Oaks

Ryan_Baker

I have been looking for an english oak to use as bonsai. However, all dozen nurseries I know of in my area do not sell any under five or so feet. Ideally, I'd like one 1-3 feet in heighth. Does anybody have any leads on where/how I could get one?? I have seen great examples of some english oaks, and would love to spend the time developing one into a bonsai. Even a starter tree would be fine with me. Thanks for the help...

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TreeBay

Hi Ryan,

Oaks are very strong shrubs that will bud back most anywhere they are cut. It's not unusual to see a mature landscape oak with sprouts around its base.

Don't worry about using a taller tree, even one of the garden center or nursery trees grown as a 6' standard. Choose one with the best taper and cut it a couple inches above the point at which the taper disappears. If you were to cut back to a 5-10 inch stump, you'll get profuse branching that would allow you to create an small tree in a relatively short period of time. Don't repot at this time. Preserving all that root mass will ensure that the tree bounces back from the pruning hard.

The best oaks are collected trees that capture the gnarled grace of the tree. You can see a few oaks in the gallery here

Collecting oaks is hard work because the roots grow deep, and the above ground appearance isn't always a good indication of what lies beneath.

There are some interesting photos of an oak collection trip on the lost-oasis site

Regards,

Matt

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