Zone 9b/10a Native Trees

[Deci22]

Ok...so this is my first post, I'm a newbie and I live in zone 9b/10a. I got a Chinese Elm for my Birthday and I am obsessed, not necessarily with styling right now, tho that looks interesting and fun I am obsessed with propagation, and growth lol. I am in love with the fact that alot of normal trees can be grown into bonsai. I cant leave the house without making bonsai's out of the trees around here (in my mind), so I've been looking at working with some native trees. Anyone have any experience with a Florida Strangler Fig? there is an enourmous one in my yard and i adore the way the "trunk" looks with its intertwined exposed roots. Are these difficult to grow as Bonsai? how about propagation? would a branch work or air layering?

Since I'm a newblet and I'm still learning, anyone know of any local trees to central west Florida? that might be on the hardy side?

Thanks!!

D

 

[SWfloirda]

I am pretty sure a Ficus Aurea will propagate easily with either air layer or cuttings. I have one that I found discarded in a pot, it will be difficult for bonsai. Big leaves, grows too aggressively, etc. but I am trying for the fun of it.

How close are you to North Fort Myers? You should take a trip to Wigerts if it is not too far.

 

[Deci22]

about 2 hours or so, in Pinellas. Might be worth a little day trip

 

[Cajunrider]

Ok...so this is my first post, I'm a newbie and I live in zone 9b/10a. I got a Chinese Elm for my Birthday and I am obsessed, not necessarily with styling right now, tho that looks interesting and fun I am obsessed with propagation, and growth lol. I am in love with the fact that alot of normal trees can be grown into bonsai. I cant leave the house without making bonsai's out of the trees around here (in my mind), so I've been looking at working with some native trees. Anyone have any experience with a Florida Strangler Fig? there is an enourmous one in my yard and i adore the way the "trunk" looks with its intertwined exposed roots. Are these difficult to grow as Bonsai? how about propagation? would a branch work or air layering?

Since I'm a newblet and I'm still learning, anyone know of any local trees to central west Florida? that might be on the hardy side?

Thanks!!

D

Bald cypress

 

[jeffapana]

If you are looking for native trees check out the bonsai society of Florida list: https://bonsai-bsf.com/conventions/florida-native-species-for-bonsai/

However there are many non-native species that grow in our zones.

 

[SWfloirda]

If you are looking for native trees check out the bonsai society of Florida list: https://bonsai-bsf.com/conventions/florida-native-species-for-bonsai/

However there are many non-native species that grow in our zones.

Every time I look through that list I think I want to try half of them. Then I remember I don't have much room or money for more trees. I would like to try a pond apple, I've seen a couple of good ones.
I'm intrigued by A. choriophylla. An acacia without thorns?

 

[Carol 83]

I am obsessed

Happens to the best of us, welcome to the forum!

 

[Zelrod]

Every time I look through that list I think I want to try half of them. Then I remember I don't have much room or money for more trees. I would like to try a pond apple, I've seen a couple of good ones.
I'm intrigued by A. choriophylla. An acacia without thorns?

Pond apple tend to have a base that swells like bald cypress but their leaves are also on the large size. I have not tried one in Bonsai but I would be shocked if it would not handle heavy pruning and root work. They grow along with bald cypress and acer rubrum, native red/swamp maple. The native red maple are everywhere and down in the everglades as well so you could give them a shot. They aren't very popular because of leaf size and longer internodes compared to tridents and Japanese maples but they obviously do well in South Florida.

I'd recommend searching google for native nurseries and drop by to visit one. You may find some good material to get started with there.

 

[rollwithak]

Strangler fig bonsai?! Say what?!

Who, in their right mind, would ever think that a strangler fig, with the ginormous leaves and the aggressive aerial roots, would (or could) make a good bonsai? This guy ⤵ That’s who. Plus, E…

adamaskwhy.com

 

[Gabler]

They aren't very popular …

I wouldn’t say they’re unpopular. They grow all the way up and down the east coast, and they tolerate extreme cold. Even the roots are cold hardy. Lots have tried them. A handful have been highly successful. You just have to go into it accepting the fact that you won’t get the same dense ramification you might enjoy with a Zelkova serrata. On the flipside, you’ll get a huge tree developed in no time at all. Every species has its advantages and drawbacks. Check out this one:

32 year old Acer Rubrum

This tree has appeared in some other threads but I thought it deserving of it own. This was the first tree I ever collected (1987-1988) and it was out of my own woods. It was stumped a few inches above the ground line and then let grow for a season to recover as well as it could. The following...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[Zelrod]

I wouldn’t say they’re unpopular. They grow all the way up and down the east coast, and they tolerate extreme cold. Even the roots are cold hardy. Lots have tried them. A handful have been highly successful. You just have to go into it accepting the fact that you won’t get the same dense ramification you might enjoy with a Zelkova serrata. On the flipside, you’ll get a huge tree developed in no time at all. Every species has its advantages and drawbacks. Check out this one:

32 year old Acer Rubrum

This tree has appeared in some other threads but I thought it deserving of it own. This was the first tree I ever collected (1987-1988) and it was out of my own woods. It was stumped a few inches above the ground line and then let grow for a season to recover as well as it could. The following...

www.bonsainut.com

I agree, just pointing out they are less popular than other maples in bonsai like tridents and Japanese maples.

