rockm

As Jim said, most of us probably don't really want to know the histories of the majority of our trees. Sitting around a nursery or in a growing field for two decades couldn't be all that exciting or compelling. Collected trees, unless they are very very old, likewise.

Far from having long Asian histories for our trees, I'd say many of us are giving our trees their histories. For instance, I collected a largish cedar elm from my parents' ranch a few years back. The collection party involved me, my brother, dad and three year old son. Me and dad sawed, cussed and kicked that old elm for two hours grubbing it out of the ground, while my brother and son (who both are smarter than me and dad) helped keep the inquisitive herd of cattle who inhabit the back 40 away from us. Since all of us now live in different parts of the country, the tree has become a symbol of sorts of my family and the unity we had that day.

The tree will probably never amount to a real good bonsai, but it will have lasting significance to me, no matter how ugly it remains and despite its non-descript past.

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