Yes I have, and I have gone one step further. I have contacted three or four landscaping companies in my town and told them that if they found any real, large trunked shimpaku's or chinesis to give me a call before they rip it out.

And to the one that finds it, I give them $50.00 finders fee if they call me. They are just going to rip it out and toss it anyways, so everybody wins. Last year I got four calls. They agreed to do it again this spring/summer. Should be interesting.

Jeffrey

At the risk of sounding nit-picky - and further depleting my rapidly plummeting rep - I might point out that this thread is about nursery collecting... I would be the last person to complain about conversations evolving - that's what conversations do - but technically, this thread has strayed. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it's a good thing in this case: as a confirmed serial nursery skulker, I'm finding it refreshing to hear the broad range of places people here are finding their pre-Bonsai material - be it nursery rejects, roadside weeds or suburban shrubs (there must zillions of old landscape plants out there in the 'burbs begging to be dug up given some TLC). Certainly there is a place for proprietary material, but as I stated previously, I have not seen what I want in any commercial Bonsai setting. I'd paraphrase Vance Wood and Mike P in stating my belief that good material is where you find it. I've tried my hand at most of the above, but so far my greatest success has been with nursery collecting (101). ..

Now we're back on track!

FlyBri.

"...confirmed serial nursery skulker..."

Ha! That's almost as good as 'numpty'.

I would have to plead, guilty as charged (skulking). My sources, in order, are (1) local (landscape) nurseries; (2) home box stores (3) new bonsai nursery (an hour's drive away); (4) dig it - most of the 'diggables' are bigger than I want - so this will stay lower on my list. Not to mention digging is more work.

(1) is not bad, especially for a beginner's intial efforts. Besides, nursery skulking is so much fun! (2) is there because it is available - handy. But, the low quality bothers me more & more. I would prefer (3) to either if it were available. A real bonsai place opened recently, but it takes time for a new bonsai place to develop inventory, and others require roadtrips. And, yes, I've already done my part to support the startup.

I agree with FlyBri - get the material where you find good material. That said, your chance of finding good material on any given day (when in the skulking mood) is greater at a real bonsai place. And those bonsai accessories like wire, bonsai pots, etc. So - support your local bonsai place(s). You don't want to know what it's like not having a local one. (I don't recommend it.)

Portland, OR

A nursery I know of is closing its doors. Mostly a landscaper's paradise. But they were selling of incredible stock at cheap o prices.

Anyone out that way it's on the NW side of the street, yah can't miss it!

*(JBP w/ trunks 5" and more, maybe 1.5m in large 250# containers...) Was there last month...and wow!!

LOL - You sly old dog you Grampz I bet you were you using your showbiz influence to charm them into handing over their trees. I can just see it now ... "Hey Lady, let me have that tree and you can touch my hand and have a signed photo"

my grandma has a shimpaku growing on the side of her house next to a bunch of landscape bushes (don't know specific species). it must have been mistaken for a landscape bush. this spring i'm going to try to persuade her to let me have it if i replace the shimpaku with a bush like the others. (in the voice of Mr. Burns from the Simpsons) Excellent.

Just got back from a visit to my favorite local landscape nursery. It's a one acre jungle - no resemblance to the chain nurseries. The owner had just gone through to thin out his stock for the coming spring.

He has a bunch of trees that have grown through the containers and into the ground - some that he had already chainsawed off. So he said I could take any of that stock for free if I dug it up so he didn't have to.

Today I dug out two hawthorns as thick as my wrist. Next Saturday I'm going back for two willow oaks with 4.5 and 5.5 inch trunks (and maybe an English oak too).

These are clearly just chopped trunks that will need years to develop, but they only cost me some time with a shovel and saw. This is why nursery collecting is worth it. Also why it's worth making friends with the operator.

Brian

Wow! Congratz Brian, thats great news. How come nothing like that ever happens to me?

Dig and get all you can my friend, as long as its free - what have you got to lose??

Make sure you get some pictures of your new acquisitions - just to depress me further lol.

Well done amigo. Happy digging!

Regards,

Aaron

You have plenty to lose I think. Plenty of time lost feeding, watering and checking all those free trees. Plenty of time lost that you could be making serious inroads into your better trees and giving them the time and effort that they need. So many bonsai collectors seem to turn out to be tree herders, and the more the merrier seems to apply. Give me one good tree above 500 pieces of free garden centre junk anyday.

Regards,

Fish.

[QUOTE=Emperor Fish]You have plenty to lose I think. Plenty of time lost feeding, watering and checking all those free trees. Plenty of time lost that you could be making serious inroads into your better trees and giving them the time and effort that they need. So many bonsai collectors seem to turn out to be tree herders, and the more the merrier seems to apply. Give me one good tree above 500 pieces of free garden centre junk anyday.


You have a point Fish, but I prefer to keep an eye out for stock that can be developed in the long term. The free trunks I dig on Saturday will take years of growth to develop any taper. So, I put them in the ground, and fertilize them regularly, and once a year do another chop. When I get bored, I'll go back to them and try to improve the roots. I consider that minimal effort, even if a small percentage of them develop into something good. Do my other trees suffer for that effort? I think not to any significant degree. Some may even benefit from the distraction - gives me something else to mess with.

Cheers
Brian