Specimens for sale
Beneath the information given below are pictures of some trees that are currently for sale. For more information on a particular tree, or to ask about other trees, please call or e-mail me at 605-342-4467 or goldarrowood@aol.com. (If this link does not work from this site, use regular e-mail. This is the correct address.)
This list was updated on 07/16/08
New! The Bonsai book of the year! Here at last is the American Bonsai Societies Exhibition book of American bonsai. It features 56 high quality, full page color photos of superbly inspiring native American bonsai and includes cultivating and styling information about each species. I'd recommend it to any bonsai lover! To order, go to www.absbonsai.org Here's a photo of an ancient Rocky Mt juniper, collected by yours truly and styled by Martin Schmalenburg. My next show will be the Midwest Bonsai Show at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, the weekend of August 16th. After that I'll be (gas prices permitting) going to the International Bonsai Symposium, in Rochester, NY, the weekend of September 6th. Interested in other fine collected trees? Try www.coloradobonsai.com Custom wiring: any tree shown here can be styled by me for a small charge; small tree $15, medium tree $30, large tree $45. Some exceptions. Call or e-mail for details. I've collected a LOT of great new trees this spring. But the weather has been very cool so far and they are a bit slow getting started. I'll start showing some of them soon.
Collecting and the environment: From time to time I get letters from people concerned about the effects of tree collecting on the environment. Having worked with natural resources all my life, I am sensitive to these concerns and committed to collecting in the most environmentally responsible way possible. I do not see bonsai collecting as damaging to the environment for several reasons, a few of which are listed below.
1) None of the plant species I collect are in any sense rare or endangered.
2) In areas where collecting is feasible the actual number of trees taken is very small. This is because most of the plants that grow on mountainous sites are so firmly and deeply attached to the site that they are impossible to collect. On a good collecting site about one plant out of one hundred is actually transplantable. On many sites the ratio is one out of a thousand or less. This translates to about one tree collected for every six or seven acres of ground covered. So the actual impact on the landscape is virtually nil.
3) In the course of forest management many of these sites will be thinned (for instance, for fire pre-suppression efforts or timber stand improvements) and the very stunted and contorted trees I hope to collect for bonsai are the same ones the thinners are paid to cut out. I have gone to many formerly excellent collecting sites only to find that a thinning crew has just removed every potential bonsai from it. Many other normal uses of the land, from mining to controlled burning, will sometimes wipe out whole mountainsides of these dwarfed plants.
4) This is a legal and regulated activity. Collecting is not allowed in national or state parks, along roads, hiking trails or campgrounds, in designated wilderness areas, wildlife preserves or national monuments, or in areas that have other special significance.
5) Trees are a renewable resource. Nature is creating new bonsai for future generations every day.
The survival of collected trees: The survival of these trees is almost totally dependent on the quality of the root system that was collected with it. Ideally, the plant will have a dense, fibrous root system, much like a container grown plant. In this case, survival is excellent; nearly as good as a container grown plant. All the trees shown below have excellent root systems. However, keep in mind that because of their age and changing environments, working with collected material is inherently riskier than working with young container-grown nursery stock. I encourage you to call or e-mail if you have questions about a tree you're considering.
Satisfaction: My guarantee is this; if for any reason you don't like the tree you ordered I will refund your money, or give you credit towards another tree, provided the tree you purchased is shipped back to me in good condition within fourteen days of its arrival to you. You are responsible for shipping and insurance charges. Insurance will only cover damage to the tree or pot caused by negligent handling, not by negligent packing.
Should I buy one as a gift? Getting someone a bonsai as a gift is like getting them a tuba. Unless they know how to play it, or are willing to take lessons, it's just an expensive piece of brass. Likewise, bonsai make very expensive firewood. A bonsai can make a wonderful gift, but just be sure the lucky recipient is interested enough in the art that he or she would find it interesting to learn how to care for one. Because most of the pleasures of bonsai come from caring for the plant and working with it.
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I will be adding trees to this page on a regular basis, so come back again and see what's new! I can e-mail JPEG photos of any tree if you would like a larger picture. Please realize that someone else might be ordering the tree while you are looking at it!! But if you don't get the one you want just be patient and another will come up. A 1.5 liter wine bottle is included in every picture as a size reference. It is 13.5 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter.
