getting over crowded

Hi IBC.
this is one of my benches in my front yard... trees are expanding. I need more space. same thing goes with my other benches on my nursery...I'm not selling trees though and that's the problem I'm facing this days and I got new growing trees around 30 plus collected early this year.
some are huge species.







getting crowded...even my small trees are trying to fit in.



regards,
jun

Jun, send some to me!

Tell me about it. I managed to sell about 30 at a show earlier in the year and my benches are still way too crowded. Ive collected 4 trees this Autumn and they're big boys, so I'm back to square one again. I just cannot resist a good find.

Hi Jun,

Good to know that you have your hands and benches full

Guess Todd beat me to it by asking some trees to be sent. Guess I am next in the queue. You could choose to be Santa this festive season Do ship your unwanted orphans to me. I have always had a tough time getting good pre-bonsai material.

Cheers
Ravi

Todd Ellis wrote:Jun, send some to me!

My words ....

Very kind regards Yvonne

Hi Jun
I quote the above. I have lots of space and I can keep them for you for a while until you make decisions for their future.

Cosmos

I wish i can send some to you guys...but the problem are your customs and environment regulation control system...where ever you are, the problems are all the same...honestly, I tried to send good materials to some IBC friends to no avail.


photos on my nursery.

even the grounds are occupied...



another spot...this area is for murraya exotica only.



another spot...assorted trees.



the huge tree...diospyros sp more than 2 meter long ht 1meter.



another raft diospyros...more than 1.20 meter circumference. need huge pot because the nebari occupies all the pot side



huge phempis cascade...




on the huge rock...


regards,
jun

Dear Jun

Good intensions are always welcome

Kind regards Yvonne

so how many trees do you think you have jun? if you need to give some orphan trees home and care, i'll drive to your crib

Jun,

I am not sure just how long you are into Bonsai, but generally it takes about 200 trees to really learn anything. To control the desire to collect and have, or feel sorry for a tree that has been abused, I learnt to work on trees for branching and sub branching. Leaving the big trunk part alone.

So for example with the ixora, which I have had a love / hate affair over the past 20 or so years, I collected only small plants to study. I can lay my hands on 3 in [ 7.5 cm ] trunks easily, but until a plant proves itself, I won't purchase a large trunk.

Presently I am changing my stands to 1 foot [ 31 cm ] wide tops to prevent me from putting trees back to back. This will force me to train at a more sensible level. It will also force me to be unable to obtain more trees, because of the level of training a single tree by itself will need.
My stands are also closer to eye level, without becoming unstable and toppling.
Khaimraj

Thank you for your thoughts Jun. I know its near to impossible to ship to the Americas unless you have a certified "Quarantine" nursery. I am saturated with trees and still want more because I am ADDICTED to this art. Bonsai is heaven to me!
Todd

Yvonne,

thanks.

regards,
jun



Rexman,

trees I finished I think close to 60, closed to being finished around 50, new materials I lost count...I'll soon open to to the public my garden When I'm done with the major works...and you are most welcome to visit. I have some invitation to exhibit some trees on some company events, I'll invite you too.

regards,
jun

I went through that phase -- maybe 20 years ago. Time comes when you realize that you have so many that you can do NONE of them justice. You end up with many half-done mediocre trees. You lose a lot, too because you can't keep an eye out for problems.

I have perhaps a dozen "showable" larger trees now, another 12-15 decent mame, and as many others under development. At my age, that's probably still too many.

Khaimraj Seepersad wrote:Jun,

I am not sure just how long you are into Bonsai, but generally it takes about 200 trees to really learn anything. To control the desire to collect and have, or feel sorry for a tree that has been abused, I learnt to work on trees for branching and sub branching. Leaving the big trunk part alone.

So for example with the ixora, which I have had a love / hate affair over the past 20 or so years, I collected only small plants to study. I can lay my hands on 3 in [ 7.5 cm ] trunks easily, but until a plant proves itself, I won't purchase a large trunk.

Presently I am changing my stands to 1 foot [ 31 cm ] wide tops to prevent me from putting trees back to back. This will force me to train at a more sensible level. It will also force me to be unable to obtain more trees, because of the level of training a single tree by itself will need.
My stands are also closer to eye level, without becoming unstable and toppling.
Khaimraj

My question is...how old are you now my friend (no need to answer this)? this is also my question to my self. mathematically speaking if you are around 40 year old at the moment, and you can finish let say 10 trees a year max (that's for yamadori and not from seedling)...It would take another 20 years for a person at that age to learn something significant in bonsai. and he'll be around 60+ year old by then after finishing/ handling 200 trees, I won't take that path. so my approach is to collect as many trees I can (provided i have the luxury of space), read as many as I can, learn a lot from hands on experience on different trees and form, species and styles as I can. then someday when the trees I made are deemed to be reformatted, I still have the time to enjoy seeing the changes I made, I'm sure I'll be more capable by then and the trees are still there for me to handle. before I reach the age of fifty hopefully I'll learn significantly...just my personal thoughts, not just on trees but also in life's experience. learn a lot when you're young and share the knowledge when you are not so old. mans life is short compared to trees.

regards,
jun

Khaimraj & Jun

Good to read two totally different perspectives. Despite being fairly different, what I like amongst both your comments and also from the comments of Jim and Todd is the passion each of you folks have for Bonsai. I guess it is this common thread that matters most.

