AusBonsai

Yeah agree, I've been playing around with a few other that I think are more suitable..
I'm not very good with a banjo.....

China doll(mother daughter style)

Orange jessamine

Japanese Maple

Japanese Spindle

Bottle Brush(trunk cutting later) 1 of 7

I also have a lot of other projects including hard wood fruiting Fig cuttings, jalapeño seedlings, milk bush tree and a few others...

Hopefully you don't BURN me too much for this post

Hey Chris,

Those ones look far more sensible. I'd still look into a couple of trees that will grow fast and are tough as nails. Not sure about some of these ones you have posted simply because I just don't know them that well. Here are a few examples I've taken from the web of what you should be trying to find. It's close to bonsai but gives you both options and some work to do......
Start from as early as you can in your bonsai learning process to try to become as critical as possible and picky about the stock you buy. As an absolute minimum it should be an easy species and should have a visually satisfying trunk.

The maple and spindle look like you are on the right track. The Jasmine is a bit iffy, and the others may be fine as long term projects, but are not ideal as learning material.

More than anything, keep up the energy you have. It's great, and channeled into appropriate stock you will learn quickly and really enjoy the hobby!

Cheers,

Andrew

I'm in it for the long term!!
Apart from the spindle and maple, all the other were free.
I have high hopes for the Orange jessamine as a formal upright, but will have to wait and see.
The China doll was a, well what can I do project.
Bottle brushes are free as well, might sell them off.
My 9 year old daughter has a ficus..

ace2weather wrote:I'm in it for the long term!!
Apart from the spindle and maple, all the other were free.
I have high hopes for the Orange jessamine as a formal upright, but will have to wait and see.
The China doll was a, well what can I do project.
Bottle brushes are free as well, might sell them off.
My 9 year old daughter has a ficus..

Sounds cool Chris. Free is good as long as you recognise that the time you spend on the free stuff is time you could have spent on the right stuff. but, you know what ....... We are in this for fun, so if you are having fun that's what counts! If you don't have fun doing it, you may as well pack up today. So.......have fun!

The last part is the most important part for me have fun. Enjoy what you have and what your doing. I have many experiments and about 3 trees that could make decent bonsai. I have a tree im learning to trim and make pads on its a hearty Chinese elm. It would make a passable bonsai to someone who doesn't know a bonsai aka its a small manicured tree in a pot. But unless I graft some more appropriate branches on it ain't happening. I have a bunch of different figs I've learnt basic care leaf reduction fattening and trunk chopping. Their figs so could one day with heaps of work become little fat bonsai. I have maples im bending twisting and watching slowly grow. Got a little Sargent juniper that I cut back to left right back front and am letting grow wild with a little leader it im styling as I grow and letting keep grow will be my eventual true bonsai. My most fun comes from the stupid crazy not real bonsai stuff I do to trees while im waiting and learning from my experiments.

It's all about fun....
I also have a juniper which I'm practising wiring, pads and adding movement to trunks.
Have wisteria's(3) as hard wood cuttings for the hell of it.
A few jalapeños seedlings with wired stems in wacky shapes.
I'm very partial to the formal upright, twin trunk, raft and broom styles and at the start of my journey, I looked at every tree as potential and even thought the bunnings bonsai's looked ok, but now I've started to become picky and judgemental(except the free ones)..

**Bunnings bonsai's look like sticks**