In a message dated 4/4/05 12:02:51 AM, Scooter writes:
buying $12 red maples at the hardware store probably isn't what bonsai
masters do.

You're right. In this country and on the Continent, they collect wild trees.
I gather in UK they get their best material from old hedges. In Japan they buy
partly started trees from bonsai nurseries. It is certainly possible to
create bonsai from garden center stock, but you need to know what you are doing.
Evergreens such as junipers are very likely candidates. Also they are cheap
enough for beginners to practice on.

Are there any good books about bonsai that people recommend?

Where do you live? There is only so much you can learn from books. Join the
nearest bonsai club, even if it is miles away. Most of the big bonsai nurseries
sponsor classes and workshops. That's what you need. Attend shows &
conventions.
That said, I would recommend Bonsai by Harry Tomlinson, the Simon & Schuster
book, and Bonsai, its Art, History, & Philosophy by Koreshoff. You will
probably get ten other recommendations. A good book on indoor bonsai has not been
written.
Iris



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