it was in January and she was putting together an order for their smaller stuff so it was a little early and I told her not to bring that stuff in until they broke dormancy (because she has brought in some deciduous stuff out of season and it's been left in the greenhouse to over winter if you'd call it that, I had some amurs and bald cypress that didn't do well the following spring).

I'm hoping for anything with a decent trunk in a larger size, maples, elms, really anything... Do you have any requests? I'm still looking out for any Virginia pines for you also.

And if any other Richmonders have any requests let me know, I'll see if I can look at their availability today or soon.

A second for Japanese maple and hornbeam. I would throw some loot at a Chinese elm with decent trunk that doesn't have an "s" curve as well.

 

[VAFisher]

Here's a really nice example of a Carolina Hornbeam:

http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/

Edit: I can't seem to link to the thread for some reason but it's in member's trees/New Spring Pics.