I signed up for a bonsai class at my local nursery, and today was the first class of the 6 week series. Everyone brought photos of their trees in their collection, and during the break, I took a walk thru the bonsai section. Of course I found a tree I want, it's a Chinese Elm, which I already have one, but this one has a thick trunk and the one I have is only maybe 4 years old, styled as an upright type, but being so young has a thin trunk. In order to get this tree I saw, I would likely overdraw the bank account but so what, it's only a financial thing and only a bank..... but the instructor is trying to tell me I should get better tools than the set I got on amazon, and actually let it take time to develop the trees I already have. Of course my boyfriend agrees with the instructor, saying you have 8 trees, which have nice potential, will just take a few years. Trying to decide what I want to do, overdraw the bank account and get this tree, and because the account is new, likely be closed due to the overdraw in the first 60 days, or wait and develop the trees I already have and invest in getting better quality tools. My Chinese Elm is in the orange pot, I already have a nice bonsai pot for it, completely forgot to transplant it into the nice pot this spring.

Congratulations on seeking lessons... It's really hard to learn Bonsai alone (if not impossible)... You can go each step and tool at time, trees you can propagate yourself, of course we all want that traffic-stopper Bonsai, but that doesn't come easy, takes years to develop and learn, or a lot of money to buy from someone that spent all these years... But I think it might be even better when you have done it yourself, because in the end, it's you that should feel happy with tour trees...

That's true too, however if I got that "finished"tree.... I could enter it into next year's show at the Chicago Botanical Gardens and quite likely win an award.....

Just ask your self what would givee most satisfacrion to you:

Empty bank account and a showable tree today or putting up a tree made by yourself on a show in 10 years?

I view bonsai as an art and a show as a chanse for artists to show their creations.

this is the chinese elm I already have. a better picture of it.

Here's some free advice - worth at least the price.

Don't try to grow a prize tree. Make a tree that you think looks the way it should, and maybe even one that somebody will say you made - one that expresses you. Then, having made the best tree you can, you won't really care if you got a prize. What you will care about is that you have the best tree you can.

If you follow all the rules, find the judging criteria, cut and bend according to somebody else's idea and understanding, that person would deserve whatever prize the tree with his idea would have.

Having said that, I have to say that you really should find out what all the rules are and understand them completely, but the tree should be your understanding of the rules, not somebody else's.