In addition, one of my good trees started to show some of these splotches and began to die. I trimmed the top part of the tree off and it is now flourishing. I can only assume that this helped to save the tree by clipping off the diseased part of the plant, saving the part still alive.

A week or two later, my best tree started to wilt and die. I tried several things to try and save it, but it seemed to be too late. I'm unsure what caused it to pass on, but I suspect it died due to lack of water. I don't believe that this is the case, but its the only plausible cause. I don't believe it was caused by the thing that killed the other trees, as there's no markings.

Other than this, the rest of the plants are doing quite well.

First and foremost, its tough to learn anything without a place to learn from. I got a few books. However, I think that I would suggest one specifically over all others -- The Art of Natural Bonsai Its quite comprehensive, touching on a lot of topics that are sometimes overlooked or underdeveloped in other books. It makes good use of progressive examples, showing trees from beginning to conceptual completion and what was done to get them there. And its comparatively pretty cheap -- I'd definitely call it one of the best values on the market (based on what I've seen so far, and the reveiws of others).

Next, you need some trees. I based on my research and experiences, I would suggest other beginners start with Japanese Maple for their first Bonsai. What I did was go out and buy a handful of them (10), just to make sure that I have enough, have a variety, and have spares if some end up dying. I tried buying from one store, which I will not mention here to prevent people from trying to buy from them, but they took my money and ran. Resources for buying Japanese Maple online were scarce, so I trusted a shady-looking dealer. Mistake. So, second try, I went with an Ebay store -- PJC98, who sells a variety of things including Japanese Maple seedlings. It was a good choice, and I would suggest this seller to anyone. My only complaint is that one or two of the maples don't seem to have survived the shipping process, but that is probably to be expected.

Another possibility is buying a preconfigured starter kit. This one in particular comes with a plant, pot, and some other useful things. I've not gone down this route, but I feel that its a good option for someone who wants to start quickly, easily, and get a good bang for the buck.

Last are the tools. And I do mean last -- you can wait quite a while before you really need to order them. You won't necessarily start slicing and dicing once you get your book and plants. Most of the time, as is in my case, you need to let them grow and develop still, as well as recover from any shipping and repotting that needed to happen. Plus, you should take some time to decide on what you want to do with them! Based on all the research that I've done, I would highly suggest going with LA Bamboo Direct. They sell the same things that other stores sell, except they are substantially cheaper.

Photo by Frank Bernard

So, the picture is of a my own Japanese Maple Bonsai. I just (re)potted them, and they've started blossoming. I also picked up a Juniper from the local Home Depot. I'll detail them more in depth in future posts. Hope you enjoy!