Jaberwky17
Shohin
I have searched the site but come up short. Maybe it’s my search terms…
What kinds of experiences have y’all had with the ubiquitous traveling bonsai salesmen? You know, the ones who roll through town for a few days, set up their van on a busy street corner and sell a bajillion little junipers. Only one slight step up from mallsai. I have been guilty of purchasing from them in years past and of course had dead dry trees after 3-4 months of indoor care.
This summer we had a guy in town, hundreds of junipers set out every day. A little gnarled Japanese guy from Texas, barely any English skills. I looked, mostly curious about his process and the health of his trees. He sat there surrounded by a few raw junipers, some freshly purchased nursery cotoneaster, and a bunch of styling tools & wire. After he figured out I was not a typical clueless buyer, he changed his sales pitch from “how much you spend?” to “look at my selection”. He had care sheets, and every sale he made to others while I looked he emphasized – “you keep outside. No inside”. So that was encouraging at least.
I wasn’t interested in junipers but instead looked at some alternative species. He had 2 little pines, telling me $60 each or $100 for both. “That one black pine, this one white pine”. Huh? Funny-looking white pine with needles about 3” long and in pairs….. But they looked healthy, budding their second flush of the season, a peek at soil looked good (no mush, good free draining soil). I offered $60 for the pair and he accepted. I figured even if I couldn’t be sure of the exact species, a pair of 2 needle pines for $30 each was a good deal. 12” tall, ¾” trunks, good branching. I can’t believe I don’t have photos but I’ll post soon.
Anybody else buy from these guys and have success?
What kinds of experiences have y’all had with the ubiquitous traveling bonsai salesmen? You know, the ones who roll through town for a few days, set up their van on a busy street corner and sell a bajillion little junipers. Only one slight step up from mallsai. I have been guilty of purchasing from them in years past and of course had dead dry trees after 3-4 months of indoor care.
This summer we had a guy in town, hundreds of junipers set out every day. A little gnarled Japanese guy from Texas, barely any English skills. I looked, mostly curious about his process and the health of his trees. He sat there surrounded by a few raw junipers, some freshly purchased nursery cotoneaster, and a bunch of styling tools & wire. After he figured out I was not a typical clueless buyer, he changed his sales pitch from “how much you spend?” to “look at my selection”. He had care sheets, and every sale he made to others while I looked he emphasized – “you keep outside. No inside”. So that was encouraging at least.
I wasn’t interested in junipers but instead looked at some alternative species. He had 2 little pines, telling me $60 each or $100 for both. “That one black pine, this one white pine”. Huh? Funny-looking white pine with needles about 3” long and in pairs….. But they looked healthy, budding their second flush of the season, a peek at soil looked good (no mush, good free draining soil). I offered $60 for the pair and he accepted. I figured even if I couldn’t be sure of the exact species, a pair of 2 needle pines for $30 each was a good deal. 12” tall, ¾” trunks, good branching. I can’t believe I don’t have photos but I’ll post soon.
Anybody else buy from these guys and have success?
