My bonsai collection

Bougainvillea Bonsai
I purchased this as my first bonsai, when I got it all the leaves were wilting and it didn't help that I had to ride my bike back 4 miles to get home
but, I was so enthusiastic about bonsai and overly excited to see this sitting next to the cash register on my way out, and after spending an hour looking at home depot's "pseudo bonsai" this bonsai looked amazing!
now it's doing great, has healthy green growth, and a bunch of new luscious bracts


Juniperus squamata
Juniper, that I was originally told was a cypress at the nursery
didn't look anything like this when I got it, mistakenly trimmed in winter, but I thought it came out resembling a nice little tree, I see a lot of trees in Florida that have this shape
it has browned a bit recently do to the cold conditions (in Florida?!), it's been the coldest here since I moved here, but it's warming up back to normal, hopefully, because my bonsai don't seem to like the cold!


cascading juniper
I got this at my local home depot
when I got it, it was a very prickly and overgrown shrub, that grew out a few inches in every direction
I trimmed it back to give it a more refined look, resembling that of a mountain juniper
it's fault is that it has a few pruning scars because so much had to be trimmed
if you have seen a juniper shrub at home depot you can imagine, but when I saw it I thought it had a decently thick trunk and potential as a bonsai
it still needs to be re-potted
my dad liked the result of this a lot and it's on display now in front of my house as you enter


Eugenia myrtifolia or "Cherry Brush"
this is the one that was a bit shocked from being re potted in winter at the nursery, having a new environment, and the cold weather
I'm just letting this rest in front of my house to bask in the sun and recover

In my area (south Florida) there are no bonsai nurseries within an hour's drive, and the fact that I don't drive doesn't help. The one time I was lucky enough to get to a nursery was on the way home from picking up my dad's car, but I make the most of what I have, frequently checking my local home depot for anything with any potential
I consider myself lucky though, because I appreciate bonsai more this way
and when I make it to a nursery like the ones I've seen around America online it will truly be exciting!
this is kind of the way I try to look at mostly everything in life, half full, not half empty
it makes perfect sense to me, be happy and let all the beautiful small things in life add up to a big celebration of life everyday
of course, that's easier said than done, but, like bonsai it's a process
and like bonsai you can sound like a master on how to trim a tree
but, the real masters can actually trim the tree


Please feel free to give any tips, constructive criticism, or pointers!
Thanks!

Justin

Justin,

I'm glad you enjoy bonsai as much as you do. However the trees look, as long as you played a part in its creation and you like it, thats all that matters. Continue your collection and when you can drive, other venues will open up.

Luc

luc tran wrote:Justin,

However the trees look, as long as you played a part in its creation and you like it, that's all that matters.
Luc

thanks Luc,
what do you think about the bonsai?

I’m lovin that yellow……….luverleeeeee!

what do you think about the bonsai?

I think that they're off to a pretty good start.

Think of them as young athletes and you as their coach. The kids have a lot of promise, but you need to bring them up slowly. They're all young yet, and need to grow and put on some muscle. For that you need patience and to bring them along by degrees.

The same with trees. You shape a tree (teach it what you want it to do), then you let it grow into that lesson (practice what it was taught) before you teach it something else.

Keep it up.

Fuzzy wrote:I’m lovin that yellow……….luverleeeeee!

Thanks, Fuzzy
I love the yellow as well
when I first got it the bracts had a palish white/pink color
all the bracts fell off (with the help of a fan when I decided to move it outside for more sun)
but, all things happen for a reason and now a nice new array of golden yellow bracts have developed

JimLewis wrote:

what do you think about the bonsai?

I think that they're off to a pretty good start.

Think of them as young athletes and you as their coach. The kids have a lot of promise, but you need to bring them up slowly. They're all young yet, and need to grow and put on some muscle. For that you need patience and to bring them along by degrees.

The same with trees. You shape a tree (teach it what you want it to do), then you let it grow into that lesson (practice what it was taught) before you teach it something else.

Keep it up.

Thanks, Jim
I appreciate the advice
it's always good to get the conformation from someone else that your doing good
especially from someone with a good amount of experience
I really do appreciate it
and I'll keep up with it as long I like nature, and that's been since I was born
so I'll keep improving along with time and one of my favorite things about bonsai like
many bonsai artist say, I just have to be happy with the way it looks, not Masahiko Kimura or anybody, just me. So it's very free like this. I don't have to feel weighed down by others opinions, or have to pass other people's approval.

Justin, I think you've got a good attitude and appreciation of what it takes for growing good bonsai. All you need now is some guidance, mentors, and time (don't we all).

