Two New Tridents

[BonsaiJim]

Thanks to some great trees by Don Blackmond and wonderful advice from Dario, I was able to pick up two nice Tridents last week. Due to the season, after a minimal thinning I figure it is best to let the trees sit well watered and fed unit fall, until any major cutting is done.

Once that time comes might anyone have any styling thoughts? Thank you,….

I AM SORRY, I ELECTED TO DO ONLY ONE TREE AT A TIME. Thank you

 

[Alex DeRuiter]

Those are (were) two of his that I was really keeping my eye on. Very nice purchases!

Just curious, where do you live? I'm only a couple hours from Don.

 

[BonsaiJim]

Alex, I live in central FL.

I found Don to be a real peach, just could not ask for a better person to do business with. Dario, really has a great eye that I do not have and helped me pick these out of all that Don had to pick from. Both Don and Dario really top notch folks in my book.

 

[Poink88]

Those are (were) two of his that I was really keeping my eye on.

Good to hear that you thought these are good too. Since Jim paid a handsome amount for these, I would hate to stir him the wrong way.

 

[Poink88]

Both Don and Dario really top notch folks in my book.

Thank you

I told you, it is easy to spend other people's money especially on something you enjoy doing anyway. Now, you have to learn to properly care and style these. You might get a lot of different advise...you need to discern the best from them. Again, I am but a newbie.

Let me see if I can do a crude virt for you later...I just know that this have a strong trunk and nebari that you need to high light. As soon as the design is conceived, you need to thin the low area soon, otherwise, you will get a reverse taper. Some bulges already formed and you might need to nib them with a know cutter as well.

 

[MACH5]

Very nice Jim!! I think Dario made a great suggestion. Have fun with it and enjoy your tree

 

[Alex DeRuiter]

Yeah, I went down and snagged a tree from Don earlier this year -- very nice fella. I hope shipping was reasonable...shipping stuff this heavy from Michigan to Florida probably isn't cheap!

Dario, those were the two I passed up because I didn't have enough money. Haha -- Definitely good choices. And yeah, they were a bit pricey, for sure.

For what it's worth, Jim, you might want to check out Telperion Farms as well. Chris is an awesome guy and has a ton of incredible material. One tree I recently got from is is what I now consider to be my best tree purchase, and it wasn't nearly as expensive as some of the others I've purchased.

 

[tmmason10]

Really nice tridents, I've been envying those on his site as well.

 

[BonsaiJim]

Hi Alex

Thanks a lot for the tips. I do appreciate it!!

Alex, shipping was not bad at all to be honest. I know for a fact Don charged me less than it cost him and is knowledge of shipping a tree in a safe manner is unmatched in my mind. The tridents were a piece of cake compared to the 50" Bald Cypress I fell for too. Please, do not tell my wife about that one! Dario, somewhat responsible here too, because he gave me a big thumbs up, which is something he very rarely does.

I also wanted to thank you for telling me about Telperion Farms. I did look at Chris's trees for a couple of months and I guess my timing was off and I just did not see much that compared to Don's at the time. But I will stay tuned in the future.

You guys are right Don's tree's are not cheap. But, I looked at maybe 90 or so other Tridents and I just did not see anything that was even close. I felt like with Don I got what I paid for and was very happy at the end.

Thanks again, Jim

 

[Poink88]

Jim,

You should post a pic of that bald cypress. My recommendation is based on your available expendable resource (budget) vs. time and the value you get out of it. I did suggest you try the cheaper/longer/fun route (Lowe's stock) as an alternative.

It all boils down to this...

I felt like with Don I got what I paid for and was very happy at the end.

 

[Ron Dennis]

Please, do not tell my wife about that one!

How many time have I said the same thing!! She always finds out! One trick that did work for me is dropping a lot of money in her favorite ladies shop when we went to Highlands, NC, and then "just stopping to look at one of my favorite bonsai nurseries on the way home. Very costly but I got two very nice trees I wanted.

 

[Poink88]

How many time have I said the same thing!! She always finds out! One trick that did work for me is dropping a lot of money in her favorite ladies shop when we went to Highlands, NC, and then "just stopping to look at one of my favorite bonsai nurseries on the way home. Very costly but I got two very nice trees I wanted.

Ron,
Good strategy. What worked best for me is to get her into bonsai too. Now if I want a tree, I buy it for her. She appreciates me for it too. Win-win!!! LOL

I also have extra pair of eyes to critique my work now and extra pair of hands when I need help especially when bending and I need the guy wire secured really snug...or lifting really heavy trees.

 

[BonsaiJim]

Oh Ron, you and your buddy there Dario are quite crafty. I do like your style!

