Notes from my first bonsai show

[Woocash]

Woocash, I hear ya on the "nothing special" deal. I've use two rolls of 150' flagging tape in the last 4 years, flagging potential candidates. Most times, when I go back in spring, what was once a definite candidate becomes a "meh" one. Your eyes get better and you go out looking with new information and tastes in mind. For me, I've found quite a few really decent trees. As I'm looking now, the potential candidate has to be as good or preferably, better than what I have. Now THAT gets harder and harder!

That I can definitely understand. A race horse trainer rarely starts with a derby winner, but even in my short time looking I’ve since passed over several I earmarked in the first place and as rockm said, that selection will dwindle down to the odd one in a million.

Then again, I can’t help thinking that with there being a big difference between collecting yamadori and collecting trunks means that with enough time and inclination most can be persuaded to resemble a decent bonsai, even if it takes 10 years to develop the trunk itself.