I know you shouldn't be envious of your neighbors, but I'm sorry, I am. Where I live, there only a few species of bonsai material that will thrive. Some will survive, but barely. There are so many trees I would love to have, but I've wasted a lot of money trying to buck the odds. I can grow JBP's, junipers and ponderosa. "D" trees look like crap here starting in July, and not worth the effort. So if you're one of those lucky people that you can grow just about anything, consider yourself lucky.
keep it green,
Harry
Living in New England, I do consider myself lucky for the trees I can grow. That can also be that I've lived here all my life. The trees that first brought me to Bonsai were images of the trees that I grew up with, like Beech and Maples and if I came from a different climate that might change . My collection is now pretty even between Deciduous and conifer, with a couple of tropical trees that give me something to do during the winter.
I do admit that when the wife starts talking about where we are going to live when we retire, one of the first things that comes to mind is "What kind of trees can I grow there?"