Coincidentally, I bought a bonsai tree from bonsaiboy.com
yesterday
for my mother's b-day. The price didn't seem too high to me.
But I am
sure there are lower prices elsewhere. I did, however, apply
for a 20%
cash rebate through http://www.rebatedonate.com - and from
there I
went to the "flowers & Gifts" section. That's where i found
bonsaiboy.com. According to RebateDonate I will receive my 20%
rebate
in about 40 days in my paypal account. So far they have been
true to
their word in the past with two other rebates I earned, and I
didn't
have to wait long.
Either way, I'm hoping mom will enjoy her new tree and not kill
it
this time.

_Tyler_

Hoping this isn't a troll, I'm also hoping that she doesn't kill
it, too.

It may be too late for Tyler and his mom, but I need to say that
giving a unsuspecting relative a bonsai for a birthday or the
holidays can be a terrible idea.

So, just as a word of caution . . . here's an article I wrote for
my local paper last year:

===========================

Knowing that I grow bonsai, people often ask about giving someone
a little tree for Christmas. But often, the worst thing you can
give a friend as a Holiday gift is an already potted and designed
bonsai. And you should never surprise someone with a tiny tree if
that someone has never grown a bonsai -- or worse, has never
grown anything.

Why such a hard-line against bonsai for the gift-giving season?
Sad experience. I am a member of the Internet Bonsai Club
(IBC -- a worldwide Internet discussion group devoted to tiny
trees in pots). Without fail, a few weeks to a month after the
Holidays we get questions from clueless recipients of new bonsai
about withered leaves or brown needles.

Almost always, these are first trees. Too often, it was their
first potted plant! And with rare exception, there was little we
could do for them; they had waited too long to send us their cry
for help.

Usually, what they'd been given were mass-produced bonsai (often
a small juniper) shipped to shopping mall garden centers in
semi-trailer loads, or ordered from the Internet, or from
catalogs. A diagnostic mark of these mass-produced bonsai is
that the surface of the pot is covered with pebbles or other
stones that are glued on. This makes watering difficult. On the
IBC we call these "Mallsai."

Usually, it isn't the new owner's fault that their bonsai dies;
the trees they were given were dead upon arrival at the store or
at the giver's home -- from improper watering (the glued-on
stones); shipping (the long, dark, dry trip from where they were
potted); or simply inept potting to begin with. Especially with
needled evergreens like juniper, it's hard to tell when the sap
stops flowing; remember how your cut Christmas tree stays green
weeks, or even months after it is harvested..

An exception to the warning about bonsai as gifts is if the tree
is from a local merchant who pots up his own trees and who can
help the new owner with problems. However, many local merchants
also advise against buying someone a tree if that someone is new
to bonsai.

So what do you do if you're being pestered by someone who wants a
bonsai?

Buy them a book on bonsai, and a gift certificate to one of our
local nurseries. They can read the book, enjoy pictures of
decent bonsai made from many different species of tree or shrub,
then can visit the nursery, find a bonsai pot and choose a plant
to make their own little tree. Look for a long list of worthwhile
bonsai books at the IBC web site.

I also suggest a gift membership in the (Local) Bonsai Society.
(local info deleted)

They also can join us on the IBC. Send e-mail to
. It's free, but nothing beats
belonging to a local club.
=====================

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - The phrase
'sustainable growth' is an oxymoron. - Stephen Viederman

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Carl Rosner++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Thanks Jim .... this is exactly how I got started.

Last year my kids bought me a cute little juniper from the local *Mart.
Fortunately I stumbled across this excellent group within days, and had the
pebbles chipped out, the soil replaced and I'm proud to announce my juniper
is growing like crazy!
I understand I'm the exception.
I routinely visit *Mart and look in horror at the rows of the poor little
mallsai that haven't seen water in weeks, and pity the poor recipient of
these well intentioned gifts.
I've tried to encourage the *Mart employees to water these poor little
trees, but they couldn't care less. Their job is to sell them, not keep them
alive.

I think the best gift one could give a potential bonsai-ist is an
introductory class at a local club. During the past year I've taken a dozen
classes from Jim Doyle and I'm well on my way to an enjoyable hobby.

Thanks to everyone on this list for your encouragement and guidance.

Mark Hill - Harrisburg PA - Zone 6
(the proud owner of 20 trees!)



-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club ] On Behalf Of
Jim Lewis
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 10:07 AM
To:
Subject: [IBC] Christmas (holiday) bonsai -- warning (was: In need of bonsai
Trees, etc.)

snip
I also suggest a gift membership in the (Local) Bonsai Society.
/snip

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Carl Rosner++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Jim's article is now up on our site:
http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ar....php?viewid=14

There's also a link to it on the main page, for folks surfing on, it may
help?

Shelly, I like your comparison bonsai and pets making lousy gifts

Nicolas

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Carl Rosner++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Good article Jim.
Jerry Meislik
Whitefish Montana USA
Zone 4-5
http://www.bonsaihunk.8m.com/
Jim's article is now up on our site:
http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ar....php?viewid=14

There's also a link to it on the main page, for folks surfing on, it may
help?

Shelly, I like your comparison bonsai and pets making lousy gifts

Nicolas

************************************************** ****************************
**
++++Sponsored, in part, by Carl Rosner++++
************************************************** ****************************
**
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++


************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Carl Rosner++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++