Cutting down the collection

[Nybonsai12]

The past two years of bonsai have been interesting in comparison to the years that came before them. I’ve not looked to add any trees and have been in reduction mode. I am now continuously looking to sell off trees in pursuit of a small collection of trees that not only do I think I can improve, but actually want to improve.

Perhaps working from home which has allowed me to stare at my trees more has made me more aware of flaws that I can’t or don’t want to fix. Perhaps I just don’t want to deal with the hassle of caring for so many trees(probably not even a lot by some of your standards). Perhaps I just want less because my time is being spread thin elsewhere or perhaps bonsai hasn’t kept my interest as much. I always used to have something in mind that I was on the lookout for but there is nothing that I want.

Whatever the reason, I’ve sold a lot of trees from Seedlings to developed material and continue to reduce and target a collection of material I actually want to develop and think I can improve. I’d have sold more if not for having the right boxes on hand! Ultimately I think I may wind down to about 20-25 in pots, trees in various stages.

So I guess I’m wondering did any of you in the hobby just feel the need to shed a bunch of your collection?

 

[Paradox]

Yes I am feeling that also because I have come to the realization that I don't have the time to develop and advance all of the ones that I have.

Problem I've got is that it is hard to get rid of some of them. A few killed themselves off for various reasons (one got a bad fungal issue I couldn't save it from, had a sprinkler malfunction that killed 3) which eased things somewhat.

I do have a few slated to be given away for club raffles etc.

 

[penumbra]

Well at least I bought very few this year.

 

[AcerAddict]

Whatever the reason, I’ve sold a lot of trees from Seedlings to developed material and continue to reduce and target a collection of material I actually want to develop and think I can improve. I’d have sold more if not for having the right boxes on hand! Ultimately I think I may wind down to about 20-25 in pots, trees in various stages.

So I guess I’m wondering did any of you in the hobby just feel the need to shed a bunch of your collection?

I have 20+ things right now, mostly in nursery pots growing to eventually be styled as bonsai. Got a little bit of everything: crape myrtles, Japanese maples, standard maples, Bald Cypress, holly, boxwood, juniper, loropetalum, dwarf Alberta spruce, Satsuki azaleas, you name it. Once spring comes and 90% of them get root reductions and put into training pots, we'll see how many I actually want to keep and commit to for the long-term future. If I had to throw a number out, I'd say that a decade from now, I only want to have 10-15 bonsai trees. I may grow air layerings or cuttings to be sold on the side, but I want my primary collection to be big enough to have variety, yet small enough for me to give the focused care these trees need and deserve.

 

[Gatorade]

I’m just getting started (4 months) I have 5 bonsai trees and some science project. Right now I feel like I don’t have enough bonsai to work on butI want to pace myself. I look at people like Nigel and a guy in my bonsai club who have over 200 trees. And I just don’t know how that is maintainable without help. Nigel is the bonsai beast though! I live on a balcony( shout out Patricia O Connor on youtube) so my Space will dictate my collection until I move that is. I think it will be interesting to see wear my collection will be in 5 years. I think with any collecting eventually your going to start selling or giving things away it just comes with the process of collecting and being passionate about something. I can’t wait to go practice yamadori this winter for the first time. I feel that can really make a collection explod!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

After every good show…

 

[Nybonsai12]

After every good show…

Ha! I can imagine after seeing something like Nationals coming home and saying ”these trees are pathetic and have to go” in disgust.

didn’t make it to nationals though. Went to Acadia instead.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Two and a half months ago my son Bobby was born. I knew leading up to that moment that I only had so much time in a day to dedicate to the hobby. I decided to leave my club because it was mostly catered to coffee drinking and beginners. I have also been reducing projects that don't interest me as much. Its amazing how much play money you can have by removing a few trees and pots, lol!

I feel so much better having a more manageable amount of trees, and feel great when I look in my yard and feel proud of my collection! Having a giant mess of nursery cans, cuttings, and hobbyist baloney was giving me anxiety, lol!

 

[Shogun610]

In the acquiring phase but have gotten better about what to look for and what to spend resources on. Taking it a step further and focusing on collecting / collected material next year.


I’d say I’d love to have 100-150 of good quality one day …some show ready, some 5 years out , some 10-15 years out…and development (collected, bonsai dedicated sources , Anderson’s flats , grow boxes etc).

 

[Katie0317]

This is good for beginners to read and consider.

