Underrated species...wich do you know?

Fidur

Chumono
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When I begun to buy trees, I was spices guided by what I could read in the internet. Yes, I'm very new to bonsai, but in the last year I've been working with something like 25 species of trees, including some very popular in bonsai, junipers, pines, maples, elms, olives, .....

After this time, I can now recognize what a difficult species means (my most difficult tree till now is the chamaecyparis lawsoniana elwodii ), but what I couldn't anticipate is that the "best for me" could be one hardly listed anywhere as a bonsai friendly species.

I'm talking about my chamaecyparis thyoides rubicon (White atlantic cedar "rubicon").

IMG_20211129_124247 (3)_LI.jpg


I bought it in a nursery (8$), but it came to that nursery as a lone specimen mixed with other conifers, and never before and I guess never again it will be avalaible. When I asked about it in the nursery they said they didn´t know what it was or why it was there (I bought yesterday a japonicus cryptomeria because it resembled the look of it).
This species (at least where I live) has had no pests or bugs. If you cut anywhere in the tree, it will back bud and grow. Also the cutting will root without problem (I have 22 rooted cuttings from this).
I you try to bend any gauge of branch, you'll see it can be done without any hassle. It has natural tapering and its foliage is very attractive. It turns reddish in fall (not in my climate though). The problems I can forsee are that it has only 2-3 inches heigth of annual growth and maybe it doesn´t behave as well as here in other climates.
The only refferences I have found about this species are :
1) An old entry in a bonsai page: https://browardbonsai.com/2011-trees-of-the-month
2) A youtube video from a colombian owner:

So, I must say this is an underated species, and if you ever find one it's worth a try.

Which species do you think are also underrated in the bonsai world?
 
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Wires_Guy_wires

Imperial Masterpiece
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They're the western equivalent to tosho, juniperus rigida. They grow everywhere in Europe, everywhere in the US and even in Russia.

They are rarely used because they're difficult in every sense. But there's yamadori out there that are insane, and even in the nursery trade they're pretty decently priced.
 

HorseloverFat

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Elaeagnus Umbellata/Augustifolia..

One of my favorites.But. a complete NUISANCE to land owners. Around here, the DNR encourages digging these. “Sure! Don’t even have to fill the hole in!” They reply. (I still do :) )

They are a thorny, aggressive, fast growing Silverberry Relative, with attractive bark and foliage which WILL reduce... I lost 4 last winter to Rabbits. 🤦🏽‍♂️ 2 due to “no protection”.. (well I guess ALL of them where TECHNICALLY related to protection.)

The Russet BuffaloBerry, an Elaeagnus relative, as well, is EVEN more interesting.. but much slower-growing.. and seemingly passive..

Symphoriocarpus Albus! Called SnowBerry... related to Lonicera.. they are TOUGH, fast-growing and have some of the neatest bark I’ve ever seen. (I have a Species Study Thread on these bad boys 🤣)

Also... weirdly enough.. I am REALLY liking the “give-and-take”, and also bark (I’m a sucker for bark), of my.. um... Coleus Experiments... the leaves reduce.. and that “bark”!6CD1726D-2704-42FE-9EB8-793DB35BB883.jpegDE1E0291-5B4C-4600-860E-FF8C6214DEEF.jpeg
 

HorseloverFat

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Sorry! I thought i posted pictures of the other few I mentioned.

Here’s the ONE Elaeagnus i collected this year. (Still had some “stayin’ leaves). I want to make SURE I can keep them alive over my winters, before I suffer any more heartbreak! 🤣FDE748B4-B758-4ECD-BE85-BFF64A631AC8.jpegF4397F72-6341-48AD-B2ED-B6C1BE5139AA.jpeg85A23BFF-924F-4F8E-A42A-BB14C3637AFD.jpeg

And here is a SnowBerry (Symphoriocarpus Albus) tray. (Nekkid).C135BF83-85A9-4F8D-A2FE-571AD357D751.jpeg
 

Benjofen

Yamadori
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Chinese elms. Villified as mallsai, and disregarded by many. Small leaves, fine twigging, hardy as nails, fast grower, great peeling bark..
100% agree. For that matter, I think procumbens get a similar stigma.
 

Arnold

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To me Cupressus in general are pretty underrated species for bonsai, C. macrocarpa, C. lusitanica, C. sempervirens. Specialy the C .sempervirens "horizontalis" (the wild form of the clasic cultivated "fastigiata" Italian cypress) have amazing potential for bonsai, I have a lot of them from seed, they grow very fast and are very hardy.

Some cool C. sempervirens "horizontalis" in Crete mountains

italian-cypress-tree-cupressus-sp-,1135008.jpg


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Εθνικός_Δρυμός_Σαμαριάς.jpg
 
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