Al raised a good point in his "Critical Eye" thread about the selection of material for bonsai. Depending on your locale and your level of experience, it can be pretty hard to know what to buy. I am wondering if we could share our experiences on this.
I remember buying a small mugho pine to work with. I got it home and ended up cutting off every branch - not one of them worked! Well - after sending it to Bonsai Heaven - I found out that mughos regrow branches! I think this story addresses a couple of points - first of all - before you go looking - try to learn about the species that your are going to buy - before you buy it. I have seen a number of posts in which the question is asked "how do I take care of this?" Well Ok if it's a gift - I understand. Otherwise - find out what will thrive and what won't first. Believe me- I have learned there are enough other ways to kill a tree - at least start with one that has a chance of living in your particular area. Secondly - there is all sorts of advise about going to a nursery with a root hook and pulling the material out of the can and checking the roots - well I do not have the balls to do that - well OK maybe in a back corner of a very deserted nursery...
I think in time (after lots of mistakes and some good luck) you start to figure out what material will make a good bonsai. I think Rip might be able to help here - this is his area of expertise and we all can't buy his trees - what do you say Rip? What should we look for?
One comment about joining a club - remember that the "donation table" or whatever it is called - often is the repository for material that a more experienced club member has given up on. So - approach it with caution. I have had better luck on Club Sales - where members sell (i.e., it is worth selling??) some of their material. I have got some pretty good bonsai that way. And - keep track of who sold it - they may be a valuable "advisor" - sometimes it's like putting your baby up for adoption.
For those of us who live in the boonies - mail order may be another option. I am not sure if we are supposed to make referrals (Matt - XX this out if it is not OK) but I have had good luck with Evergreen:
http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/index.htm
I suggest checking out the website for Brent's article - he has some great articles that are worth checking out (IMHO). I have asked him to pick me out good Shohin material for example and in at least 3 instances - he has not let me down. And - he is reponsive to questions on his material.
So that's my humble thoughts on the topic - let's here about your tips on selecting
??
Leesa