To all the trees I've loved before

greerhw

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Okay, I will try and stretch these out a little so as to not bore you to death, because I have had alot of trees. This is a large Itoagawa Juniper ( my favorite variety of juniper) I bought from Don Blackmond at Gregory Beach Bonsai. A before picture and after Marco styled it. Marco styled all of my trees that were in need of styling, some I bought already styled, but he was always ready to make them better in my opinion. It was not hard to get Marco to work on my trees, but it was hard to get rid of him with a beautiful niece like mine.

Harry
 

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greerhw

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I almost got this one from Don. I love the movement of this trees trunk!

John Kirby bought this tree from Brussels and I traded him out of it. It is a great little tree.

Harry
 

oakandwalnut

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Harry, Why did you sell them all? If I may ask? (maybe you posted this elsewhere?)

Brad
 

greerhw

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it's in another post here.

Harry
 

Just Duane

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John Kirby bought this tree from Brussels and I traded him out of it. It is a great little tree.

Harry


When Don sent me a pic of this tree, the first thought in my mind was "the running man tree" I love it! Thanks for showing Harry. I cant believe you dont have trees anymore. I must admit, having a collection of trees really puts a damper on traveling :(
 

greerhw

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When Don sent me a pic of this tree, the first thought in my mind was "the running man tree" I love it! Thanks for showing Harry. I cant believe you dont have trees anymore. I must admit, having a collection of trees really puts a damper on traveling :(

Traveling, you live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, where do you travel.....?

Harry
 

Just Duane

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Traveling, you live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, where do you travel.....?

Harry

Mostly Vegas :) but still, its hard. I went to St Paul Minn & called my wife (g/f at the time) daily to make sure she was watering my plants haha, she got so sick of me telling her which plants to water & when...she actually said "if you tell me another thing about your stupid plants I will cut them all up!" Jeeeez! Anyhoots, dont mean to step on this thread with my troubles. Thanks again for showing your trees Harry.
 

greerhw

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No problem, more to come.

Harry
 

greerhw

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If you think trees put a damper on traveling, put in a koi pond too !!! 11 big females over 28" long.
Harry
 

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greerhw

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My front porch and yard gate.
Harry
 

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tmmason10

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Thanks for sharing all these pictures, keep me coming. One day I hope to have a nice yard and bonsai setup like yours. I think you should you should get back into the hobby.

What was up with the hail? That's crazy
 

greerhw

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My Shohin phase. The big trees were getting hard to handle and I just couldn't set mine out for the summer and leave them in one spot, they needed to be moved often, so I decided I would move towards smaller trees, cheaper too. This was my first collection of Shohins, I wanted to test the weather on something so small before I bought something nice. After I found out they would be ok, they do take more frequent watering here in Oklahoma, I bought some nicer trees. I had the custom stand made to display at our annual show.I eventually went back to some larger trees.

Harry
 

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greerhw

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Just so you beginners know, almost everyone kills trees and I was no exception. Some of the trees posted here I killed. The extreme weather conditions in Oklahoma require constant vigilance, one slip and it's too late. I bought this needle juniper on a trip to Brussel's, I wish I had taken a picture of it when I brought it home. This picture was taken when it was half dead. It took it 4 years to die, each year I had to restyle it because of lost foliage. The reason I'm telling you this is because I don't want you be discouraged when you lose a tree, if someone tells you they don't kill trees, they are lying.

Harry
 

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Attila Soos

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Beautiful trees.
Now I put on my Dr. Phil hat, and conclude that your affair with bonsai was like a steamy love affair. They always have a short shelf-life, because they lack moderation. It grew too fast, too big, in too short of a time.

This should be a warning for the new bonsai enthusiasts. Start slow, think long-term, and don't let the hobby throw your life out of balance. It's not about trying to beat your neighbor or club member in who has the best collection. It's about playing and having fun with trees. I started 19 years ago, and took me many years before I've found that balance. But slowly it became part of who I am, and now it takes no effort anymore. It's like eating, or working out.

If your trees take too much effort to maintan (such as having to move them around in your backyard, or needing too much special treatment to keep them alive), sooner or later bonsai becomes a burden. So, one has to find a system (number and size of trees, species, watering, etc.) that makes the hobby effortless.

Sorry for the rant..
 
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JudyB

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That cascade JBP in pic #4 is so beautiful. I really love a good shohin JBP cascade... something about that shape gets me every time. Does Don have this one too?
 

greerhw

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He doesn't have the shohin JBP.

Harry
 
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greerhw

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Beautiful trees.
Now I put on my Dr. Phil hat, and conclude that your affair with bonsai was like a steamy love affair. They always have a short shelf-life, because they lack moderation. It grew too fast, too big, in too short of a time.

This should be a warning for the new bonsai enthusiasts. Start slow, think long-term, and don't let the hobby throw your life out of balance. It's not about trying to beat your neighbor or club member in who has the best collection. It's about playing and having fun with trees. I started 19 years ago, and took me many years before I've found that balance. But slowly it became part of who I am, and now it takes no effort anymore. It's like eating, or working out.

If your trees take too much effort to maintan (such as having to move them around in your backyard, or needing too much special treatment to keep them alive), sooner or later bonsai becomes a burden. So, one has to find a system (number and size of trees, species, watering, etc.) that makes the hobby effortless.

Sorry for the rant..

My love affair lasted 8 years and I would still be collecting except for what happened when my buddy moved away. I didn't burn out, please go back and read why I decided to move on. It had nothing to do with moving too fast, I approach everything I do in the same manor. Balls to the wall or not at all. Unless you live in paradise your trees are going to take special care and handling, you can bank on it, it's part of the hobby. Save yourself time and money by joining a club if you have one near you.

Harry
 
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Attila Soos

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My love affair lasted 8 years and I would still be collecting except for what happened when my buddy moved away. I didn't burn out, please go back and read why I decided to move on. It had nothing to do with moving too fast, I approach everything I do in the same manor. Balls to the wall or not at all. Unless you live in paradise your trees are going to take special care and handling, you can bank on it, it's part of the hobby. Save yourself time and money by joining a club if you have one near you.
Harry

One can never win when trying to analyze other peoples's actions, because everybody has a different perspective. But I've seen enough during the almost two decades of doing bonsai, that your story does not surprise me at all. There is always a specific event that the person who quits bonsai will point to, as the determining factor. In your case, it's your buddy.
But people who stayed with bonsai all their lives, can tell you that it doesn't matter what other people do, including their friends, family, and the rest of the world. They stayed with it in spite of anybody else.
To me, in 8 years, from having no trees, to having a quality collection (maintained by a top bonsai artist), to getting rid of it all, looks impulsive. Eight years takes you past the beginner stage in bonsai, but not nearly experienced enough.

But enough of making judgements, I am sure that you did what was best for you. Sorry for dragging you into this side discussion.
 

greerhw

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One of the reasons I left this side, someone always wanting to tell you your business, I've had members here tell me that my COOKIE CUTTER trees were boring. OK, back to why I'm here. This is a Kishu Shimpaku, the only one I ever owned. They are cousins to the Itowigawa, but the foliage and the foliage color is a little different. They are very desiriable trees just harder to find nice ones here in the US. I hope that those or you that like looking at nice Japanese style trees enjoy my pictures. I will keep posting until I run of of trees.

Harry
 

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