Hello all, as you can probably tell, I'm new here....
But, my grandmother had gotten me a two or three year old dwarfed Hawaiian Umbrella. It was already thoroughly trained so there wasn't much I could do with it but trim, prune, and admire.

Needless to say, I got bored fast and delved deep into admiration for styles and species other than a traditional upright Hawaiian Umbrella.

Which now brings my next question:
Root Over Rock- Ficus or Jade?

I want to start this from sapling stage of either so i have almost complete control over the growth and appearance of the trees. My question is which would be easier and/or which would fit well in the final appearance(I understand i can manipulate the appearance to fit pretty well).

The deciding factor would have to be which would be easier to mold and maintain in the long run.
I'm totally in love with the jungle type look of the ficus but the color and shape of the jade is pretty interesting too....

Sorry for the rant, but I greatly appreciate the time and help of anyone here!!

Jade, in my opinion, is not a good species for bonsai. I am however growing three root over rock ficus' here so.. Yeah.. I would go for the ficus. Try to get a small-leaved variety of Ficus retusa or get a benjamina.

Thanks, I'll definitely look on the market for one.. The whole jungle look after some air roots develop is definitely something to admire. At least I think so.

After researching, I've narrowed down to one of either a Ficus retusa or a Ficus nerifolia. Or maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get one of each..

ficus natalensis ( strangler fig ) is another speices. I am growing some ROR plantings myself and am having trouble keeping the roots in the pots they pop up over the rim and right down to the humidity tray .I watched one root grow 5 inches in 3 days It was amazing

That sounds utterly beautiful! There are so many things you could do with that... Like that would be wonderful if you anted to keep it in the ROR but instead of solid soil under the rock, if it is large enough, keep the whole rock itself in a humidity tray and seem like a cliff side... much like the picture in the gallery..

There are beautiful aspects to each species, the beautifully grey bark on the rotesa, the rugged look of the nerifolia, and the natalensis has very unique leaf shapes and tend to tangle together beautifully. Ugh decisions decisions...