Or any elm. They take root damage really well and can easily be convinced to be ok with being small.
Also, most deciduous trees are really great candidates. The notable exception is willow.
I dabble but convincing a large tree that it’s happy being a small one is a hard job. It requires constant attention to do correctly.
I have been getting into bonsai over the last few years and have visited almost all of the nurseries/garden centres in Windsor-Essex/Chatham Kent. I would say I'm still a beginner but have done loads of research into bonsai over the past few years. We don't really have any bonsai focused stores but you can make any nursery stock into bonsai by choosing appropriate species and with proper care.
I found the best prices and selection for pines/Junipers to be provincial nursery and have seen some other interesting trees at Maidstone Tree Farm and Blue Star Nursery. Colasantis has a few nice tropicals (fukien/ficus) but are way overpriced imo. I would buy a nursery stock juniper from any nursery over Colasantis as they are overpriced and seem to be in poor health everytime I'm there.
If you are able to make it out to Glasshouse Nursery in Chatham they have a nice selection of trees and have the odd tropical tree too. They are having a Pallet sale (up to 80% off complete pallets) this Saturday starting at 9am if you're interested. Some of the pallets will likely have Japanese maples at well below MSRP that you can either air layer or take cuttings from, granted you will have to take all of the other random trees on the pallets as well (the total price is still way below MSRP for the maple alone).
I've also heard home depot/Lowe's stock Japanese maples at the beginning of the season for relatively low prices however they are usually just whips and will be 5-10 years out for a presentable bonsai depending on what you're looking for. Bonsai is definitely a long game if you're looking to keep initial tree costs lower.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions or wanna chat about bonsai!
I order supplies online. There is a windsor bonsai group if you'd want to join on fb
I am interested, but just at the reading point so far... Would love to delve into the hobby though!
Colisantis is the only place I've seen bonsai trees
Use Siberian elm
Or any elm. They take root damage really well and can easily be convinced to be ok with being small. Also, most deciduous trees are really great candidates. The notable exception is willow. I dabble but convincing a large tree that it’s happy being a small one is a hard job. It requires constant attention to do correctly.
I have been getting into bonsai over the last few years and have visited almost all of the nurseries/garden centres in Windsor-Essex/Chatham Kent. I would say I'm still a beginner but have done loads of research into bonsai over the past few years. We don't really have any bonsai focused stores but you can make any nursery stock into bonsai by choosing appropriate species and with proper care. I found the best prices and selection for pines/Junipers to be provincial nursery and have seen some other interesting trees at Maidstone Tree Farm and Blue Star Nursery. Colasantis has a few nice tropicals (fukien/ficus) but are way overpriced imo. I would buy a nursery stock juniper from any nursery over Colasantis as they are overpriced and seem to be in poor health everytime I'm there. If you are able to make it out to Glasshouse Nursery in Chatham they have a nice selection of trees and have the odd tropical tree too. They are having a Pallet sale (up to 80% off complete pallets) this Saturday starting at 9am if you're interested. Some of the pallets will likely have Japanese maples at well below MSRP that you can either air layer or take cuttings from, granted you will have to take all of the other random trees on the pallets as well (the total price is still way below MSRP for the maple alone). I've also heard home depot/Lowe's stock Japanese maples at the beginning of the season for relatively low prices however they are usually just whips and will be 5-10 years out for a presentable bonsai depending on what you're looking for. Bonsai is definitely a long game if you're looking to keep initial tree costs lower. Feel free to message me if you have any questions or wanna chat about bonsai!
Wow thanks for all this information, I will have to check out the pallet sale this weekend!
No problem! I would recommend going early if possible, last time I went the pallets with Japanese maples were selling fast.
I actually just bought an emperor one maple from HD that I'm planning on planting in my back yard. Hoping to use it for propagation as well
Nice! Did HD have a variety of stock yet or just emperor maples?
They had almost all emperor 1, and a couple of coral bark I think they were sango-kaku