leatherback wrote:

coltranem wrote:

Luvbi wrote: There is nothing wrong returning it.

I disagree. There is nothing wrong with what was bought. It was not in a closed box with a completely different picture on it. You got what you bought which is the thing most people consider a bonsai.

Leatherback I was not suggesting there was anything wrong with the plant. However OP seemed perplexed the Lowes would sell something that is not a Bonsai and label it a Bonsai. If it is the OP desire to have this plant that is fine and as Indo Andreas with time and some experience it could become a Bonsai.

coltranem wrote:

Luvbi wrote: Hello! I purchased this lovely bonsai from Lowes, which I didn't even know carried these!

Lowes doesn't carry Bonsai but they carry what you purchased . They have them at my Lowes too. There is nothing wrong returning it. These are just meant to be decorative and disposable. They use the name "Bonsai" to help sales because labeled "skinny young tree with fake rocks and moss" was not selling.

Pretty much. And Lowes is uneducated about it too, they don't grow them, they are mass produced in China. Look at it this way, it is like getting espresso in most places of the U.S., like Starbucks they think a espresso machine is all you need, I mean if you have the right pressure that makes it a espresso right? reality is no... making a espresso is a lot more than just using the right machine. Same goes with bonsai... well... if I have a pot, and a tree, and I stick the tree in the pot... Bonsai!. No... there is a lot more to it.

And man... that goes with everything... "Chinese" food, "Mexican" food, "Sushi".

if you want authentic espresso what do you do? do you go to Starbucks? no... you go to the local cafe, specialized in espresso, where the owner is a certified barista. Do you want a Bonsai? you go to the Bonsai nursery, where the owner is a real Bonsai artist.

We all get fooled... it is ignorance, and we can't avoid it. All we can do, is laugh about it, and learn. In fact, the same way some people like American Chinese food, some also like "mallsai". Nothing wrong with that, but as others have said, it is not Bonsai. And hey... some people like that burnt espresso that tastes like drinking a cigar.