 

[badatusernames]

It seems to be organic for me. Like I gave away a jade that I would have kept growing but didn't really care about, I've gotten rid of poor quality material, and yesterday I dumped an Alberta Spruce Home Dept Special because I have other stuff going on and don't really have spruce on the menu anyways. I have a bald cypress I may pass on eventually as I'm not convinced I love the species. That kind of thing.

Everything kind of has a purpose, though I do re-assess the reality of what I'm doing on an ongoing basis. I think I'd rather buy a mature version of a species to determine if I like working with it, rather than a seedling that I have to wait years to do anything to, so it makes it a bit easier, my small stuff is all stuff I know I have an interest in, or am learning propagation on and can give away eventually. I feel as though even with the small stuff, there's a plan for everything, and nothing is there just hanging out waiting to see if it magically turns into something I care about.

Walking around and staring at my trees is kind of a daily ritual though. There really isn't anything to remember in terms of watering / fertilizing / bugs / etc, because I can just use my eyeballs as part of my daily routine - just something I realized I do naturally. So what's an extra seedling or two?

 

[Colorado]

Must be something in the air. Just this past weekend I moved a few “projects” to the compost bin. I felt guilty initially, but afterwards it felt great to improve my collection, lessen the watering/attention/space demand, and I now feel even more appreciation for the “keepers.”

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Must be something in the air. Just this past weekend I moved a few “projects” to the compost bin. I felt guilty initially, but afterwards it felt great to improve my collection, lessen the watering/attention/space demand, and I now feel even more appreciation for the “keepers.”

I had a large Japanese cryptomeria that I rescued from a garbage pile on the side of the road back in March. At the time it was completely bare-rooted, and I had no idea how long it had been that way, though the weather was cold and the foliage still green. I babied that tree all spring, and I thought it was going to survive until July and August, when it started to weaken and eventually crashed. Hard to toss something like that on the burn pile, because I am a champion of bonsai lost causes, but it does feel good to not have to worry about it any longer.

 

[Katie0317]

We've dug up a lot of plants and trees over the years...Did a trade with a good friend who's a landscape architect and when he drew new plans we just dug stuff up and tossed it. He calls it 'Give it back to God' and that's what we call it now but honestly I have a hard time with getting rid of plants and trees. Some things really did need to go but now I'm loath to let things die.

 

[penumbra]

Must be something in the air. Just this past weekend I moved a few “projects” to the compost bin. I felt guilty initially, but afterwards it felt great to improve my collection, lessen the watering/attention/space demand, and I now feel even more appreciation for the “keepers.”

It is the season. Every year I make sacrifices when the weather gets cooler.

 

[AcerAddict]

I have a bald cypress I may pass on eventually as I'm not convinced I love the species.

If you decide over the winter to offload this BC while it's dormant, send me some pics. There's a high probability I'd buy it from you if you wouldn't mind shipping it to NC.

 

[badatusernames]

If you decide over the winter to offload this BC while it's dormant, send me some pics. There's a high probability I'd buy it from you if you wouldn't mind shipping it to NC.

I’ll keep that in mind!

 

[Bonsai Orange County]

The past two years of bonsai have been interesting in comparison to the years that came before them. I’ve not looked to add any trees and have been in reduction mode. I am now continuously looking to sell off trees in pursuit of a small collection of trees that not only do I think I can improve, but actually want to improve.

Perhaps working from home which has allowed me to stare at my trees more has made me more aware of flaws that I can’t or don’t want to fix. Perhaps I just don’t want to deal with the hassle of caring for so many trees(probably not even a lot by some of your standards). Perhaps I just want less because my time is being spread thin elsewhere or perhaps bonsai hasn’t kept my interest as much. I always used to have something in mind that I was on the lookout for but there is nothing that I want.

Whatever the reason, I’ve sold a lot of trees from Seedlings to developed material and continue to reduce and target a collection of material I actually want to develop and think I can improve. I’d have sold more if not for having the right boxes on hand! Ultimately I think I may wind down to about 20-25 in pots, trees in various stages.

So I guess I’m wondering did any of you in the hobby just feel the need to shed a bunch of your collection?

Hi - I'd be interested in purchasing any trees you're thinking of parting with? I'm new to the hobby and am trying to build a collection of trees. Feel free to message me if you have any interest.

 

[parvae_arbores]

I am still in this mode and have gone from 25-30 trees to about 7. Mites and hot weather did the bulk of the work, but I am continuously downsizing anything I dig up or acquire that is not worth the effort.

 

[John P.]

I’ve lost some acre palmatum cultivar starter material to the heat or perhaps other causes this summer, and part of me is relieved to not have to fight Mother Nature any longer. Rather, time to embrace trees that thrive in this climate.