Wanna bonsai? Join a club. You will rub shoulders with others of your ilk and better. People who will be happy to answer your questions, muy pronto instead of you alone trying to dig info out of a book, or worse off the internet which is a mile wide, but only an inch deep. Most clubs meet once a month, -not too intrusive on your schedule and therapeutic in winter months. They will have workshops, a bonsai show for the public, and a club auction once a year, too. Some, or one of the cohorts will live somewhere around you. Who knows, one might be lurking down the block or just around the corner. Lastly, but not last, you will learn more about the limits of horticulture.
You can start today with a weed tree that everybody has. All trees have sex, and they spread their progeny far and wide in a conspiracy with our feathered friends. If you own some dirt, you'll be pulling weeds, periodically. Some of those will be Chinese Elm, Mulberry, Crabapple, Littleleaf Linden, English Oak, Zelkova, et al. Large-leafed critters like ordinary Maples and Cottonwood are a waste of time because the leaves do not reduce satisfactorily. Scotchis Pinacus is one of the best Pines for bonsai and I hear your area is lousy with 'em.
