Another path to getting started is find a local club, go to some meetings, find out what people have a lot of, and wait for someone to say they have way too many xxx trees, do you want one?

Or, something like that. One guy in the local club had a trident maple he had started 10 years ago in the ground and he gave it away just to have somebody dig it up. I have seven azaleas and really only need three.

You get something that fits your climate and you get knowledge about how to make it grow.

Btw, you mentioned larch. You need the right climate for that. Nobody here can keep them alive in our summers on steroids and our two week winters.

Ivan wrote:

Another path to getting started is find a local club, go to some meetings, find out what people have a lot of, and wait for someone to say they have way too many xxx trees, do you want one?

Or, something like that. One guy in the local club had a trident maple he had started 10 years ago in the ground and he gave it away just to have somebody dig it up. I have seven azaleas and really only need three.

I have looked for some local club or group, but the best I've found was this nursery, that sells a number of bonsai among many other plants, and an aquarium shop that sells them on order.
I'll keep looking of course, I might have missed some lone hobbyist like I plan to become, but in the meantime...

Ivan wrote:

You get something that fits your climate and you get knowledge about how to make it grow.

Btw, you mentioned larch. You need the right climate for that. Nobody here can keep them alive in our summers on steroids and our two week winters.

There are larches around here mainly planted in gardens, so it shouldn't be too bad. Summers here rarely go past 40 celsius, and we have proper winters (although snow is occasional). In any case I decided to get a juniper to practice on conifers, and then when I feel ready order a black pine plant to start off from sapling.

As for selecting a larch, I hear what you say, that it might not be a good idea to start with that, but I wouldn't be starting with it. I would be starting with whatever i choose from the nursery, and in the two or three years it takes to grow into something ready to shape I assume I'd have enough experience to handle it.
If you think that would still be too early, please say so, I will reconsider and pick up a juniper instead.

Other than practically all people new to bonsai on this forum, you are aware that it takes time to grow something first, before you can shape it. So, yeah, why not get that larch too. You don't have to start training it rightaway and you can grow it into better material for the future.

Do you have any objection to my picking up a small maple to bring up as bonsai?

Why would I? I only like to point out that there are countless varieties, some are more suitable then others. I would not select a 'dissectum' variety. I'd also avoid grafted species (most varieties are grafted). A good choice for a beginner could be an Acer Palmatum Kiyohime, a dwarf variety. Here's some good info about maple varieties for bonsai:
bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/AcerPalmatumAdvancedGuide.htm

I'm assuming you meant Japanese maples, but there are other maples that are suitable too, like Acer Campestre.

Auk wrote:

Do you have any objection to my picking up a small maple to bring up as bonsai?

Why would I? I only like to point out that there are countless varieties, some are more suitable then others. I would not select a 'dissectum' variety. I'd also avoid grafted species (most varieties are grafted). A good choice for a beginner could be an Acer Palmatum Kiyohime, a dwarf variety. Here's some good info about maple varieties for bonsai:
bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/AcerPalmatumAdvancedGuide.htm

I'm assuming you meant Japanese maples, but there are other maples that are suitable too, like Acer Campestre.

Yes, I did mean acer palmatum.
I was thinking either arakawa or deshojo, but now that you mention it I don't know if they're grafted or not. I wanted some variety with a fairly "normal" leaf (as in not very thin or curly) and with nice colours.

I will check out your link, thanks.