The most useful thing I can say to you is: I started to do bonsai at age
27. That's when my life began to settle down a bit.

The "time" needed to do bonsai can be spread around: all you absolutely
HAVE to do each day is water; the rest is flexible. When I was working
long hours, I had the trees on an automatic watering system (costs about
$30 these days). All I had to do was stick my head out the door and make
sure the gadget was working.

Your local club is either a bit clueless, or you are too shy. Any club
I've ever been in, people are happy to GIVE you things. People like me
with access to growing material always have too much. And even if they
can't give you stuff, there are club auctions where you can get stock
plants cheap.

I don't believe you when you say you only have access to schefflera and
boxwood. As far as mail-order goes, have you checked "Evergreen
Gardenworks"?- you can get pre-bonsai stock for 4-6 dollars. Plus you can
find all sorts of things at the corner nursery: barberry, hollies,
honeysuckle, cherries, etc. etc. etc. Anything with small leaves and a
nice trunk is a bonsai. You've heard dozens of people on this list go to
Home Depot at the end of the year and pick up good stuff for $5. Don't
tell me you can't find a *FIG*.

And trips to far-away nurseries can be justified: yesterday I made a trip
to Behnke's nursery in Beltsville, which would have been a ridiculous hike
except I combined it with a trip to [shudder] IKEA and grabbed some
barbeque (note to Chris, Dave, and Anita: there's a branch of "Hogs on the
Hill" a couple blocks from Behnke's]. Whenever I travel far away to a
nursery, I try to combine it with something practical or something my
significant other would enjoy, since trees aren't his thing.

If you want to take a break from bonsai and restock your energy, go ahead.
But nothing you've said convinces me you have a problem.

Nina, who can't wait for spring.

to all,

well, i think its about time to call it quits.
adam roler
Indianapolis, Indiana

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