is dawn redwood suitable for a newbie
 

I'm a bonsai newbie, currently having two nanas, one mallsai, the
other from nursery stock.

I'm looking to expand my collection with a non-nana tree. I want
something relatively easy to administer, and fast-growing.

I find the dawn redwoods particularly attractive.

A good choice?

is dawn redwood suitable for a newbie
 

i am a newbie as well (relatively speaking of course) and have been working
with a number of dawn redwoods for a few years now.
i have found them quite forgiving to work with, they grow very aggressively
when training in the ground and easily bulk up their trunks. pruning scars
heal quickly and the bark looks attractive at a young age.
on the downside, although these trees grow quickly, i have found it
difficult to introduce taper into the trunk even though i prune and pinch
the tops dramatically and leave as many lower branches intact as possible.
it appears to me that these trees will only ever look good as a larger sized
bonsai, in the realm of plus 3' tall. by observing how my trees have grown,
it also appears that the most suitable style is formal upright or forest
plantings. cuttings propagate very easily so after you acquire your first
tree you will soon have many more to train into a forest
i have yet to achieve proper trunk development so i have not yet potted any
to begin branch refinement, possibly someone else may be able to help both
of us with some information as to success with achieving branch
ramification.

peter brolese
Vancouver, British Columbia, zone 8

"!social" wrote in message
om...
I'm a bonsai newbie, currently having two nanas, one mallsai, the
other from nursery stock.

I'm looking to expand my collection with a non-nana tree. I want
something relatively easy to administer, and fast-growing.

I find the dawn redwoods particularly attractive.

A good choice?