Ron, did wife think it was quite a coincidence that you stopped at nursery right after the shopping spree? If I was her I would not have.

And Dario, you told me that story about you lovely wife longing for a pine for so long after you took her to first bonsai show! I believed you too.

Dario, just figure if you use the same technique at Christmas and birthdays too?

 

[Poink88]

And Dario, you told me that story about you lovely wife longing for a pine for so long after you took her to first bonsai show! I believed you too.

And you should because it is true! What I did not tell you is that I want one too, so I have to find one that suits both our needs and makes both of us happy. LOL

Truth be told, I never had any problems from my wife buying a tree. She knows I only do it if we have the extra money and I always buy "cheap" anyway.

It doesn't hurt that I use Ron's tactic as well...and likewise, I know and trust my wife won't go over board anyway.

 

[tmmason10]

Is there a forum for wives who's husbands are bonsai-nuts? Maybe Vic could start it.

I promised no more tree purchases this year so I'm doing my best to stick to it, though she is very supportive of my hobby.

 

[Dav4]

Is there a forum for wives who's husbands are bonsai-nuts? Maybe Vic could start it.

QUOTE]
....but...isn't Vic a bonsai-nut, too? If anything, she is an enabler.

ps my wife copes by purchasing shoes..............so many shoes...

 

[JudyB]

If there is a spouse forum on these matters, then someone please tell my husband....
I gave up shoes for bonsai...

 

[Sekibonsai]

Stow these away - you just never know when you'll them...

"I'm just holding it for a friend..." been using that since my teens.

"They're club trees..."

"Oh that? I've had that for years- don't you remember that one? Well I fertilized it a whole lot... yadadadad..."

"Check out this deal hunny! Only $100 bucks!"

"I had to buy it honey- I was afraid that the guy would kill it- he totally doesn't know what he's doing and this great material would have been lost!"

 

[Alex DeRuiter]

Hi Alex

Thanks a lot for the tips. I do appreciate it!!

Alex, shipping was not bad at all to be honest. I know for a fact Don charged me less than it cost him and he knowledge of shipping a tree in a safe manner is unmatched in my mind. The tridents were a piece of cake compared to the 50" Bald Cypress I fell for too. Please, do not tell my wife about that one! Dario, somewhat responsible here too, because he gave me a big thumbs up, which is something he very rarely does.

I also wanted to thank you for telling me about Telperion Farms. I did look at Chris's trees for a couple of months and I guess my timing was off and I just did not see much that compared to Don's at the time. But I will stay tuned in the future.

You guys are right Don's tree's are not cheap. But, I looked at maybe 90 or so other Tridents and I just did not see anything that was even close. I felt like with Don I got what I paid for and was very happy at the end.

Thanks again, Jim

Yeah, I've had that happen before as well. Brent from Evergreen Gardenworks only charged me $20 to ship a nice Kiyohime maple but it ended up costing him $60, I believe. I offered to pay the extra but he kindly refused -- very nice gentleman.

I'm slowly realizing that it may be in my (emphasis on "my") best interest to involve my wife in my purchases to avoid any potential conflict -- she's a paralegal and a crafty researcher. haha

Any time! I've seen a couple very well established trees from Chris, but the tree I purchased is nowhere near finished -- probably would've costed ten times as much if it was. I've heard it takes him a little while to get pictures to people (though this wasn't the case for me), but I imagine this may've been because the time of year the pictures were requested is extremely busy. Plus, I don't know if this is a rumor or not, but I hear he's a doctor. . . . ? If anyone can confirm or deny this, I would definitely appreciate it. lol -- Either way, he's definitely worth contacting for future purchases.

Yeah, I really found Don's prices to be very reasonable -- for most of it, at least. I imagine some of them may hold more sentimental value and are priced thusly (is that a word)...though this may not be the case.

However...I must say that after hearing some interesting stories about importing, it seems like v-e-r-y cheap and v-e-r-y trees can be obtained illegally. Hahaha -- take that with a grain of salt, and with the realization that people do get caught.

On the flip side, there are several Japanese nurseries that, when in conjunction with approved importing nurseries in the US, will sell trees to US citizens legally. So that's something else to consider. Bjorn may be able to steer you in the right direction with these types of purchases.

 

[BonsaiJim]

Stow these away - you just never know when you'll them...

"I'm just holding it for a friend..." been using that since my teens.

"They're club trees..."

"Oh that? I've had that for years- don't you remember that one? Well I fertilized it a whole lot... yadadadad..."

"Check out this deal hunny! Only $100 bucks!"

"I had to buy it honey- I was afraid that the guy would kill it- he totally doesn't know what he's doing and this great material would have been lost!"

Totally Priceless!