General areas good to collect slabs and planting stones in USA

I wonder if folks out there would like to point out some good areas or sources where one could collect slabs or planting stones. Not specific secret places of course just rock sources or areas where quality stones or slabs can be collected. Most of my state was heavily glaciated and only round boring stones abound. Ledges and bedrock are scarce around here and what I have checked don't seem to have the right characteristics. Any pointers?

Have you considered garden centers/landscapers and check their slate slabs?

Poink88 wrote:Have you considered garden centers/landscapers and check their slate slabs?

It's good to check them if you have a buget to spend on.

I have purused the area flag stone suppliers over the years and they are a reasonable source for slate or real flat stuff but unfortunately more articulate rocks with cups or curves are not there plus planting stones (root over rock) are not there. Aquarium rocks are too small and often spendy not to mention Aquarium shops are scarce in my neck of the woods. A collecting area even a county or state would be great.

I'll tell you we need is a purveyor of stone solely for bonsai, just like we have nurseries, tool and supplies vendors and the like...

Mine come from Semi-seasonal creek (crick) beds that cut down through layers of shale.
-Jay

being from new york, born and early raised, it was always "crick" to me

creak is what the floorboards due when you walk across them......

Here in the pacific NW we have lots of good slabs available and a retail outfit (moronoco rock) that deals in all kinds. as earlier indicated they can be costly be still available.

I've seen some pretty good home made slabs made from various mixes including concrete. many moons ago I had the opportunity to learn what conceret mix to make to pour realistic japanese lanterns into molds that came from Japan. It included natural dyes in various colors and the use of a hard black bead used in sandblasting to give the appearance of natural granite

To bad your not willing to take a trip to the Arizona desert ware you can find all kinds of rocks shaped just for little trees.. there lava rock.. and have natural bowl shapes to them.

other then that go to your local quarry..

I am a total rock collector as well as a bonsai nut so i know my rocks

Not anywhere near Minnesota, but some of our members collected "cap rock" from the Florida Keys, it is old coral and is limestone. I am not sure this was ever legal. But these days we make slabs of cement and chicken wire; these are allowed to cure for up to a year to leach out the alkaline.

A little quicker way to draw the alkaline out of concrete is to soak in a container of water/vinager, or water/muratic acid, the later mentioned more danagerous to work with. a day or two of soak, rinse, and second soak usually does it.

Dick, do you know the ratio of water to vinegar? Good tip!