I love the look of mature Japanese White pine but I am a beginner.
I've been told these trees are not for beginners because of the
complexities of watering them.


There's nothing complex about watering a pine. What's complex is pruning them.

Are these trees grafted? (answer: yes.) You don't want to invest a
lot of money in a grafted tree unless you know what you're getting
into. I bought a [cheap] grafted white pine, oh, ten years ago, and
while it's been educational learning how to prune, it's never going
to be a good bonsai: the rootstock is growing at a much-faster rate
than the top, making it look pretty dreadful.

Buy ungrafted stock, or buy stock from someone who's grafting the
tree inconspicuously with the intention that the tree be used for
bonsai.
--
Nina Shishkoff

Riverhead, NY

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