Deb

Welcome to the wonderful world(obsession) of bonsai. If your interest grows, you will discover yourself looking at your friends garden shrubs with a whole new interest... Anyway, the best thing you can do is take a class or join a club, and read, read, read.

I think the main thing to try and remember is that in bonsai, you are trying to develop a tree that looks like a full size tree, but is only 12 " high or 8" high or ... While many of the leaves on a full size tree are on the ends of the large branches, there are also small branches coming off the big ones all the way up, so it is important to be careful not to take off too many of the leaves or little twigs. While in most cases, the plant will develop new leaves along areas that are currently bare, except in the case of pines for example, it is a good idea to go slowly in the beginningl. Take off some, then step back and take a break, look at it with fresh eyes.

Another good plant to try for a beginner, in my opinion anyway, is azalea. The flowers are occasionally too big for the smaller bonsai specimen, but the plant grows new leaves on bare wood so easily that even if you blow it and take off a tad too much today, it will get new ones very quickly.

So good luck and have fun.