Bougainvillea bonai

[Sahara]

very curious what these are like to keep as a bonsai.. my friend is selling hers for 150 dollars and it 20 years old is that about right??

[Gareth]

Bouganvillia are great as bonsai, and my all time personal favourite.

Not only are they very tough, extremely tough, they back bud everywhere (so branch slection is never a problem, even if you make a huge mistake cutting something off you really wanted, it will only be a matter of time until you get a new branch in its place) and the display of flowers is brilliant.

Age really does not come into it in solely determineing the price of a bonsai. It is the Quality of the tree that determine the price, along with Age.

I currently have a 30-40 year old estimated boug in training at the moment, its one big ugly stump at the moment, but once i carve it and finish the branch selection it will hopefully make a very nice tree.

G

[NathanM]

Bouganvillea are fantastic for bonsai. I love them. I haven't got any good bougie bonsai as yet, but I lvoe them none the less. I've got some decent sized approx 20 year old ones coming my way from a very good friend and I can’t wait!!
Tess has some fantastic examples at her nursery. Here’s her giant famous mother and daughter one, but she has alot of awesome more manageable sized ones too.
I like them cause they are very hardy, grow well in the Qld climate, and look sensational.
They back bud like crazy as well.
The biggest thing to be careful of is that they are harden off quite early, so wiring is much easier when done on young branches.

[Sahara]

nathan do u have the picture of the bourgy thattess has..your guys info is great ill attach a picture see what you think
file:///C:/Users/sahara/Pictures/2011-02-14%20bonsai/bougy.htm

[NathanM]

A shot form 2010

And earlier shot with Selby (Tess's husband) in the pic as a size comparison

Your pic didn't work I'm afraid

[craigw60]

Hi Sarah, the age of the tree is kind of irrelevant. the most important factor is the quality of the work. I would never pay for a tree based solely on its age but would rather see how the tree has been grown and worked.
Craigw

[Sahara]

A shot form 2010

And earlier shot with Selby (Tess's husband) in the pic as a size comparison

Your pic didn't work I'm afraid

wow holy crap im sorry but that a tree and a half, i need to find someone in melbourne or a workshop whre i can get some training and advice lol

[sharemyblessings]

Hi Sarah, the age of the tree is kind of irrelevant. the most important factor is the quality of the work. I would never pay for a tree based solely on its age but would rather see how the tree has been grown and worked.
Craigw

I Agree with Craig, it's not really just all about the age of the bonsai but we must also consider other factors like the nebari, how the trunk and branches are formed, ramification and many more .

Bong

[kvan64]

The biggest bougy as bonsai I've seen is 3m tall. here are a few pics from my neighbour's bougs
viewtopic.php?f=133&t=2131&hilit=+my+neighbour

[anttal63]

Hi Sarah, the age of the tree is kind of irrelevant. the most important factor is the quality of the work. I would never pay for a tree based solely on its age but would rather see how the tree has been grown and worked.
Craigw

Dido dido dido...


there are 20 yr old trees out there locally that you will not get for under $5000. Becauase they are great trees, not because they are 20 yrs old. However if you like this tree that your friend is selling then $150 is not alot of money... We will still be here 2moro doin the same things we done 2day ... Enjoy your bonsai !!!

[The Specimen]

WoW what a specimen!

How come your tree has all flowers ? Is there something u must do to make it like that ??

[jbaylon]

They are really great and probably something that will appeal to a lot of enthusiast and those who can appreciate it. They are very tough and could withstand a lot of things without causing that much problem.

I have to agree that the age would be of no significant value actually as long as the quality of the tree is still in topnotch. And in this case, I think that you have to give in and make the purchase.