Does any one have one of these? is it worth it to buy it trimmed or easy to
trim it yourself?

Thanks
lisa
Beginning bonsai person
Ohio
Zone 5

OOOO also has anyone seen the new pussy willow tree's? they are awesome

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Does any one have one of these? is it worth it to buy it
trimmed or easy to
trim it yourself?

Thanks
lisa
Beginning bonsai person
Ohio
Zone 5

OOOO also has anyone seen the new pussy willow tree's? they
are awesome

Camellia make nice bonsai, but they aren't what a newcomer to the
sport of bonsai wants to try. While they don't seem to mind
being pruned, or wired, most types of camellia have to be growled
at to accept life in a small pot. Keeping one alive then becomes
the greater effort, and not one for those who are just starting
out.

Saw some pussywillow "trees" for sale in our local supermarket
the other day. Can't say as I saw a bonsai hidden deep inside
them; they were tall, skinny whips growing up from a lopped off
base. The buds, et. al, were attractive, but . . .

As a beginner, you probably should stick with the versatile,
hardy, forgiving species until you have a feel for how bonsai
grow.

However, if you LIKE to experiment, and don't go all soft hearted
when the experiments fail, and already know something about how
plants grow (it is amazing to me that so many people jump into
bonsai without ever having grown even a carrot) then camellia do
make nice bonsai, and there may be more to pussy willow than I
can imagine.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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Lisa said:
Does any one have one of these? is it worth it to buy it
trimmed or easy to
trim it yourself?

Camellias are easier if you live in the South, which you do not. It
means you would have to bring yours indoors for the winter, or else
build a cold-frame for it. It is finicky indoors, needing cood,
humid conditions that are best found in a cool conservatory or an
unheated room. Camellias also have rather large leaves and flowers
(if we're talking japanese camellia; if we're talking C. sinensis
never mind), so they have to be made into rather large bonsai. If
you are a beginner, you should try something else.

Jim said:

(it is amazing to me that so many people jump into
bonsai without ever having grown even a carrot)

And these are the people who immediately buy an expensive bonsai and
then go to my website up to 5 TIMES A DAY to ask elementary questions
about watering. I'd like to kill them sometimes, but they are
usually starry-eyed in love with bonsai, and if I even suggest that
they will kill their first 10 trees, they get agitated. If I were to
characterize the American character, I'd say we expected to have
everything *obey* us. The biggest lesson about plants I ever learned
was that they really have different care needs, and one size doesn't
fit all. Nowadays when I buy a new tree species, I just watch it for
a year, before I think of doing anything. I want to know how it
branches, how it buds out, what its roots do, how it handles drought,
etc.

--
Nina Shishkoff

Riverhead, NY

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Does any one have one of these? is it worth it to buy it trimmed or easy
to trim it yourself?

I'm just starting with camellia -- I can't resist banging my head against
the wall with species unsuited to my climate. My interest in tea won over my
bonsai judgement. (No I don't plan on making any tea, but maybe Ottawa
Oolong could be a good angle -- 3g of production per year).

Check out http://www.camellia-ics.org/ http://www.camellia-ics.org/ for
advice on soils, propagation, care, etc.... An informative site once you get
around the navigation difficulties. I found the soils article quite
interesting (under the journals, New Zealand Camellia Society, no. 124). An
interesting outside-the-bonsai-box perspective on media for container
growing these species. Re trimming, these are made to be pruned (tea
production requires constant pruning) -- so it's easy if you follow the
timing advice on the mentioned website to maintain flower production.

Since trunk scars would detract from one of the main features of these
species (i.e. smooth bark) I'd be careful about selecting a plant that had
been trimmed for reasons other than bonsai design. International Bonsai has
a feature issue on camellia, I highly recommend snagging a copy if you are
keen on these species (C. sinensis, C. sasquana, C. japonica etc...).

Joe
-Ottawa

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