Carkybones
Sapling
I have Apricot, kumquat, and flowering plum on my list of "wanted bonsai" for my collection. Does anyone know where I can any of these? Looking for higher quality specimens.
Do you want live plants or seeds?
Prebonsai, bonsai or potted plant that you can turn into bonsai?
It all makes a difference ;-)
higher quality specimens.
Ume (Prunus Mume) is classical species used for bonsai with many different varieties - see for example https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/prunus.htm However it is quite hard to get the cuttings root or airlayer. Jonas Dupuich over at Bonsai Tonight posted recently about Japanese Plum which is Prunus Salicina, which is easier to root: https://bonsaitonight.com/2019/10/11/fall-pruning-on-japanese-plum/Good call. It actually looks like they might be the same tree with different names. Referring to Japanese Apricot
Where is omega bonsai nursery?I'm guessing that the Japanese Apricot/Plum you are referring to is Prunus Mume, or "Ume." This tree flowers in late winter without leaf and is prized for the contrast in old rough bark, deadwood and beautiful flowers. The confusing part is that Ume is related to both apricot and plum and Bonsai professionals often either call it plum or apricot-depends on who you talk to. Hard to find nice specimens in the US as you cannot import them. Muranaka Bonsai nursery use to have some large trunks, but they don't anymore. I bought a nice sized tree from Omega Bonsai Nursery-one of the few places I've found them. You can also watch the Bonsai Auctions site on Facebook-they pop up every once in a while. You can buy young Ume-cutting grown from Evergreen Garden Works. If you ever visit Boon, he's got some nice specimens for sale, but I doubt he would ship. Here's a pic I took in 2015 of one of my favorite trees at Aichi-En in Japan. This tree is over 100 years old from seed.
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Japanese Dwarf Kumquat or "Kinzu" is another tough one here in the US, specifically because of the rules against transporting citrus. I really love Kinzu, they have tiny little orange fruit and grow vigorously in the right condition. I started many from seed, but I don't know if I can ever even show them, as they might get confiscated if I move them from my house. Pic from the phenomenal blog Bonsai Tonight of a Kinzu in the Gafu Ten.
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Where is omega bonsai nursery?
Um, do you know what kind of money you're talking about? I know of a few very high quality older developed ume bonsai in the area. If you can convince the owners to sell, the cost will be well over $6,000. That's for a tree very close to the character of some of the Japanese grown stuff. Seen them in person. Owners won't part with them.Can you tell this is my first post? Hehe
When I say high quality, I am referring to an older, refined bonsai. Looking for a tree that is already refined.
Got it. Yes, I'd be willing to pay excess of $5k for a Japanese quality ume. I got your pm about about the place in VA. If you know anyone else I can reach out to, let me know. Thanks again.Um, do you know what kind of money you're talking about? I know of a few very high quality older developed ume bonsai in the area. If you can convince the owners to sell, the cost will be well over $6,000. That's for a tree very close to the character of some of the Japanese grown stuff. Seen them in person. Owners won't part with them.
If You don't have over five grand to spend, you can start with rough stock like the tree in the blog out of Houston, or with California sourced saplings/nursery stock. If you can get your hands on it before it is sold. Ume has become a "must have" for a lot of collectors. I've wanted one for a while, but haven't found a great opportunity to get what I want and I've been at this for a while.
Fat Ume
A short fat ume, first bloom just opened today! Merry Christmas! Thanks to fredtruck for getting me infected with ume fever... :) I will have to learn how to photograph for flowers better now.www.bonsainut.com