AusBonsai

Hi Everyone

I was hoping someone would be able to tell me what species of casuarina it is I see growing wild around adelaide and whether they would be good for bonsai thanks for any assistance

regards
peterb

You'll have to look it up on Wikipedia or the like, and see which species looks like the trees you're seeing. Or post some photos.

If you search "Casuarina" and "Allocasuarina" on this site you'll see some beauties. They adapt well to pot culture from tube stock, but can be unreliable to dig from the wild, unless it's beside a river bank where the roots don't run far for water.

For my money (and this may not be fashionable) if you make your Casuarina bonsai look like a pine tree it ends up a not very good pine tree. If you make it look as you see it in the wild - all wispy openness and cranky-angled branches - you may find folk saying "Well That's Just Not Bonsai, Is It?" Welcome to the minefield, they can be magnificent, whichever way you go.

Gavin