Tree Choice

TreeBay

Hi Kalixta,


There are a thousand different ways to go but you might try this:

Read What do I need to know to make a convincing bonsai

And also look here and at additional myths in the ***FAQ***

Specifically about "bonsai seeds:"
http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthr...d=1745#post1745

You may not be aware that these seeds won't actually turn into trees without a lot of help. Wisteria and cotoneaster are actually a vine and a shrub, respectively. Wisteria from seed probably won't flower for the better part of a decade.

To answer the specifics of your question,

1) Those two varieties will never be too big to bonsai, the key is really to have interest, and that's usually in the form of taper, movement and branching. That all has to be developed as the plant grows, or recognized and emphasized in an existing plant.

Bonsai can be grown up, or cut down from larger plants.

2) You can find some interesting info on schefflera at http://www.fukubonsai.com There are also some recent posts here about pinching and shaping, which you can find by entering schefflera in the search at the bottom of the page

3) Willow generally make lousy bonsai. Or more correctly, willow bonsai are generally lousy, and the causes are probably both the plant and the grower. The plant has a difficult habit, in that it won't weep by itself within the scale of a bonsai tree, so the branches need to be trained to do so with wire and pruning. There is an art to making good weeping trees, and the foliage is pretty coarse to begin with. Usually it's much easier to start with a Tamarisk - a plant which looks like a willow in the bonsai scale.

Don't let me discourage you from trying to create a great willow bonsai, but let me encourage you not to be discouraged if you do!

I have seen one rather nice willow linked from this forum, but it was probably 4' tall from apex to the ends of the weeping bits.

Browse around a bit to some of the links I mentioned, and come back with more questions!

Regards,

Matt

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