Bonsai nurseries near Melbourne

[Nate.bonsai]

Hi all,

I am on holiday in Vic and might be able to steal a few hours away from the family. I probably only have time to visit one bonsai nursery.

I’d love any current recommendations.

I know that there are prior discussions, but these are often quite out dated. I’d like anyone’s recommendations based on current experience.

I am generally not after finished/bonsai potted trees, but prefer stock that has been selectively grown and had some branch selection done, but needs further selection and then refinement. Love JBPs. Love slightly larger stock - although has to be small enough to carry on the plane…

I have read that Baloc Bonsai are known for pines, but they don’t seem to have a web presence?

I have also heard that Tien at Bonsai Sensation often has really well looked after pine stock?

Has anyone been to either or anywhere else recently that you’d highly recommend?

Thank you!


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[Nate.bonsai]

And to clarify, also not after starter stock. So something between starter and finished stock. So intermediate to advanced stock.

Thank you.


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[TimS]

Don't know about Baloc having never been, but i hear good things about his pines for sure.

Tien has a huge range of finish, rough and young stater material, he was my go-to for years (and still is) though his prices have crept up in the last 12-18 months and i have started to be more discerning about what i buy there. Rough JBP tend to be on the smaller side, but he has some bigger advanced trees.

I'd probably give Bonsai Art a miss if you can only get to one, Trev has more younger material usually.

Collectors Corner at Gardenworld is probably a miss too, though they do tend to have JBP stumps frequently, its hit or miss what is there and leans more towards starter material as i'm assuming it generates the most profit for them.

[KIRKY]

For Pines especially smaller well established starters I would go to
Tien at Bonsai Sensation 253 Centre Rd, Narre Warren South VIC 0425722827 you can’t go wrong.
Baloc 178 Forrest St, Ardeer VIC 3022 0425795352 been awhile since I last visited. No website more old school backyard
business was pretty good stock.
Orient Bonsai Nursery 11 Mahoneys Rd, Reservoir VIC 3073 0411532441
It also depends where you are visiting in Melbourne they are literally one end of Melbourne to the other.
Enjoy your visit.
Cheers
Kirky

[SuperBonSaiyan]

Piggy backing on this to ask a (semi on topic) question:

How much should I expect to pay these days for a plant that is ready for refinement (I've seen this referred to as stage 2 or stage 3 on youtube).

The species I'm interested in are:
- Shimpaku juniper
- JBP
- Hinoki

Also, which nurseries in Vic (or further away but are known for reliable postage / packaging or a mature tree) would likely have available in stock?

I've been meaning to go to Bonsai Sensation, but it's quite far away from me so if I could get an indication on price + availability before I go, that would be good.

[Keels]

I've been meaning to go to Bonsai Sensation, but it's quite far away from me so if I could get an indication on price + availability before I go, that would be good.

Call the business and ask your questions don't rely on second hand information from others.

[TimS]

Piggy backing on this to ask a (semi on topic) question:

How much should I expect to pay these days for a plant that is ready for refinement (I've seen this referred to as stage 2 or stage 3 on youtube).

The species I'm interested in are:
- Shimpaku juniper
- JBP
- Hinoki

Also, which nurseries in Vic (or further away but are known for reliable postage / packaging or a mature tree) would likely have available in stock?

I've been meaning to go to Bonsai Sensation, but it's quite far away from me so if I could get an indication on price + availability before I go, that would be good.

I can save you the trip to Bonsai Sebsation for Hinoki and Shimpaku, definitely no Hinoki in that stage ( a couple of mall-sai type ones and some 1 year old rooted cuttings. Hinoki full stop is rare as hens teeth. I have 3 Hinoki about 5 year old in the ground at the moment and trying to propagate them because it’s such a PITA finding material


JBP rough stock ranges from $200-$500 usually at bonsai sensation, but it’s not like it’s overgrown trunks ready for styling into amazing trees. They have had wiring wiring work done just under developed branching.


I haven’t done much plant postage but I got some Chojubai from Shibui a year or two back and postage was fast and packaged well. Not sure what developed material he has having only got the young material

[KIRKY]

Piggy backing on this to ask a (semi on topic) question:

How much should I expect to pay these days for a plant that is ready for refinement (I've seen this referred to as stage 2 or stage 3 on youtube).

The species I'm interested in are:
- Shimpaku juniper
- JBP
- Hinoki

Also, which nurseries in Vic (or further away but are known for reliable postage / packaging or a mature tree) would likely have available in stock?

I've been meaning to go to Bonsai Sensation, but it's quite far away from me so if I could get an indication on price +
availability before I go, that would be good.

I agree with Keels give them a call and talk to them on stock availability. As for price, that is what you fall in love with and how much you are willing to pay/or can afford it’s all subjective.
Most won’t post but you can ask. You never know your luck on the day. If your looking for good cheap established stock you won’t find any. If it’s good starting stock that’s had work done on it you pay for it.
As Tim has already mentioned Hinoki starter stock is difficult to find. Quality established starters never seen any. So price will reflect rarity. Baloc used to be the place to go for Juniper he used to have larger well established growing stock. But I haven’t been there for awhile so can’t give you an update on what he has now. Perhaps someone on here who has recently visited him can pipe in.
Cheers
Kirky

[SuperBonSaiyan]

Piggy backing on this to ask a (semi on topic) question:

How much should I expect to pay these days for a plant that is ready for refinement (I've seen this referred to as stage 2 or stage 3 on youtube).

The species I'm interested in are:
- Shimpaku juniper
- JBP
- Hinoki

Also, which nurseries in Vic (or further away but are known for reliable postage / packaging or a mature tree) would likely have available in stock?