Jun - If you have time which you can devote to ALL of your trees (including the countless newly collected ones) I am happy for you. This is my version of Paradise where you can spend as much time as you want to on Bonsai and get away with it. The one thing that keeps me from my bonsai is the need to earn a livelihood. I get time to barely water the 80 odd bonsai that I have which takes me about 25 minutes daily. On weekends either on Saturday or Sunday is when I get to spend about 2-3 hours doing what I do. Nothing more and less sometimes.

Being online all my working hours gives me some time to browse the net on Bonsai besides IBC.

Not complaining - just sharing the way things are at my end.

Cheers
Love Bonsai - Live Bonsai
Ravi

Thanks Ravi.

In my line of work, I have free time most of the time. my office/work area is located in my nursery, so I'm surrounded with my trees... i get my inspiration from my trees around me, and when I got some concentration problem on work I water or work on some trees. then just a few steps away back to work again...so I guess, that's how the trees pays me back.


regards,
jun

WELL J UN,I guess i am last ,,you have a wonderful collection...i would like also to have just one of the trees we can,t get over here...keep it up take care john

Jun,
You really have some beautiful specimens and some great potential ones! At least an overabundance of great material is better than the alternative. I too am facing this problem (although I don't have nearly the selection that you do!). I have so many trees in way too small of a space, and it is preventing me from really appreciating my nicer trees, and making work on many of the trees difficult due to overcrowded conditions. In April 2011 when my Club hosts our annual show, tough decisions are going to have to be made...

Good luck with your many projects!

Regards,
Brian

Thanks John,

actually you are one of the persons in my list to send one tree to. the trees can leave the Philippines but won't land in other country...darn that system.

regards,
Jun



Brian,

thanks.

in my case, for me to appreciate my trees. I have reserved a couple of benches in my lawn where I can see around 20 trees at a time, day and night, there I placed the trees in a nice way,( my nursery is several kilometer from my where I live). and I change the display of trees from time to time.

In April 2011 ...your tough decisions should be made which is----------------------------------buy a new vacant lot! I wish you all the best. in 2011.$$$$$$



regards,
jun

Great collection Jun. Very jealous
As a newbie I find it very hard to control myself from grabbing any potential material I see (my wife helps me keep myself in control). The only thing keeping me back is I don't have a good source of yamadori around here. So I'm forced to either purchase over priced pre bonsai, hunt for suitable stock in nurseries or start from seed. If I had access to a source of collected trees I'd already have to many trees for me to properly take care of after being at work for 12 hours. I dream of having a job that involves bonsai, and am now taking horticulture and greenhouse management courses so I'll at least be a little closer to my dream then bricklaying.
This topic has been fun to read through, and I think its really shown me that I'm not so weird to be so addicted to this art form. Ive been addicted physically and mentally to very destructive past times for good portions of my life, and its great to finally find something that I can kinda obsess over and is healthy and productive.
Khaimraj, I really like your input. My first lesson in bonsai was to learn patience, I now have to learn control.

phempis is nice!, my banch are not full now but I think it time will come in future

Ravi, your bonsai "life-style" sounds like mine. I have about 80 trees in bonsai pots that I am working on, probably 25 in the ground and 50 pieces of nursery material in plastic nursery pots. I spend about 30 minutes watering, and another 30 minutes looking around the benches. On weekends, I spend about 2-5 hours doing various bonsai chores. I always have something that needs tending to. It is my idea of having a good time. My wife comments "...I wish I was passionate about something ...like you are with your bonsai...".

Todd Ellis wrote: Ravi, your bonsai "life-style" sounds like mine. I have about 80 trees in bonsai pots that I am working on, probably 25 in the ground and 50 pieces of nursery material in plastic nursery pots. I spend about 30 minutes watering, and another 30 minutes looking around the benches. On weekends, I spend about 2-5 hours doing various bonsai chores. I always have something that needs tending to. It is my idea of having a good time. My wife comments "...I wish I was passionate about something ...like you are with your bonsai...".

...Todd, my wife said the same thing to me...my neighbors too.
good for them though, they can appreciate the trees without the same "burden" I have. It's always a free show for nosey neighbors.

regards,
jun

mgalex,

thanks.

...give in to it...dont control your urges...give in to your desire...don't be like Khaimraj (just kidding Khaimraj).


of course you got to control yourself, select the best specie and the easiest one to grow at the beginning, then progress steadily.
speaking of addiction- where else can you find that the thing you are addicted to (bonsai) is also an investment...you enjoy culturing the trees for several years, you'll have lot of fun and satisfaction in the process, you'll kill your boredom and have a peace of mind, improve in art...then in the end some other people will even pay for all of those for you. Ain't that practical?
you'll have fun and people will pay for it.


regards,
jun



pongsatorn,

thanks!

In due time those phempis will look even better, specially the one on the huge rock.
...before you knew it your benches will be full.
It's better to learn from different trees, then select the ones you wanted most later...by the end of the day all the trees will serve their purpose well. I also found out that this is the hobby that the investment on initial materials will multiply a hundred folds in terms of cost in a matter of 8 to 10 years.

regards,
jun

Todd,

Glad we've got something in common. And yes I did forget to mention that my entire bonsai collection sits on the terrace of our apartment complex. It is a small complex with 9 apartments including mine and I have taken over the border of one half of the terrace. My residents are co-operative and also appreciative of my hobby. It also makes them glad to see my collection.

Jun & Todd
Coming to wives I guess they are the same. My wife too has similar thoughts. Small world....

Ravi