In California probably the two most popular trees for bonsai are collected Sierra and California Junipers.  Both of these trees grow in harsh environments that lead to very slow growth.  Trunks grow an inch in diameter every 75 years or so.  Many of the collected trees have trunks which can be four inches or more in diameter, indicating that the tree could be several hundred years old.  Many of these trees have jins and sharis when they are collected.  Knowing that demonstration of great age and survival is crucial to quality bonsai these trees don’t have to look old and look like they have survived adversity—they are in fact old and they are survivors.  They still need to be transformed into idealized trees but the hard work has been done for you by nature.

Next time you go to a bonsai show look carefully at each of the trees in the show.  Do they show great age?  Are they survivors?  Are they a good symbol for trees in the wild? When the answer to these questions is yes, admire the skill of the artist who created the tree.