Where in South Florida do you live? I know of a number of bonsai nurseries in SF.

Anyway, keep up the good work and take extra good care of that bougainvillea. I see potential there.

Good luck,
Ed

Your trees are in good hands and with time will evolve into your dream tree. That fact alone makes them good trees.

Bonsai is an artform, but its also entertainment. Enjoy your growing young tree. I like what Jim said about coaching. I personally coach and its great to see the final product, but its always the training and the time spent learning together that always offers the most reward for me. I think you will also find this to be true.

Luc

EdMerc wrote:Justin, I think you've got a good attitude and appreciation of what it takes for growing good bonsai. All you need now is some guidance, mentors, and time (don't we all).

Where in South Florida do you live? I know of a number of bonsai nurseries in SF.

Anyway, keep up the good work and take extra good care of that bougainvillea. I see potential there.

Good luck,
Ed

Thanks, Ed
when I move after high school, hopefully to California, I plan to get a good instructor to get more acquainted with advanced techniques and what not
I would in Florida, but I wouldn't be able to get there much, because I can't drive
and I live in Weston, Fort Lauderdale
I would be pleased to find out there's bonsai nurseries around
Thanks again,

Justin

luc tran wrote:Your trees are in good hands and with time will evolve into your dream tree. That fact alone makes them good trees.

Bonsai is an art form, but its also entertainment. Enjoy your growing young tree. I like what Jim said about coaching. I personally coach and its great to see the final product, but its always the training and the time spent learning together that always offers the most reward for me. I think you will also find this to be true.

Luc

Thanks, Luc
I appreciate the advice
I do also find that to be true
It's nice to see the final product, but what makes it is all the time and effort put in to get there
you can appreciate it more and understand it from a greater perspective like that
I also do agree that bonsai is a very entertaining art form

Justin, I know it's tough getting around without a car, but if you do happen to find a bonsai nursery or club in your area it would benefit you greatly. Bonsai people are usually itching to teach (evidenced by this site) and I bet you'll get plenty of useful advice.

Check this website for bonsai clubs in Florida.
http://www.bonsai-bsf.com/clubs/

I don't know if this is close enough to you, but it's worth a shot.

http://www.goldcoastbonsai.com/

This is a great bonsai nursery in Miami.
http://www.miamitropicalbonsai.com/

And then you have Mary Madison in Boca Raton. You have to schedule a visit to her, but it's really worth it.

Keep your head up Justin. You have a lot of resources available to you.

EdMerc wrote:Justin, I know it's tough getting around without a car, but if you do happen to find a bonsai nursery or club in your area it would benefit you greatly. Bonsai people are usually itching to teach (evidenced by this site) and I bet you'll get plenty of useful advice.

Check this website for bonsai clubs in Florida.
http://www.bonsai-bsf.com/clubs/

I don't know if this is close enough to you, but it's worth a shot.

http://www.goldcoastbonsai.com/

This is a great bonsai nursery in Miami.
http://www.miamitropicalbonsai.com/

And then you have Mary Madison in Boca Raton. You have to schedule a visit to her, but it's really worth it.

Keep your head up Justin. You have a lot of resources available to you.

Thanks, Ed
I appreciate it, but it's hard enough to get my dad to take me to a sitar lesson, I'm not sure he would be willing to take me to sitar lessons and bonsai meetings. My dad is usually very busy or tired from being busy.
Trust me if I had my own car I'd be at 4 sitar lessons a month and as much bonsai meetings as I could get to, yet I live in my dad's house and he provides more than enough for me, so I respect his word and follow his rule, after all he put's the roof over my head. That's why I said when I move I'll start trying to get more acquainted with a teacher and what not, but for now the internet is my best available resource for information. I also go to the library often and check there bonsai books and read up there. In the end like I said I make the most of what I have and learn what I can from the many available resources on the web.

Thanks again,

Justin

I wanted to share a couple picture of a close up on the Bougainvillea pot, in case no one saw it in the "pots" thread.

The front:


The back:


hope you enjoy
thanks,

Justin

if you need good pre-bonsai material, email at beuf143@hotmail.com. i live in kendall.

hiram wrote:if you need good pre-bonsai material, email at beuf143@hotmail.com. i live in kendall.

