Boston Nursery and Supply Recommendations

[OftenConfused]

Hello!

I am a complete beginner and was looking for recommendations on nurseries in the Boston area or online to check out. I'm really interested in growing a Sakura (cherry blossom) tree, so any leads on those would be great, but if folks recommend starting from a different plant, would love recommendations on those too! Also wondering folks recommendations on where to get pumice/akadama/perlite

 

[Gabler]

Hello!

I am a complete beginner and was looking for recommendations on nurseries in the Boston area or online to check out. I'm really interested in growing a Sakura (cherry blossom) tree, so any leads on those would be great, but if folks recommend starting from a different plant, would love recommendations on those too! Also wondering folks recommendations on where to get pumice/akadama/perlite

I just order my soil components online. You can even get good prices on Amazon.com. Cheaper brands may require some sifting to remove dust, and more expensive brands are usually sifted to the proper size, but may still need to be washed after being jostled around in transit.

As for species, I haven't tried growing flowering cherries as bonsai, but I've read they can be difficult subjects. I'm a big proponent of using native trees, and Nick Lenz wrote a great book on New England trees for bonsai titled Bonsai from the Wild. The book is a bit expensive, but I'll post a photo of the table of contents, so you have some ideas for species to look into.

 

[Gabler]

 

[Oboedatree]

In new to the hobby just like you, but cherry blossom is a pretty finicky spiecies from what I’ve heard. I’d recommend starting with more of a resilient species i can’t personally recommend this but google says bougainvillea This evergreen shrub grows quickly and tolerates pruning well, making it a good beginner option. I’d recommend wigerts, there prices are good and a large selection. You can probably get some soil there too! Bougainvillea are flowering trees so you could get a similar look to a cherry.
Have fun on your journey!

Also they are tropical trees so I wouldn’t order until the spring when it’s warmer outside.

 

[Gabler]

You also can't go wrong with any species of elm, and for cold tolerance it's hard to beat Juniperus horizontalis.

If you're mostly interested in flowers, look into a different species of Prunus or a species of Malus, Vaccinium, or Crataegus.

For a cold-hardy tree with good fall color, consider Acer rubrum or A. saccharum, although the leaves are large, so your tree would need to be large for the sake of proportion.

 

[rockm]

Long time bonsai nurseries up there are:

Bonsai west
New England Bonsai Gardens

The home for some of the first Bonsai brought into the U.S. is the Arnold Arboretum

FWIW cherries are not all that great as bonsai. They take some work and knowledgeable pruning etc. as said above elms of any species are great beginner trees. “Outdoor” species are easier than “indoor” trees. There are no species that thrive inside. Only those that can tolerate it—there are no temperate zone species (elm pine maple juniper etc) that will survive indoors. If you want an indoor trees get a ficus

 

[stubmle]

Welcome to the forum! Also worth mentioning that there are at least two clubs in the area that meet monthly- the Northeast Bonsai Society is in Topsfield, and the Kaikou Study Group meets at New England Bonsai Garden in Bellingham on the first Saturday most months. If it's feasible, you may want to check out one or both of them- joining a club is a great way to jump-start your progress.

I've heard there may be another group that meets at NEBG on some Sundays, but I don't know much about them otherwise, or even if they are still a going concern. Sounds like they were a more informal thing.