Yeah I will check them out since it looks like they have a good Acer listIf I were you, I’d be looking at Evergreen Gardenworks. He has several sizes of starter material on his site. The largest will only be half-inch/inch thick material, but it is relatively affordable and you can experiment with a variety of trees. $15-50 ish dollars for a tree depending on the size. He has a huge selection of acer.
Still will be long-term projects but I think it’s a good option for you! Check it out
Just saw your edit. I did Facebook message him and said he will show me tomorrow but I’m worried on how expensive it isBeautyberry you can pick out the best cultivar and special order from your local landscape nursery. They are pretty broadly available.
Japanese maples and shimpaku junipers you are best going to a bonsai nursery that cultivates small pre-bonsai (like for workshops). I'm pretty sure Meehan's Miniatures will have a good selection, and he is pretty close to you.
Princess persimmon... very hard to find the females at $100 or less. Dennis Vojtilla is going to be the main source for these in the US but it is extremely difficult to reach him and I'm not sure he sells to individuals. Ed Clark has in the past had a fair number of trees that he has gotten from Dennis, and he might have some smaller ones. (LOL ignore the $95 one in this pic with my name on it)
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[EDIT] Just checked in with Ed and he has them. Rooted cutting grown so he knows they are females. [/EDIT]
Simply tell him what you are looking for, and what your budget is, and he'll let you know what he has. He is very down-to-earth. All he grows is pre-bonsai. I bought seven trees from him this year without seeing photos of the trees beforehand. I told him the species, and asked him if he had anything he liked, and he told me a price, and I paid it because he doesn't disappoint I have been to his place, and met him and his wife numerous times at conventions, so we know each other pretty well.
Yeah I hope he has something good at my price point. I just want something that I can have for a long timeI was just chatting with him. We were talking about fishing
Female princess persimmon is kinda the Rolls Royce of pre-bonsai. From seed it takes seven or more years before the trees fruit, so from seed you don't know the females for a long time. And then you find that half of your crop is males that don't fruit. They are hard to strike cuttings from, and air-layering is difficult due to the thin bark. Root cuttings are usually successful - assuming you have a plant large enough to take root cuttings from.
Oh thanks for writing that . Very interesting tho. Now I realize why someone was selling a seedling for 55. Maybe I might wait longer till I get one. If you have any suggestions on any species that are good for shohin bonsai and they fruit that would be good. I’m lucky to live in Nj because Japanese plants grow amazing and I love them even tho people online tell me to not get them. It might just be a childhood faze but I’m in love with japan ever since I was a child. I have started to learn Japanese and cook Japanese food ! I love to make tamagoyaki and udon noodles all the time. So yeah back to bonsai talk... I just want some nice bonsai stock that I can work on and I have a book on Japanese shohin bonsai and shows how to care after like 50 different types and when to style them and stuff so they keep healthy. But thanks again to everyone who gave me recommendations and if you have more please share them !
I'm 27 and still haven't grown out of my "japanese phases" I started mediating when I was 18, love anime, eat mostly with chopsticks, and have a strong appreciation for japanese architecture and japanese gardens. Some of us just appreciate the vast culture and abundance of natural beauty. Good luck with your journey
