You can learn a certain amount from books but this is one of the areas
where I would heartily recommend that you find an expert in your area's
trees and accompany him or her on a field visit. I've found that
learning to spot them through actually seeing the bark, buds, growth
habit and environment is the easiest and best way to retain all of the
nuances. As you have permission to collect, try asking the chairman of a
local bonsai society if they can recommend anyone. I'm certain that
someone will JUMP at the chance to help you.

Living with a collected version of each plant for a few years will
cement the details into your sphere of knowledge.

Good luck

Kev Bailey
Zone 9, North Wales, UK


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