species... one of each? specialize in one and its cultivars?

[MACH5]

Personally I am big on focusing my efforts on just a couple of species. Although I have a smattering of several different types of trees, I mostly just have Japanese maples and Rocky Mountain junipers. I know perhaps a bit boring but I like it that way

 

[sorce]

I agree, all of the same species is a little dangerous. I like to have something mites don't like between the ones they do. A little easier to control.

I prefer collected native (or growimg here) material, because they are used to the climate, not so much worry.

Ulmus American, Chinese, slippery. Prunus spinosa. Mulberry. Forsythia. Amur Maple. Juniper Virginia i believe. Taxus. Salix.

Nursery material that may not make it.

Procumbens nana. Mugo pine.

Tropical.

Ficus ben. Ginseng. Pomegranate seedlings. Orange seedlings.

 

[dick benbow]

I started off with pines. initially all japanese. Now I've almost completely switched over to american. known around these parts as "the quince guy", I have plenty of japanese flowering varieties and of course my favorite chojubai. My latest interest has been deciduous, and oddball things like styrax (japanese snow ball). Coupla weeks ago I made a kusamono run to the woods
to aid in my latest craze and that's tabletop and alcove display. Like Miss Piggy my mantra seems to be "more is NOT enough".

This hobby can be work but should always be fun.... looming ahead s downsizing the old place
with lots of room to a manufactured home in a gated community. Tried getting my trees selected down to two dozen, but failed miserably. Not sure what I'm gonna do but think it may be painful.

Good thing I'll still have this chatline.....

 

[jeanluc83]

I have whatever has come along that is either cheap or free. In a few years it might be classified as pre-bonsai. I’m hoping to start investing in some better quality material soon.

As of right now my collection includes the following:

Pitch pine [35]
Japanese black pine [20]
Mugo pine [4]
Eastern white pine [1]
Blue rug juniper [1]
Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) [1]
Japanese maple [4]
Red maple (Acer rubrum) [3]
Black birch[4]
Box wood [2]​

My real interest is in pines. I will likely focus on that more over the next few years.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

I'm bored and it looked like everyone was having so much fun here so I wanted to join.
I'm almost a tropical bigot, due to zone envy.

And the trees I tend to at Heathcote's Jim Smith Bonsai Gallery (lots of repeats):

Now I'm the one with zone envy. You get to work at Jim Smith gallery???
Wow that must be amazing.

He was very inspirational to me.

 

[mc4mc44]

Im not much on variety. I have larch, pines, spruce and fir. and one little elm.

But then in the ground is everything i bought when i started. I have cedar, wisteria, juniper, JM, and a blueberry i collected, along with a massive EWP i just collected i might start a thread on someday.

 

[edprocoat]

Variety! Hell, I believe kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out...

ed

 

[Neli]

I thinkI have at least one or more of everything you can think of....

 

[bonsaiBlake]

I started off with pines. initially all japanese. Now I've almost completely switched over to american. known around these parts as "the quince guy", I have plenty of japanese flowering varieties and of course my favorite chojubai. My latest interest has been deciduous, and oddball things like styrax (japanese snow ball). Coupla weeks ago I made a kusamono run to the woods
to aid in my latest craze and that's tabletop and alcove display. Like Miss Piggy my mantra seems to be "more is NOT enough".

This hobby can be work but should always be fun.... looming ahead s downsizing the old place
with lots of room to a manufactured home in a gated community. Tried getting my trees selected down to two dozen, but failed miserably. Not sure what I'm gonna do but think it may be painful.

Good thing I'll still have this chatline.....

Got any vine maple on the bench? One of the locals I feel is extremely underestimated and misunderstood. . .

 

[carp]

Now I'm the one with zone envy. You get to work at Jim Smith gallery???
Wow that must be amazing.

He was very inspirational to me.

ya....i kind of do that....don't i?
hmmmm.....ya....k......it is amazing =)

 

[barrosinc]

got some junipers now... and bought larger azaleas!! when will this stop...

BTW I want a ilex like those small deciduous shohin with red berries that are so popular at kokufu.

