Ok....it is not much of an empire....ok....there not much as far as bonsai....ok....it is a bunch of bonsai wannabes on a picnic table however....I believe every great bonsai master started off with their own "S" curved plant potted in a crappy pot and I am well on my way!

rtmann wrote: Ok....it is not much of an empire....ok....there not much as far as bonsai....ok....it is a bunch of bonsai wannabes on a picnic table however....I believe every great bonsai master started off with their own "S" curved plant potted in a crappy pot and I am well on my way!

I agree that it's a bunch of wannabes with one tree that may have some potential (not sure about the one at the back, can't see its structure).
I did not start with an S-curved plant in a crappy pot. Then again, I'm not a great bonsai master, so apparently it doens't apply.

Hey Auk maybe that's what you need to achieve master status a crappy pot and an "S" curve....I know you are light years ahead of me!

I'm pretty sure that many of the japanese masters started as an apprentice in a bonsai nursery at a pretty young age... on the other hand... that shouldn't stop anyone from getting into the hobby.... but it means for me, with nearly 40 years of age, that I won't have time to make one of those really great white pines you see from the japanese masters. even if I did have the skill.. I just won't have the time. However, I didn't start doing this to become a professional bonsai artist.

Preach Tubaboy! I have ten years on you and am just getting started. When I was younger I was busy raising my kids. Now I have some more time. I knit, crochet, read a lot, do tapestry but bonsai feeds something else in my soul. I plan on soaking everything up I can in the bonsai world and growing trees that make me proud. Wish I would have gotten interested earlier in my life, but I am where I am. Ever felt like there are so many things you are interested in that you need more than two lifetimes to accomplish them all?

And I have 3 on you Ruth...one thing we have going for us is disposable income to buy older stock

For me the older stock will come when I can keep alive what I have now. I also want ti practice on on nuraery stock hopefully without creating a dibocal.

At 46, I'm the youngest person in my Bonsai club. Some people have trees that they had when they started Bonsai 20 years ago and the trees still aren't show quality. Some people have an eye to pick out great starter material and have great results in a short time.
If there's a will, there's a way to achieve a great Bonsai.

simplysaid wrote: At 46, I'm the youngest person in my Bonsai club. Some people have trees that they had when they started Bonsai 20 years ago and the trees still aren't show quality. Some people have an eye to pick out great starter material and have great results in a short time.
If there's a will, there's a way to achieve a great Bonsai.

I have some trees from 20 years ago when I started for the first time, not mastering the right techniques at that time, so they did not develop into great material.
Seems Ruth is younger than me... if I still want to create something worthwhile, I'll have to be lucky of buy good material. I don't have the time left to grow good material myself.

Auk wrote:

simplysaid wrote: At 46, I'm the youngest person in my Bonsai club. Some people have trees that they had when they started Bonsai 20 years ago and the trees still aren't show quality. Some people have an eye to pick out great starter material and have great results in a short time.
If there's a will, there's a way to achieve a great Bonsai.

I have some trees from 20 years ago when I started for the first time, not mastering the right techniques at that time, so they did not develop into great material.
Seems Ruth is younger than me... if I still want to create something worthwhile, I'll have to be lucky of buy good material. I don't have the time left to grow good material myself.

Well... you never know how good material can fall into your lap! And maybe you have someone you can pass down your trees to. You've certainly made many contributions to this online forum. Bonsai can be alive and passed down on many levels.
Trees from seeds are nice to pass down, but so many great trees ready to be rescued!