Post your latest purchase or impulse buy

[Joshua]

There are a few threads with people presenting a new purchase. Thought I'd start one where anyone can add to it with their own.

Walking past the bargain bin at my local nursery this Callistemon caught my eye. And this is just after having ordered myself a Melaleuca Quinquenervia and Backhousia Citriodora online (the latter more for culinary than bonsai purposes).

It's a Callistemon Viminalis "Mini Red", which I remember reading is a good species for bonsai, but couldn't really find any info about that variety.

Half price down to 15 euros and there are two in the pot. I'm guessing nobody was buying it because the trunk wasn't straight enough?
My beginner eye thought that one of the two had potential.

Also actually it seemed like perhaps it wasn't doing too well for a while because there appeared to be a lot of dead twigs, but it also has a flush of new growth and event a fair few buds starting on the trunk. I took that for a sign of good health and picked it up.

Now to see if it survives the prune and repot.

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[melbrackstone]

After seeing Ted Poynton's tree at the National Collection in Canberra I decided to see if I could get one....

Angophora costata

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[TimS]

I recently (a week or two prior to lockdown) went looking for a specimen Japanese Maple with some cash in the skyrocket and found one that appealed but it was well into the 4 figures so i passed on it.

While mulling over if i should buy something else instead, i found a couple of wisterias and my guard was down a bit so i jumped on this one. I think there were 3 but i only recall a decision between an upright one and this leaning one. Ended up going for this one as the branching on it will lend itself very well to a flower display. I slipped it out of the quite unattractive el-cheapo chinese pot it was in and into this one. No plans for how i'll develop it, all i'm thinking is how to make the frame so the flowers are held well for spring display.

The photo doesn't show it well, but the branch that heads to the back actually crosses over the main trunk that goes upward. A little more interesting than just a straight Y branch and sets up the unconventional shaping.

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[damienw133]

Heres my guilty splurge ...i got it a month or so ago but just recently finished paying it off
Its a Japanese red pine that i was told was around 60-70 years old ....either way its starting to get some nice mature bark happening so i'm pretty chuffed with it

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[Starfox]

This, technically it's a birthday present so can't look at it until then.

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[melbrackstone]

That book looks very interesting Starfox!!

https://yamadori.co.uk/2021/01/13/book- ... ton-style/

[Starfox]

That book looks very interesting Starfox!!

https://yamadori.co.uk/2021/01/13/book- ... ton-style/

Thanks for the link, can't believe I have not come across his site before.

It definitely looks interesting and what I have seen of Laurent's trees online it should be a special read. I think he was on a mirai podcast as well.

[TimS]

While it's no secret that i'm a devotee of the deciduous and flowering species, and i've made no effort to hide my general distaste of growing the needle foliage conifers like pines and the needle junipers due to getting rashes on my hands and arms from working on them, i am however a big fan of Hinoki Cypress.

Sadly it's seemed that fewer and fewer nurseries are stocking them, with only the occasional 100mm pot of a 2inch tall dwarf form available, so i've not bothered seriously looking for them for many years now.

Since lockdown has lifted enough to be able to go to shops within 25km here in Melbourne, i decided to get some supplies for repotting season now in case things get worse or we get locked down again. I visited a few nurseries both bonsai for mix and pots and general looking for uncommon maple cultivars that i might work with, but i instead found some straight species Hinoki in a good size. So although the prices were exorbitant, really i've not seen anything else worth buying for years now so i took the plunge and got 2.

My plan is to whack them in the ground, grow them on to 2-3ft tall, do yearly maintenance to keep the inner buds alive as Hinoki do love to kill off their inner buds, and come back to them in about 5 years to see where i'm at with trunk development as they are about finger thickness at the moment and no real aged appearance to the bark.

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[MJL]

Hi Tim,
I remember how much you admired that Hinoki at the recent Bonsai show. I’m sure you’ll enjoy developing these.


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[TimS]

Thanks Mark, yep I really did admire that hinoki but I’ll look to go a different way with these. Mostly because I don’t gave 50 years to develop them like that one at the show

Should be fun to grow something totally different to what I’m used to as well

[melbrackstone]

Bimer market day buys. I don't know what's going into the Dianne Peach sculptures, but I have a ficus for the oval (I think.)

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[Ryceman3]

Bimer market day buys. I don't know what's going into the Dianne Peach sculptures, but I have a ficus for the oval (I think.)

Can’t go wrong with a Marie Hewartson… and I really like the first Dianne Peach pot in particular Mel. Thanks for sharing.

[Karma]

Bought my first Bonsai today! Was both an impulse and planned purchase?

Looking forward to learning more things bonsai!

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[Beech92]

Bought my first Bonsai today! Was both an impulse and planned purchase?

Looking forward to learning more things bonsai!

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Congratulations, you will have 5 more before you know it

[Watto]

Essential in these times, a mask.