I've been meaning to go to Bonsai Sensation, but it's quite far away from me so if I could get an indication on price + availability before I go, that would be good.

I can save you the trip to Bonsai Sebsation for Hinoki and Shimpaku, definitely no Hinoki in that stage ( a couple of mall-sai type ones and some 1 year old rooted cuttings. Hinoki full stop is rare as hens teeth. I have 3 Hinoki about 5 year old in the ground at the moment and trying to propagate them because it’s such a PITA finding material


JBP rough stock ranges from $200-$500 usually at bonsai sensation, but it’s not like it’s overgrown trunks ready for styling into amazing trees. They have had wiring wiring work done just under developed branching.


I haven’t done much plant postage but I got some Chojubai from Shibui a year or two back and postage was fast and packaged well. Not sure what developed material he has having only got the young material

Thanks, that definitely saves me a trip there. It's a shame with Hinoki, guess we just need to grow what we want over the next 20-30 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUwy1AbVPE0

This size would be great

[TimS]

Only seen one Hinoki that size, at bonsai Art in Heatherton and it’s definitely not for sale. Collectors corner at garden world has mature specimens but also not for sale either

[Promethius]

In addition to the above, check out Melbourne Bonsai Exchange on Facebook. At least one grower in the western suburbs regularly puts up some good looking JBP stock, with good trunk sizes and movement.

Otherwise, I like many on this site have had some great stock sent via mail by Shibui. You can always send an email to ask what he is developing.

[Nate.bonsai]

I didn’t get to Baloc, but made it to Bonsai Art and Bonsai Sensation.

The most noticeable thing about each was that they grew their trees as future bonsai. That is, with movement, proportionate branching in the right places and foliage preserved in close. They didn’t merely grow impressive trunks, but with massive tree branches and roots and with the foliage extended away from the trunk, like a lot of nurseries do. No criticism intended, as both are viable approaches and I for one have certainly bought and will continue to buy the latter material. But, both nurseries had really good quality stock in that intermediate and advanced stage.

Bonsai Art had a good selection of starters, intermediate and advanced trees. A pretty well balanced selection actually, so something for everyone. I was mainly interested in the conifers. They had some really great shimpaku juniper with really good movement. They also had some great advanced pines that would be ready made superstars of your bench with just some wiring. Lots of azaleas, which I am usually uninterested in, but they had some really impressive display specimens.

They also had a really impressive display garden.

Overall, they had more than enough to rummage through, across all levels of bonsai and everything was very good quality.

Also, re the above request for cypress, I confirm that they had some starters and intermediate - one pic of the intermediates is attached.

Finally, the pics are just of some of the nursery, there was much more.

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[Nate.bonsai]

Bonsai Sensation is huge.

There’s basically a warehouse worth of starters. So, if you’re after a starter, they probably have 50+ in most major species for you to choose from.

They didn’t have a lot of intermediate trees (so in grow pots and under development), but I could see that they had plenty in the staff only areas - so perhaps they are just getting established after reporting and will be moved onto the shelves shortly.

They had a huge selection of advanced bonsai in bonsai pots. Every species that you could think of and some really nice work.

The highlight were the pines, predominantly JBP. There was an entire section overflowing with really nicely developed pines, delicate smaller ones, chunky ones, upright, semi-cascade, you name it. Most in the one and two hand pot size, not really any two person hulk size. All had fantastic branch selection and had obviously been candle pruned diligently throughout their growing life, as they had well-developed ramification.

Tien explained to me that they grow their stock in raised beds of bonsai soil, not in the field in field soil. They select sacrifice branches and let them go, but really focus on ensuring that they maintain and develop what will ultimately be the tree’s final branches down lower/in closer. All of this means that once the sacrifice is gone, you have a intermediate to advanced tree left, without the need to try and force growth back or slowly reduce massive roots or remove old field soil from the centre of the root ball.

If you are in the market for an intermediate/advanced pine, this place should be on your list.

Tien also very usefully gave me a history on the tree that I selected (JBP, first pic, round green pot) and we discussed when it was last potted and when it should be potted again etc. So good knowledge sharing and service delivery as well as great trees.

In terms of the preparation of their stock to be finished bonsai, these two nurseries were some of the best that I’ve seen - and I’ve gone to quite a few over the years. You Victorians are lucky. I’ve read comments on priciness in other threads, but didn’t think that the prices were any higher than elsewhere that I’ve been. In fact, for the more advanced stock that still has a bit of work to do (and yes, this does mean $500-$3,500, so serious money) I actually think they had better value than almost any other nurseries that I’ve been to, due to the fact that the trees in that category were so close to where you dream to get your stock, rather than just being really great trunks with a lot of work still left to go.

Again, the pics only show part of what was on offer, there is more.

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[Nate.bonsai]

And thank you to our wonderful community members that took the time to provide nursery recommendations - much appreciated!

[TimS]

Ha! I was at both of these nurseries today, didn't buy any trees but picked up a Kouyou pot at Bonsai Sensation.

Really glad you got to go to both, as you say Bonsai Sensation is huge and covers you whether you have $10 to spend or $10,000. As far as price goes i guess i'm comparing him to his prices 2-3 years ago when in fairness it was under-priced, so to have it come up to approaching a fair price seems like a shock to me. That and it's hard to justify $2000+ on a nice tree when you really should be focusing on the mortgage

Nice pick up on that pine! this seems to be his style (ie focus on growing the trunk and good position primary branches) i focus on the deciduous so i generally breeze past the pines, but you are right about the selection of pines he has being pretty much unrivalled.

I'll look forward to hopefully seeing photos of you progressing the pine in future