Impossible Question to Answer

[Gabler]

Pomegranate takes well from cuttings and are perhaps one of the more resilient for field growing, much like Trident Maple. They will fatten up quickly in the ground provided they get enough water and nutrients. If you decide to plant some, I'll hit you up in 10 years for a tree.

I'm in zone 7.

 

[Gabler]

I've wanted to play with the American snowbell for a while, but it seems less cold hardy than the Asian species and I've never found anyone selling it. Halesia caroliniana looks really cool and would be fun

I've seen a couple of people growing various Aronia, especially Aronia melanocarpa 'Brilliantissima'. Not sure how well it propogates, but it has wonderful fall color, nice winter berries and low disease pressure

Gary Clark was really enthusiastic about chalk maples (Acer leucoderme), and his collected ones at the winter silhouette show had a lot of potential. Super tiny internodes and Gary said their vigor is similar to tridents

There's got to be a deciduous oak species that'll work for bonsai, though I don't have any ideas on which ones to try

I haven't heard of chalk maples. I'll look into them.

As for deciduous oaks, Quercus phellos seems to be a good option. I also have some Quercus lobata x macrocarpa that I'm testing out. The leaves look like valley oak, and it's cold hardy.

 

[bonsaiwood]

I'm in zone 7.

Pomegranate Production

Pomegranates have been grown as a common backyard crop for decades in the South. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the commercial production of the fruit in Georgia and surrounding regions. This production increase is largely in response to increased demand for the fruit...

extension.uga.edu

There are varieties hardy enough to grow in Zone 7, possibly Zone 6 with sufficient cold protection. Russian Pom comes to mind.

 

[Gabler]

Pomegranate Production

Pomegranates have been grown as a common backyard crop for decades in the South. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the commercial production of the fruit in Georgia and surrounding regions. This production increase is largely in response to increased demand for the fruit...

extension.uga.edu

There are varieties hardy enough to grow in Zone 7, possibly Zone 6 with sufficient cold protection. Russian Pom comes to mind.

Hardy to 7°F, and it prefers temperatures above 85°F for more than 120 days per year.

 

[Timbo]

Dawn redwoods are interesting, but I'm not sure I understand why I would grow one when I have the option to grow bald cypress.

I prefer them to a Bald cypress. At least for me they are hardier than a Cypress, grow much faster, and air-layer much better. I'm a Fanboy of Dawn Redwoods.
Only a few other seedlings/trees I've had grow faster than Dawn Redwoods. Only issue is damping off on new seedlings, after a few weeks they are fine.

 

[Timbo]

This list could be very long LOL.
Some of these have been stated and I 2nd them.
Dawn Redwoods for sure.
Pinus sylvestris, Pinus banksiana, both have pretty small needles.
Ulmus parvilolia 'Elsmo', bark looks pretty cool.
Morus alba var. tatarica
Sorbus alnifolia, Sorbus intermedia
Cercidiphyllum japonicum,
ALL Zelkova's (If you can find seeds)
ALL Larix, sooo many cool alt larches to the Japanese.
I've been wanting to try Pseudolarix amabilis.
Ostrya virginiana, the bark is so unique and cool looking. Hard to get collected to bud out the next year though. Try cutting it at live branches/buds.
Some of the hardier Acer's like:
Acer mono,
Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala 'Flame'
Acer truncatum

I wish people used Cercidiphyllum japonicum more, they are pretty cool, the fall color is very nice. Very delicate seedlings though, but they ramp up fast.

I think all these could be used for Bonsai, some would be harder than others for sure.

All of these except Ostrya virginiana are fast growing which I like!

 

[hsaintandre]

I'd suggest Luma Apiculata. There are people growing it as a bonsai here and apparently it has been naturalized in your zone.

I don't know if it's a great species but I personally love them, and would definitely buy one if I have the opportunity.
It reminds me of my childhood, we'd often go to Patagonia for holidays and visit Los Arrayanes National Park. It's said that you have to hug them, I don't remember the reason, but I do remember the trunk being particularly cold although ambient temperature was 35°C.

 

[ponderingsage]

I am growing out shimpaku and JBP specifically as mother stock for grafting onto collected native material with poor foliage or for size/scale reasons.
This may be in demand with the increased focus on collected material(although hopefully not too much demand).

My other thought is growing things stylistically different than what is typically done like a trident maple that isn’t a wizard hat trunk, but more naturalistic with branching subtrunks… that’s my other growing projects right now

 

[Gabler]

My other thought is growing things stylistically different than what is typically done like a trident maple that isn’t a wizard hat trunk, but more naturalistic with branching subtrunks… that’s my other growing projects right now

I agree that stylistic variation is important. I don't want all trees to look the same.

I have nothing but rude things to say about grafted trees, so I'll stop typing now.

 

[CapeCodBonsai]

If you could get your hands on sloe

It took me a couple of years to find Blackthorn here in the states and then a couple of more years to grow them out and strengthen the two trees I found for use as mother stock.

Although not forbidden, Oregon has listed this species as invasive. I don’t know if that was reason enough for the nursery I bought mine from to stop growing them but, they haven’t offered them for sale since.

I’ve grown and sold or traded several small seedlings to others. I’ve continued to propagate them myself for trade/sale so, I imagine that you’ll start seeing them more available as young trees in the future.

Add movement. They don't tend to grow with it. The desired ones in the UK...are even rarer than rocking horse sh*t. it's the movement as well that is desirable there.

I can attest to their tendency to grow straight. I do have a little movement in one of my mother plants and some movement in a root sucker on the other mother tree.



I plan to wire the shit out of all the propagated stock.

Sloe would be great!
how about cornus mas?

I tried (with no luck) growing Cornus Mas a couple of times from a handful of seeds because, I could never find it available at any of my local nurseries.

Two years ago I decided to give it one more try. This time, I purchased hundreds of seeds thinking, I’ve gotta get lucky and maybe get one or two . . . right?

Wouldn’t you know it . . . they all popped. Now, I have hundreds of seedlings.

Crataegus tends to have problems with cedar rust, which infects the twigs and creates galls in a manner similar to black knot. None of the fungicides I tried were particularly effective, so I quit growing them.

I hope I don’t have the same rust issue here. It is definitely present on Cape Cod and I come across the tell tale signs of it occasionally on my dog walks.
I have had infections on my own trees twice . . . once on an Eastern Red Cedar and once on a crab apple. They were both neglected and stressed pre-bonsai so, they both went on the burn pile.

I had a similar experience propagating Crataegus as I had with propagating Cornus mas. I bought packets of seeds three or four times attempting to get a few trees. I didn’t want to wait the lengthy amount of time it took to overcome dormancy nor did I want to bloody my fingertips filing down the seed coats individually so, I kept trying to scarify the few seed I had with Sulfuric Acid. I’m guessing I cooked the seed every time.
I upped the quantities for Crataegus monogyna and Crataegus laevigata last year for one final attempt. This time I decided to forgo the acid bath so, I soaked them in water and bagged them up for what I suspected would be the next three to five seasons. Once again . . . they all popped unexpectedly over this last winter.

Here are a few of the pots of Hawthorn seedlings I haven’t transitioned outside just yet.

Do you think I need to treat these tree seedlings preventively? It hasn’t been a major problem for me (yet) and I’ve shied away from using fungicides thus far.