Over the next few years I hope to establish a hobby nursery for pre-bonsai. My focus will be on Japanese maples, particularly cultivars that are widely regarded to have excellent characteristics for bonsai. Access to high-quality pre-bonsai maples within driving distance of Victoria, BC is currently very limited. I am initially developing pre-bonsai for my own use, but I hope to eventually become a source of material for other enthusiasts as well.
The first challenge with obtaining high-quality pre-bonsai maples is that only a few of the Japanese maple cultivars that are widely regarded as being ideal for bonsai are readily available in local nurseries. ‘Shishigashira’, for example, is relatively easy to find. ‘Mikawa Yatsubusa’ and ‘Katsura’ are occasionally available. I did eventually find a ‘Kiyo Hime’ by expanding my search into several nurseries in the lower mainland. Other desirable cultivars such as ‘Koto Hime’, ‘Beni Chidori’, ‘Arakawa’ and ‘Deshojo’ have been completely elusive to me locally. This year I am attempting to import some pre-bonsai maples from elsewhere in Canada, but even this is difficult (due to limited supply, high demand and cost). Importing from outside Canada is even more onerous.
The second challenge is that even when one finds a desirable cultivar, it is often grafted onto the roots of a mountain maple. Grafts can be problematic for maple bonsai — the scar can prevent the tree from ever being a truly high quality specimen, which is a disappointing fact if you plan to spend a lifetime cultivating the tree.
I am going to great lengths to procure all of the cultivars mentioned above (I don’t have them all yet, but I am making progress). Last year I started propagating some of my initial plants via air layering. I had one successful air layer from a ‘Shishigashira’, two air layers from a ‘Kiyo Hime’, and two from a ‘Katsura’. My air layering attempt on a ‘Mikawa Yatsubusa’ was not successful. This year I will attempt additional air layers, and I will also try propagation from cuttings. I hope that in a year or two I will be able to provide some of these young pre-bonsai plants to local bonsai enthusiasts.
If anyone can recommend a source for ‘Koto Hime’, ‘Arakawa’ or ‘Deshojo’ on Vancouver Island or in the lower mainland, I’d be interested to hear.