Hey, Hiram
where exactly is Kendall?
and do you have a web-site I can visit and view the material?
thanks,

Justin

I like the way you have expressed your feelings about your relationship with your father.
However, while I have nothing against California, you don't have to move there to get good bonsai knowledge and good trees.
Florida has a great set of state societies (about 30 of them if I recall) with advanced study groups, a statewide society with about 900 members, a statewide convention, statewide magazine, a statewide visiting artist program, several permanent bonsai exhibits, the annual Walt Disney World Flower and Garden show, and many teachers and nurseries. Florida, especially south Florida has a 12 month growing season (normally - this year is weird) and tropical trees develop so fast that you will learn as fast at the trees. I always say if you want to be a downhill skier go where there are mountains and snow, but if you wan to learn bonsai go where the trees grow and respond the fastest.

Having transportation will make things simpler but remember when you are on your own, Florida has no state income tax and significantly less tax overall than California. And the best reason - Florida has over 2500 golf courses!!!!

Rob Kempinski wrote:I like the way you have expressed your feelings about your relationship with your father.
However, while I have nothing against California, you don't have to move there to get good bonsai knowledge and good trees.
Florida has a great set of state societies (about 30 of them if I recall) with advanced study groups, a statewide society with about 900 members, a statewide convention, statewide magazine, a statewide visiting artist program, several permanent bonsai exhibits, the annual Walt Disney World Flower and Garden show, and many teachers and nurseries. Florida, especially south Florida has a 12 month growing season (normally - this year is weird) and tropical trees develop so fast that you will learn as fast at the trees. I always say if you want to be a downhill skier go where there are mountains and snow, but if you wan to learn bonsai go where the trees grow and respond the fastest.

Having transportation will make things simpler but remember when you are on your own, Florida has no state income tax and significantly less tax overall than California. And the best reason - Florida has over 2500 golf courses!!!!

Hey, Rob
I personally would like to just get out west. I have lived in South Florida for a long time know, and have grown tired of highways, lack of seasons, and the beach. I would like to be amongst more diversity in weather and terrain, and I have been to California and loved the diversity of forest, parks, and cities that I visited. I have nothing against Florida bonsai. I wouldn't move to California solely for bonsai, more for a change in environment. It just so happens that I have seen many beautiful bonsai in California, and it just all ties into really wanting to move there if the cards all play out.
thanks,

Justin

P.S. I'm not really much of a golfer

Hey Justin, Your off to a goos start! Keep it up.

Joe Hatfield wrote:Hey Justin, Your off to a goos start! Keep it up.

Hey, Joe
I appreciate the compliment
thanks,

Justin

- better picture of cascading Juniper



- Bougainvillea blown up



- Blue Star Juniper blown up



- New Serissa



- New Dwarf Jade



- Growing collection

Justin,

Great start on your collection. I hope that you will continue your bonsai journey. no matter what part of this world you choose to live in. I think that you can see by this forum, that bonsai is a great hobby ( bad word !, it's much more than a hobby) all over the world. Stick with it...and I can promise you it will be rewarding.

Ed Trout Pembroke Pines, Florida

Ed Trout wrote:Justin,

Great start on your collection. I hope that you will continue your bonsai journey. no matter what part of this world you choose to live in. I think that you can see by this forum, that bonsai is a great hobby ( bad word !, it's much more than a hobby) all over the world. Stick with it...and I can promise you it will be rewarding.

Ed Trout Pembroke Pines, Florida

Thanks, Ed
I plan to stick with bonsai for a long time
I mean as long as I love trees (which has been since I was born), I will always love the idea of miniaturizing them

Justin

May I comment on a few of your trees?
The Blue Star juniper. Where are you keeping it? Needs full sun. Thin out the top area so the birds can fly through. It is a bit drastic, but consider eliminating the slingshot affect. Ask one of the experts, but I would think about cutting off the whole left trunk. That will give you better taper and trunk movement.
About the serissa, shorten & thin out the upper branches to get more growth lower down. Why do all the nurseries think we want pretzel trunks?
About the Portulacaria, dwarf jade: eliminate the bar branches little by little. Leave only one branch at each node.
Iris

bonsaisr wrote:May I comment on a few of your trees?
The Blue Star juniper. Where are you keeping it? Needs full sun. Thin out the top area so the birds can fly through. It is a bit drastic, but consider eliminating the slingshot affect. Ask one of the experts, but I would think about cutting off the whole left trunk. That will give you better taper and trunk movement.
About the serissa, shorten & thin out the upper branches to get more growth lower down. Why do all the nurseries think we want pretzel trunks?
About the Portulacaria, dwarf jade: eliminate the bar branches little by little. Leave only one branch at each node.
Iris

Hey, Iris
My "Blue Star" Juniper does get full sun, and could you explain more about what "eliminate the bar branches little by little. Leave only one branch at each node" means?
Thanks,

Justin