 

[Smoke]

acers-mountain maple, trident, oshio beni, nishiki trident, arakawa
elms-drake, arakawa, contorted
black pine
pyracantha
juniper-procumbens, foemina, shimpaku, prostrata, California
hornbeam
zelcova

 

[cmeg1]

All zelkova,though I have Japanese Black line seed planted now this year.Going to do seedling cutting

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I've tried in the past to focus on just one species. I found I get bored. I have to keep a mixed collection or I loose interest.

 

[M. Frary]

acers-mountain maple, trident, oshio beni, nishiki trident, arakawa
elms-drake, arakawa, contorted
black pine
pyracantha
juniper-procumbens, foemina, shimpaku, prostrata, California
hornbeam
zelcova

Is that a contorted Catlin elm Smoke?

 

[Smoke]

NO, though I have had them in the past. Over the last 31 years I have had probably over two hundred elms. Lots of Catlans, including two that came from John Catlan himself. San Gabrial Nursery in Southern California used to have a section of elms all Catlan. They are very prolific, fast growers, build branches easily and are hard to kill. I love them all except Seiju, and Hokkaido. Those two don't do anything for me. My contorted elm is fairly rare in the USA, It is known as the Camperdown Elm ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii' from Scotland. I will try and get a photo tomorrow. It is in training as shohin right now and pretty rough. I lost the whole top on the tree and am regrowing it with deadwood. Pretty damn ugly, but hey, I'm a people pleaser.

Many of the best elms for bonsai came from propagators in California. The Catlan Elm from John Catlan of La Canada, CA., the Seiju Elm, from Carl and Shin Young of Lodi. While the Hokkaido elm was not from the USA, it was heavily propagated by Herb Kelly of Fresno who took cuttings for 30 years and most of his mother trees went to Don Herzog of Miniature Palnt Kingdom when Herb Kelly moved.

Here is one of the Seiju's from Lodi by Carl and Shin Young. This was a mother tree, and is still being used for that purpose here in Fresno today. I can buy this tree. I think I will make an offer.



This is one of Herb Kellies Hokkaido's. Not one of the largest, I saw some out at Herb's place in the eighties with trunks 10 inches across in the ground.

 

[M. Frary]

If I had the money I would. Look at that thing.

 

[barrosinc]

I have:
1 chinese elm (where it all started, my wife gave it to me as a gift)
2 japanese maples, 1 large stump ready to start working branches and improving nebari. The other one is quite small but already working it.
2 azaleas in nursery pots to be worked in spring.
1 wisteria in bonsai pot.
4 japanese maples relatively young in the ground getting thick.


Looking for crabapple, trident and bougainvillea. for now.

Been a long time now!
This list has changed soooo much.
added crabapple, 2 young shimpakus, 1 large juniper that I want to graft shimpaku on to, cherry, plum, mugo, cedar, deshojo, elms x3, olive, ficus, tridents, red pine...

I now want a princess persimmon, an arakawa maple, an elm forest... more azaleas!list goes on and on...

I think I reached the point were my garden can't cope any more, I might have to start changing new ones for older ones.

 

[Starfox]

So far I don't have any of the types of trees that pulled me into bonsai.

I have a Chinese Elm, Ficus, Olive and what is looking more and more like a soon to be dead Serissa.
Come spring I will be digging at least two Bougies from the yard and probably 3 Hibiscus, I'm hoping that I can get an air layer off of one of the Bougies and 3 layers off my Callistemon(much more like the type of trees I want).

There is also loads of what looks like good collectable material around, things like Eucalyptus, Olive, Pines and blossomy things but I have no idea what the laws are in Spain regarding collecting but from what I know of the bureaucracy you are better off not knowing. I know the Pines are protected but they spray the Eucs with weed killer so who knows.

 

[milehigh_7]

Variety! Hell, I believe kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out...

ed

Yep that's what I did... Life happens


Oh well you can't get away from Bonsai it's a life sentence... Now I just have a bunch of elm root cuttings that have not popped leaves and one $2 boxwood I stuck in a pot because I was just wanted something to mess with and it's like a alcoholic taking a drink...