Earl

Great discussion and it points up what somebody in the chat room said recently: If you want successful bonsai, grow what grows well in your area. I don't think that means neccessarily native plants, but it does mean if you can't grow it outside in the garden or inside as a house plant, it will probably go on the somewhat difficult or difficult list. In my deserty, dry climate Azleas, Rhodedendruns, Cypress (even Hinoki Cypress) are very difficult. I recently mentioned to a respected nursery person that I had picked up a wonderful hinoki cypress to make into bonsai, but that it was dying, inch by inch. She laughed!! She said if I keep it in the shade with just a little sun, mist it several times a day and keep the watering just right it might grow here! I put that in the Very Difficult category.

Easy: Junipers, pine (which is strange in light of the discussion about pines, but maybe it's because we have forests of them and they even pop up wild in the garden. That's not to say they are easy to style!), ficus, bouganvillea.

My summary: if you can grow it in the house as a house plant or in the yard...easy. If you can't... the faster they die in the house or yard, the further onto the difficult list they go.

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