Picking out bonsai liners

[Cable]

No, this is a different group and another intro class. Instant bonsai is more important to get people hooked and then the learning can come. Sometimes you have to give people what they want before they can accept what they need. After the second intro class I'll see if there's enough interest between the two to do a more advanced one.

Seems nobody is happy with anything I pick. lol. The artist wants all expensive stuff that either we don't grow or puts the price out of the price point I need. He doesn't supply plants or tools. I just do the best I can.

 

[James W.]

Keep doing what you can. In this case doing almost anything is better than doing nothing. And lots of time one person doing whatever he can gets more done than a whole bunch of us not doing what is ideal.

 

[Cable]

Thanks James.

 

[Rick C]

Since you work at a nursery you should be able to get Junipers cheap.. I have picked then up as cheap as 2.50 for 7 inch pots when I bought a minimum of 10 (after the spring rush)(wholesale nursery).. In our area serissa (coneaster) are plentiful and relatively inexpensive and used for a lot of beginner classes....
Good Luck and keep spreading the faith

 

[Zach Smith]

Maybe a replacement artist?

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

 

[miker]

Thanks for the advice guys. I have a call in to our Huron farm for more liners. Spruce, cotoneaster, boxwood, and more. No idea what I’ll actually get, if anything. I don’t have a huge say early on as I’m after scrap plants but last time I had almost two plants per person available and it was quite nice. Trying to keep the cost low.

I’m planning to join Cleveland Bonsai Club, but not sure if this month or next. Depends on my schedule.

Kingsville boxwoods are nice, if not a super inexpensive choice for decent pre-bonsai material.

 

[Vance Wood]

Maybe I missed it but are the one that is going to be conducting the workshop, or is someone with more bonsai experience?

 

[Adair M]

I teach classes. Mind you, I don’t teach “beginner” classes. But, I have a great deal of experience with beginners...

So, if you’re going to do the “create a bonsai in a day” kind of workshop, then Juniper is the only way to go. And I mean good old Procumbens Nana. Shimpaku would be better, but I doubt you’ll find it “cheap”. Also, San Jose Juniper would work.

Those junipers can be pruned, wired, and potted in one session, and it can look like a bonsai. Any of the deciduous trees will just get cut back hard, and that takes 5 minutes to do. Deciduous trees are grown, which takes years, decades really. A Juniper can be done in a couple hours!

I went from This:



To this:



In about two hours.

 

[Cable]

Maybe I missed it but are the one that is going to be conducting the workshop, or is someone with more bonsai experience?

Oh Lord not me, I can't even pick out a good liner. My guy has over 40 years experience and has trained in Japan and China. Real nice guy, too. Just has high standards. As well he should. You guys have high standards, too.

 

[Zach Smith]

Nothing wrong with high standards, but you do have to start off your beginners in the right spot with the right material. As with Adair, I don't teach beginner classes but each student is at a different point in his or her bonsai journey and you have to teach to that point forward. One person may not know anything about wiring, while the next has had a good bit of practice. So you don't teach as if both are at the same point, you have to adjust for each or one may get frustrated while the other gets bored.

Anyway, if it was my class I'd be picking out the material. You want your beginner to be able to get somewhere nice with his tree before he goes home.

 

[Ironbeaver]

I think that a good "class trip" is going to a nursery and teaching how to pick out suitable trees.

 

[defra]

Maybe you could look for some interesting yews excellent beginner tree's imo
also little boxwood's are fun and realy could take some time going trough all the branching looking for a design

. Then as a group we learn the multi year process of handling and styling the species. For example, we have as a group picked up 12 Amelanchier,

Leo i got a big amelanchier but dont know much about the species would you be so kind sharing some info about them?

 

[augustine]

Good man Cable, you have the right attitude! You'll be successful, keep at it.