QuantumSparky
Shohin
After some deliberation, and growth estimates for the tree VS length of the contest, I've decided to enter one of my nursery Azaleas. I think the journey from rough stock to something passable as bonsai will fit into the 4-year time frame with this tree.
Either way, I really like the idea of a contest like this which puts the focus on building foundational skills over time and demonstrating improvement, instead of emphasizing the end product compared with other members' end products.
I'm definitely a rookie, only having started this hobby (AND CARING FOR PLANTS IN ANY REGARD) a few months ago. Before this, I had absolutely zero experience with gardening, horticulture, or anything of the sort except yanking weeds from the ground and throwing them out.
With this in mind, my goal for this contest lines up with its scope - to document my work over 4 years with the aim of improving my skills and demonstrating a gain of knowledge as well as my ability to apply it to my work.
Without further ado, here is the sister tree as it was purchased from a Home Depot garden center perhaps a month ago. I hope this isn't instant disqualification but I don't seem to have a photo of the tree before I chopped it. The two trees were virtually identical and this photo is a pretty accurate representation of what the tree looked like before work was done.
Either way, I really like the idea of a contest like this which puts the focus on building foundational skills over time and demonstrating improvement, instead of emphasizing the end product compared with other members' end products.
I'm definitely a rookie, only having started this hobby (AND CARING FOR PLANTS IN ANY REGARD) a few months ago. Before this, I had absolutely zero experience with gardening, horticulture, or anything of the sort except yanking weeds from the ground and throwing them out.
With this in mind, my goal for this contest lines up with its scope - to document my work over 4 years with the aim of improving my skills and demonstrating a gain of knowledge as well as my ability to apply it to my work.
Without further ado, here is the sister tree as it was purchased from a Home Depot garden center perhaps a month ago. I hope this isn't instant disqualification but I don't seem to have a photo of the tree before I chopped it. The two trees were virtually identical and this photo is a pretty accurate representation of what the tree looked like before work was done.