Using Menlo Worldwide I can ship trees of virtually any size to anywhere in the United States. For a tree in a 30" x 30" x 40" plywood crate the average cost is around $250, but it varies from city to city and even day to day. Call for an exact quote. Delivery is in a week or less. I still use UPS and Fed Ex Ground for small and medium sized trees. Both have recently raised their prices.
To see Pg 2, More Trees, click Here
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I accept checks, money orders and Pay Pal. Add 3% to the price of the tree for Pay Pal payments. To pay by Pay Pal click here: PAY PAL Putting a tree on hold: I hold a tree once someone has said they are purchasing it. Normally I allow ten days for the payment to arrive and then I ship the tree. I will sometimes hold a tree after payment has arrived to meet your shipping schedule. |
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Sold MS #100 Species: Rocky Mt juniper Estimated age: 350 years Collected: 5/07 Price: $1225 Shipping: $250 Comments: Wow. |
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This is the only true corkbark ponderosa pine I've ever found. I first found this tree in 1993 and I thought there was something wrong with it. After I became interested in bonsai I remembered it and realized what it was. I recently went back to check on it. It took me 2 days to find it, and the top has died, but otherwise it seems healthy.
The woodgrain in an old, fire-scarred snag. |
 
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Instructional materials Our newest DVD, Finding the Bonsai Within, focuses on wiring ponderosa pine, with lots of up-close looks at basic techniques for shaping raw material into bonsai. I've been getting a lot of good comments on this one. I recommend it to anyone who wants to work on their collected trees. Our collecting from the wild DVD is also still available and is popular as well. And, prices have gone down!
DVD $19.95 each, plus $5.00 s&h. These can also be purchased through www.stonelantern.com |
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#101H817 Species: Black hills spruce Estimated age: 60 years Collected: 5/07 Price: $275 Shipping: $75 Comments: A cool spruce. It just needs the right pot and some time to fill in. |
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#102H807 Species: Ponderosa pine Estimated age: 80 years Collected: 5/07 Price: $200 Shipping: $85 Comments: This should be fun to work with. I'd be tempted to remove the whole bottom branch.
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#103H808 Species: Ponderosa pine Estimated age: 90 years Collected: 5/07 Price: $250 Shipping: $100 Comments: A great literati pine. |
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Hold DS
#104H700 Species: Ponderosa pine Estimated age: 85 years Collected: 5/07 Price: $375 Shipping: $100 Comments: An excellent, old pine in the semi-cascade or cascade style..
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#105B1628 Species: Pinnacle stone Price: $55 Sale! $35 Shipping:$7 Comments: A shimmering green pinnacle. Composition most likely actinolite. |
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#106H809 Species: Scots pine Estimated age: 6 years Price: $125 Shipping: $35 Comments: Styled and in a bonsai pot. Now it just needs a good home. |
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#107H810 Species: Black Hills spruce Estimated age: 150 years Collected: 5/07 Price: $375 Shipping: $90 Comments: A really cool old spruce tree. Hard to find. |
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Hold NN #108H811 Species: Black Hills spruce Estimated age: 45 years Collected: 6/02 Price: $175 Shipping: $75 Comments: Another nice spruce tree that I've been working on for a few years. The base is very nice. |
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#109 Species: Rocky Mt juniper Estimated age: 175 years Collected: 5/07 Price: $275 Shipping: $55 Comments: Shari all the way up the trunk. It will make a fine literati specimen. |
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#110H812 Species: Rocky Mt juniper Estimated age: 375 years Collected: 5/07 Price: $850 Shipping: $100 Comments: OK, this is a great one! |
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#111H814 Species: Sabina juniper Estimated age: 5 years Price: $40 Shipping: $20 Comments: in just a few hundred years this could look like the one above. |
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Hold DP #112H815 Species: Common juniper Estimated age: 125 years Collected: 5/07 Price: $125 Shipping: $40 Comments: This one will make an interesting windswept or semi-cascade juniper. |
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#113H816 Species: Ponderosa pine Estimated age: 30 years Collected: 6/07 Price: $85 Shipping: $45 Comments: A small pine with lots of options. |
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#114H560 Species: Chrysanthemum stone Price: $90 Sale! $75 Shipping: $10 Comments: A nice flower pattern on this one. Chipped on top, but it's still pretty good.
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