I’m in San Jose, CA and have 150 or so trees (mostly fairly young Monterey Pine, Monterey Cypress) and some very nice collectable pots (Sara Rayner, Michael Hagedorn, etc.). I plan to move in the next two years (Texas) and need to severely thin the herd sooner than later (I’m also a renter and need to move to a transition house). I’m also nearing retirement age and I don’t want to burden my kids with pots and plants. I also have a pretty good library of books, Golden Statements, etc. Obviously, I’d like to get some return on my investment…what to do? Advice appreciated.
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I bet you can find som people on here that would take them on . I’m just starting out at this (5 years now. ) I’m in Manteca I would be interested in some Monterey pines.
Chris, that’s one way to go–and if/when we get there I will certainly let you know. Thanks.
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I’ll be on the look out hove a good day
This is a trickier question than most people realize. Reading that you have 150 trees +/-, I’ll assume you’ve been involved with bonsai for a number of years and that you devote a good portion of your free time to your collection. That means in addition to the practical side of your question (Which trees do I sell or give away before the move and how do I accomplish that?), you are thinking about the emotional side of this transition (Am I ready to downsize? What makes sense after retirement? What should I ultimately do with my collection? All reasonable questions, the last being the most difficult as it involves accepting one’s own mortality).
Answers to the practical questions will be obvious once you sort out the longer term questions.
By way of example, here’s how I’ve approached getting older: I’m 73, live in Vermont, retired 3 years ago, am active and healthy. Have grown bonsai for 30+ years. I did not move and don’t plan to.
At it’s peak (perhaps 7 years ago) my bonsai collection consisted of 75 trees - 5 large, 15 medium, 10 shohin and the remainder pre-bonsai trees anywhere from 1-4 years old started from seedling. My current collection consists of 35 trees - 2 large, 3 medium, 10 shohin, 10 mame and the remainder pre-bonsai that are now 4-8 years old.
How did I get from A to B? About 3-4 years before retirement I made a few changes: 1. I stopped rooting cuttings when pruning trees, knowing I would not be around to appreciate them as fully grown; 2. I began giving away some of my pre-bonsai and established seedlings to younger people in our club who were just starting their bonsai journey; 3. I transitioned to mame and shohin accepting I was getting older and smaller trees are easier to maneuver when necessary. (Note: In New England bonsai growers go through a ritual twice each year, shuffling trees coming out of dormancy in early Spring from inside at night to outside during the day and back inside again each night for about a month, and from outside during the day to inside at night and back outside each day in November as winter approaches); 4. To keep the overall number of trees manageable as I get older, and recognizing my limitations, I’m committed to removing one tree from my collection if I bring another one in; and 5. I’m still working on the question of who ultimately gets my collection.
Everyone is different. That said, I hope some of this this helps in your thought process as you consider your upcoming transition.
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Richard
Thank you for the thoughtful response–all good points…and I am already starting to do some of the things you mention. I spent my younger days in the military, so I’m used to donating trees and starting over…Ryan just taught me how to keep them alive longer too. I’ve never sold a tree and wouldn’t know how to determine a price…same with the collectable pots, as a fair number of my pots were purchased in the early '00s. Thinning the herd is actually a good thing, so no tears here.
Again, I appreciate your perspectives and insights.