Anyone here that grows bonsai trees?

[Dennis S]

I'm going to buy a book and get started, unless it's simple enough to get all the tips I need here. The trees in the yard available are pine, dogwood, oak, sweetgtum, sugar maple, and cedar.

[AlphaDog]

You do have a lifetime to devote to this, do you not? Some of those trees should outlive you, meaning you'll need to provide for them in your will.

There's another forum member whose husband did bonsais. I don't know if she'll choose to weigh in, but I do remember that he was active in a bonsai group. I met a number of the members, and they were all very nice and extremely helpful and willing to give newbies lots of good advice. You might look around and see if there's a group similar to that around where you live. Books are wonderful, but they don't always capture the subtle nuances that can mean the difference between success and failure.

[Trouble]

I prefer Bonsai Kittens http://ding.net/bonsaikitten/index.html

[Black]

Always loved the shape of sweetgum leaves.
I bought a few trident maples off eBay a few years ago for no good reason-- kids killed one but the other is doing fine. Typically they make great Bonsais.

[bruceko]

I am accomplished at killing them

[Jack D.]

The fake ones are nice...they live longer and don't require watering as often as the 'other' kind.

[Mike V]

AlphaDog wrote:
Some of those trees should outlive you

Except when you go on holiday for two weeks and your sister who has been put in charge forgets to water it.

A fifteen year old tree dead as a dead as a doorknob.