KyushuCalanthe
Just call me Tom
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2008
- Messages
- 8,196
- Reaction score
- 492
Yesterday I went to a local orchid show and was surprised to see a collection of bonsai at the entrance. There were around 30 trees, all Japanese black pine, Pinus thunbergii, except for one Japanese white pine, P. parviflora. There was a sign that read, "¥1000 and up". Wow, now that's cheap (around $10 US).
I immediately began hunting for the best one and soon found my favorite. The guy who was selling them agreed it was the best of the lot. I asked, "how much for this one?" He responded, "any tree is ¥1000." I was dumbfounded. The tree I had picked would cost a minimum of ¥15,000 at any bonsai nursery. I said, " REALLY, ANY TREE?" He said, "yup!" Well, I got that one on the spot and took the white pine as well. I would have taken another of the blacks, but we had no more room in the car!
Here they are, remember only about $10 per! The first is the black pine. The dimensions are about 22" tall and 32" maximum spread, a pretty big tree. It weighed a ton, I can tell you! The man said it was around 35 years old. Value in Japan between $150 - $250, depending on the nursery.
The white pine was smaller, only about 18" tall and 22" high. A bit younger as well, less than 30 years. Value in Japan between $80 - $100.
I got the scoop on this from the man handling the trees. He said it was the collection of a man who is unable to care for them anymore. He recently turned 80 and just found them too difficult to move, prune, wire, and so on, so he was forced to give them up after 40 years of keeping them. That made me feel bad, but they assured me there was no other choice. Honestly, Japan is FULL of such collections and many are being lost now because younger folks are uninterested in such things. In the old days trees were handed down from father to son, but that tradition is going away as more and more young people head off the the big cities to find their fortune. It is an unfortunate trend.
Anyway, I'm psyched! I've been toying with the idea of getting a pine bonsai for several years now, but was put off by the price and also maintenance. Since these were basically given to me, I feel very lucky. If that weren't enough, they also gave me two Dendrobium moniliforme for free! I drove off with over $300 worth of plants and only laid out $20. Not a bad deal!
I immediately began hunting for the best one and soon found my favorite. The guy who was selling them agreed it was the best of the lot. I asked, "how much for this one?" He responded, "any tree is ¥1000." I was dumbfounded. The tree I had picked would cost a minimum of ¥15,000 at any bonsai nursery. I said, " REALLY, ANY TREE?" He said, "yup!" Well, I got that one on the spot and took the white pine as well. I would have taken another of the blacks, but we had no more room in the car!
Here they are, remember only about $10 per! The first is the black pine. The dimensions are about 22" tall and 32" maximum spread, a pretty big tree. It weighed a ton, I can tell you! The man said it was around 35 years old. Value in Japan between $150 - $250, depending on the nursery.
The white pine was smaller, only about 18" tall and 22" high. A bit younger as well, less than 30 years. Value in Japan between $80 - $100.
I got the scoop on this from the man handling the trees. He said it was the collection of a man who is unable to care for them anymore. He recently turned 80 and just found them too difficult to move, prune, wire, and so on, so he was forced to give them up after 40 years of keeping them. That made me feel bad, but they assured me there was no other choice. Honestly, Japan is FULL of such collections and many are being lost now because younger folks are uninterested in such things. In the old days trees were handed down from father to son, but that tradition is going away as more and more young people head off the the big cities to find their fortune. It is an unfortunate trend.
Anyway, I'm psyched! I've been toying with the idea of getting a pine bonsai for several years now, but was put off by the price and also maintenance. Since these were basically given to me, I feel very lucky. If that weren't enough, they also gave me two Dendrobium moniliforme for free! I drove off with over $300 worth of plants and only laid out $20. Not a bad deal!
