Getting my hand on some real materil?

colley614

Shohin
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Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for some advice on actually getting my hands on some decent material.

Obviously I can go down the nursery stock route but then that needs years in the ground to grow a trunk. I would love to go out and collect my own trees but I wouldn't know where to start with finding material and then getting permission. ive looked at buying raw material but the average price seems to be at least £250 for basically a chopped trunk. Considering Id like at least 10 trees that becomes expensive.
 

hinmo24t

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Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for some advice on actually getting my hands on some decent material.

Obviously I can go down the nursery stock route but then that needs years in the ground to grow a trunk. I would love to go out and collect my own trees but I wouldn't know where to start with finding material and then getting permission. ive looked at buying raw material but the average price seems to be at least £250 for basically a chopped trunk. Considering Id like at least 10 trees that becomes expensive.
Etsy or ebay
 

JeffS73

Shohin
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Hi Colley,

There's a lot of Mickey takers out there in the UK, especially on ebay and Facebook. I think Greenwood represent fair value for money for young trees. Personally, I decided to mostly grow from seed, this might not suit you though.

Join a local club? Lots of material there.

Spring is round the corner and local bonsai tabletop sales will be happening, definitely some market value items to be had.

Be realistic though - I wouldn't take less than £25 for my 2 year old trees given the effort that's gone into nebari and early trunk movement. These are not to be underestimated.

Consider garden centre material, that represents the market floor in terms of prices . But then you need trunk movement and to air layer for nebari. Some species are easier than others.

Good luck, you'll find something that moves you, start small and the pain of them dying isn't so bad!
 

colley614

Shohin
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Hi Colley,

There's a lot of Mickey takers out there in the UK, especially on ebay and Facebook. I think Greenwood represent fair value for money for young trees. Personally, I decided to mostly grow from seed, this might not suit you though.

Join a local club? Lots of material there.

Spring is round the corner and local bonsai tabletop sales will be happening, definitely some market value items to be had.

Be realistic though - I wouldn't take less than £25 for my 2 year old trees given the effort that's gone into nebari and early trunk movement. These are not to be underestimated.

Consider garden centre material, that represents the market floor in terms of prices . But then you need trunk movement and to air layer for nebari. Some species are easier than others.

Good luck, you'll find something that moves you, start small and the pain of them dying isn't so bad!

I was looking on ebay and Facebook and thought everything seemed over the odds. Especially when people like Harry Harrington are selling material for half the price.

I joined my local club and got a big untrained juniper for free!

I like the idea of table top sales. I just want trunks with some character and movement.

Maybe I'll just have to order some pieces of raw material from bonsai nurseries every no and then. I originally bought loads of nursery stock from my local garden centre but just ended up planting it in my garden. I don't mind waiting to grow them out but at the same time I want something I can work now.
 

sorce

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where to start with finding material and then getting permission

These are some places I'd look.

I'd contact the Parks Department or Grounds people to see of you can dig stuff from the fence lines.
Capture+_2022-01-01-18-50-03.png

Go to the office for this steel place and ask if you can wander around back there.
Capture+_2022-01-01-18-52-47.png

Residential, seems like a trail head to this field.
Capture+_2022-01-01-18-56-48.png

I don't know how etiquette goes there, but I'd say no matter where you are, if it seems like "no one would give a f if I dug a tree here", you can find someone who would agree with a "go ahead".

You can't be afraid to feel crazy because that's usually the very thing that gets the go ahead, people find it extremely hard to say no to such wild requests!

Sorce
 

Shibui

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Some of my best bonsai were collected from gardens. Keep an eye out for demolition sites, people renovating the garden and hose extensions. Shopping centre renovations can also be a good source if the garden beds are being demolished or replaced.
Old azaleas are common in gardens. Great material and very easy to transplant. Just look for plants that have nice bends in the trunks but not too tall.
You should also find other species that will work well.

@sorce has also pointed out undeveloped blocks and land. Provided you don't take landscape plants very few people will complain when you remove some 'weeds' from public land.

Trees grown specifically for bonsai tend to be costly. Some of that is hype as you see on auction sites but it takes years and some skill to grow good material so if you are not prepared to pay for the grower's time and expertise you'll just have to grow your own.
Be aware that not all high priced pre - bonsai are good or worth the asking price.
 

leatherback

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I second going for the advertisements of people cleaning out their yards. And talk to @BobbyLane who has great skill in finding suitable nursery stock. I suspect he has a few special traders he uses, but maybe he can recommend nurseries where they sell the stuff he has been using. Do check his threads on here.

Kaizen bonsai used to have great stock. I just checked their website, and there are only a few dozen trees on the site. I am not sure what is going on. Perhaps brexit hitting his sourcing?

Car-boot sales for bonsai seem to be a thing in the UK, go there. Join club auctions. If you are a new member to a club, usually there are a bunch of people willing to throw decent start material for low prices at you.
 

colley614

Shohin
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I've found this site. I has loads of young saplings on and it soon to be turned into a car park. Looking at the plans the trees won't be staying. There are field maples, hawthorn and oak. There are a few other tree species. I will email the owners and see what they say. There is also a plot of land a bit further up, there are field maples there that someone has cuts down to stumps. They obviously didn't have permission but cleared their view of the river. There is no tree protection order on the trees and I've been so tempted to take a field maple stump but haven't.

In my garden I have a large forsythia I can dig up and I have an old privet hedge. I can dig these out. I'm going to be attending my local bonsai club in a couple of weeks. I haven't visited since the lockdowns started I'll ask there also. I also just bought a couple of potted Christmas trees for pennies.
 

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leatherback

The Treedeemer
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There are field maples, hawthorn and oak. There are a few other tree species. I will email the owners and see what they say. There is also a plot of land a bit further up, there are field maples there that someone has cuts down to stumps.
Do you know what to look for?
Make sure the bottom 30-60cm/1-2 foot has movement and taper. Dig down to look for pleasing roots. Leave stovepipes in place.
 

Gr8tfuldad

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So I am $30 in the hole for hundreds of trees.
I am kind of in the same boat, however, I know how to collect trees and have the potential to do so. So why am I starting trees then?
“The joy is in the journey”
 

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colley614

Shohin
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Do you know what to look for?
Make sure the bottom 30-60cm/1-2 foot has movement and taper. Dig down to look for pleasing roots. Leave stovepipes in place.

Movement 'Different angles, different lengths, different planes.'

Good nebari and root flare.

Unique features. Natural shari, jins and uros.
 

colley614

Shohin
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So I am $30 in the hole for hundreds of trees.
I am kind of in the same boat, however, I know how to collect trees and have the potential to do so. So why am I starting trees then?
“The joy is in the journey”
Yeah, I love the idea of starting young trees. I guess you'd be able to develop superior quality material being able to add character and remove flaws as the trunk grows.

I have seeds and saplings growing the problem is they don't need much from me and I want to get my hands on some material I can work with.
 

john blanch

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colley614

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I actually bought a 2m field maple and oak in the spring. I thought they would have decent trunks but they turned up with 2cm trunks. They went straight in the garden to thicken up with the rest of my young trees
 
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