Someone has a trident maple collected in Miami here on the forums, so those appear to be an option in South Florida as well.

 

[SWfloirda]

Pond apple tend to have a base that swells like bald cypress but their leaves are also on the large size. I have not tried one in Bonsai but I would be shocked if it would not handle heavy pruning and root work. They grow along with bald cypress and acer rubrum, native red/swamp maple. The native red maple are everywhere and down in the everglades as well so you could give them a shot. They aren't very popular because of leaf size and longer internodes compared to tridents and Japanese maples but they obviously do well in South Florida.

I'd recommend searching google for native nurseries and drop by to visit one. You may find some good material to get started with there.

Some of the local nurseries around here seem to have tourist-type pricing. There's a plant sale here in Cape Coral in March and a place called Echo farms I plan to check with for Pond Apple. I'm in no hurry.

 

[Zelrod]

Some of the local nurseries around here seem to have tourist-type pricing. There's a plant sale here in Cape Coral in March and a place called Echo farms I plan to check with for Pond Apple. I'm in no hurry.

I picked up a nursery bald cypress (no buttress) a red maple and a few other natives at www.nolawn.com an “expensive” plant would be $25+. This was about 2-3 weeks ago.

They had pond apple with swollen bases and privet and a few other trees that were tempting. Supposedly they have winged elm which I must have missed or they were out of, but it’s on their inventory list.

Echo farms has mainly fruit trees from what I’ve seen.

 

[SWfloirda]

I picked up a nursery bald cypress (no buttress) a red maple and a few other natives at www.nolawn.com an “expensive” plant would be $25+. This was about 2-3 weeks ago.

They had pond apple with swollen bases and privet and a few other trees that were tempting. Supposedly they have winged elm which I must have missed or they were out of, but it’s on their inventory list.

Echo farms has mainly fruit trees from what I’ve seen.

I have heard of that place but haven't been there yet. It's close enough though, I will fight the snowbird traffic and get over there soon. Thanks!

 

[Zelrod]

Most of their pots are 3 gallon at the native nursery place in Ft. Myers. The bald cypress was $15 and the red maple was $15. They aren’t anything special but they were cheap and should turn into something after a few years in the ground or grow box.

These prices were late January 2023.

 

[SWfloirda]

I picked up a nursery bald cypress (no buttress) a red maple and a few other natives at www.nolawn.com an “expensive” plant would be $25+. This was about 2-3 weeks ago.

They had pond apple with swollen bases and privet and a few other trees that were tempting. Supposedly they have winged elm which I must have missed or they were out of, but it’s on their inventory list.

Echo farms has mainly fruit trees from what I’ve seen.

Hate to hijack the thread but I made the trip. It was a few feet taller I asked them to cut it down a bit for the ride home. Undecided if I want to let it grow from here a few more years, or make a bigger chop now. She said they just leafed out after losing all the foliage in the cold snap in December, they usually hold on to the foliage until the first flush of spring. It was all new foliage after Ian so they were worried about them coming back.

 

[Zelrod]

There’s nothing wrong with a formal upright but if you want a little movement in the trunk check out some of the ratchet strap trunk bends on the forums. I’ll be following along to see your progress. They grow in flooded areas with acer rubrum and bald cypress so it would be tough to over water it. I think the trunk will swell more with soggy soil like a cypress although I have no first hand experience, only observations.

The pond apples don’t taste good…just so you know. I do have first hand experience with that .

Sorry to hijack the thread but I’ll check out corkscrew natives next Friday. I’ll message you with details on that visit.

 

[Weaponman]

Ok...so this is my first post, I'm a newbie and I live in zone 9b/10a. I got a Chinese Elm for my Birthday and I am obsessed, not necessarily with styling right now, tho that looks interesting and fun I am obsessed with propagation, and growth lol. I am in love with the fact that alot of normal trees can be grown into bonsai. I cant leave the house without making bonsai's out of the trees around here (in my mind), so I've been looking at working with some native trees. Anyone have any experience with a Florida Strangler Fig? there is an enourmous one in my yard and i adore the way the "trunk" looks with its intertwined exposed roots. Are these difficult to grow as Bonsai? how about propagation? would a branch work or air layering?

Since I'm a newblet and I'm still learning, anyone know of any local trees to central west Florida? that might be on the hardy side?

Thanks!!

D

From my experience in landscape industry in central florida these are a shortlist of Hardy and easy care Florida natives for 9b:
- Dwarf Yaupon holly is a must for a small Florida collection.
-Simpson stopper - regular or ‘compacta’
- Southern red cedar - natural or ‘Brodie’
- Sugarberry, celtis laevigata- like a hackberry. Yellow fall color is unusual
-red maple
-winged elm, ulmus alata
-sweetgum
-live oak
-native pines are a little trickier but fun.
-a lot of native haws, crataegus spp. really cool but get aphids like crazy.

I’m actually not a huge fan of bald cypress but they are everywhere too.

Go to a native nursery and look for overgrown or unusual stock.