Pine recommendations

[rockm]

You will NOT find a ready supply of ANY eastern pine species in the middle Atlantic states, at least a supply that has been grown with bonsai in mind. Using native pine species in commendable, IF you can find them in useable form for bonsai. Collected trees with any character are going to be very expensive and are usually snapped up by collectors quickly.

If you're interested in getting any native pines dug or grown for bonsai, your best bet is to attend local club meetings, or get to some of the regional shows coming in only a few short weeks. The Mid-Atlantic show in Harrisburg, PA and the Potomac Bonsai Society show and sale in D.C. in May are the most likely candidates.

Japanese black pine is more than adequate for someone just starting out with conifers. They are hardy in this region and strong growers and can be found more readily than native species. They are also going to be a lot less money than a collected native.

 

[Vance Wood]

Vance,

Your dedication to the promotion of using domestic trees for bonsai is commendable. It is true, we do need to see more of our native trees in bonsai.

But, the original poster is new to bonsai. He is looking to learn about bonsai, and to stay with the hobby, he is going to want to be successful. JBP has more information available than probably any species, most every experienced bonsai-ist will have one, so he should be able to get information and support easily.

On the other hand, if he is trying to make a bonsai out of material no one (or few people) else is using, he will become frustrated with the lack of support and may quit the hobby.

Why not start with something "easy" and cut his teeth on something whose growth patterns are well known? Then, once he's had some success with that, he would be ready for more challeging (or less well known) material?

New pilots don't learn by flying F14s. They start in single engine Cessnas.

I agree but JBP is not quite so bullet proof (or available) considering the kind of winters we have in the Mid West or East Coast. I only recommended Pitch Pine because they are pretty bullet proof, often back budding on very old wood and they are available in NJ., I do not know how available JBP's are in NJ, I do know that they are pretty rare in Michigan because they do not do so well in our winters. Today we hit a high of 17 degrees.

 

[rockm]

Japanese Black pine is extremely hardy in the Middle Atlantic states. I had one that I overwintered for over 15 years with no winter protection whatsoever. Just left it out in the cold. Did fine.

Japanese black pine is also pretty available at all of the bonsai nurseries I've visited from Harrisburg, PA, to Philadelphia, Baltimore, down to Richmond and into North Carolina. There are various qualities available in most reputable bonsai nurseries, from sapling to show-quality and beyond.

I beg to differ about pitch pine being available in New Jersey. It CAN be, depending on what you're looking for. It is NOT a common landscape plant, but occasionally can be found at landscape nurseries. It may be native to the region (alot of the pine in the Jersey barrens is pitch pine, but those are mostly protected), but it's not common at all in the nursery trade.

 

[Adair M]

Vance,

I'm in zone 7B, and JBP is completely hardy here. The OP said he was in 7A. Not so different from 7B. He should have no trouble with JBP there.

Most (if not all) the JWP sold by NE Bonsai (Mass.) are grafted onto JBP stock.

 

[Dav4]

I grew JBP as bonsai in SE MA usda zone 6A for 7-8 years. My large JBP, mulched into a fairly protected spot in my yard, saw temps approaching -10F on several occasions, and experienced weeks on end where the temps never reached 32F without issue. In fact, when I first started working on it, I did a very aggressive re-pot, removing close to 75% of the root mass, then left it out on its' stand overnight. Next morning, the temps had dipped to 25F, the soil was frozen solid, and I thought I had killed it...it never skipped a beat. They are prone to burnt foliage if the temps fall below -10F or they are exposed to wind while the rootball is frozen.

 

[AuBonsai]

Thanks for everyone's input I definitely am on the look out for a jbp if anyone knows where to get a more established one then just seedling's I would appreciate it. I made some calls looking for a more native pine but as of now none of the nurseries have any in stock or viable options.