Best trees to collect in Georgia

[tylerwdesign]

I dug up a smaller Loblolly pine late last summer in GA, and it did fine, so hopefully yours are too. The small leafy shrub is a Callery pear, sometimes called Bradford pear. A horrible weed in GA, so it's good that you are planning to remove it from the landscape. The bare shrub after that is likely a Winged Elm, one of my favorite GA trees. Could the final tree be a Hawthorn, like Mayhaw?

Thanks for the info!
I'll definitely be digging up a few loblolly and winged elm soon then. There were a ton of both, and some really nice small winged elm that I can start out with.

I would have never known those were bradford pears. They were everywhere on the edge woods and along the fence line in the pasture. Is it normal to see only small ones? I'll have to take a look, but I don't recall seeing any large bradford pears. There was one spot with some maybe chest height (not as dense and bushy as the smaller ones), but the majority of them were below the knee. Maybe the cows graze on them? Or is this different from the large flowering bradford pears I'm thinking of?

As for Hawthorn I believe I saw a few when I didn't have my phone on my. I'll get some photos when I go back. I really only explored a fraction of the land. I need to take some time and do a broader survey of the species of trees next time I go, instead of only looking for the perfect bonsai.

Thanks again!

 

[GGB]

@tylerwdesign I'm trying my darndest to round up info on loblolly care (as bonsai), but info is scarce. Can we make a pact to share info together? I'll show you my links if you show me yours.

I have a bunch I'll working with this summer. I hear a lot of conflicting stuff, it'd be nice to see what others are finding with these

 

[Melospiza]

Thanks for the info!
I'll definitely be digging up a few loblolly and winged elm soon then. There were a ton of both, and some really nice small winged elm that I can start out with.

I would have never known those were bradford pears. They were everywhere on the edge woods and along the fence line in the pasture. Is it normal to see only small ones? I'll have to take a look, but I don't recall seeing any large bradford pears. There was one spot with some maybe chest height (not as dense and bushy as the smaller ones), but the majority of them were below the knee. Maybe the cows graze on them? Or is this different from the large flowering bradford pears I'm thinking of?

As for Hawthorn I believe I saw a few when I didn't have my phone on my. I'll get some photos when I go back. I really only explored a fraction of the land. I need to take some time and do a broader survey of the species of trees next time I go, instead of only looking for the perfect bonsai.

Thanks again!

A lot of the Winged Elms and the Pears look like they have been heavily trimmed. Is there any heavy equipment used in this area? They look like they have been cut back or grazed.

I feel fairly sure that is a Callery Pear. It leafs out relatively early and "edge woods and along the fence line " makes me feel even more certain that's what they are. Birds eat the tiny pears and sit on fencelines and poop out the seeds. That's how they spread and are turning out to be a huge problem in Georgia. The wild saplings look different from the ornamental cultivars and form thorny thickets that crowd out native plants.

If you find good hawthorns, I'd be interested in buying one from you.

 

[tylerwdesign]

@tylerwdesign I'm trying my darndest to round up info on loblolly care (as bonsai), but info is scarce. Can we make a pact to share info together? I'll show you my links if you show me yours.

I have a bunch I'll working with this summer. I hear a lot of conflicting stuff, it'd be nice to see what others are finding with these

I haven't done much research yet, but I will gladly share my findings with you. Im a complete novice at bonsai, but I can also share what I personal experience after collecting some as well. Once I have the time to get into a local bonsai community around here, I'm sure there will be a few people with some info to share.

 

[tylerwdesign]

A lot of the Winged Elms and the Pears look like they have been heavily trimmed. Is there any heavy equipment used in this area? They look like they have been cut back or grazed.

I feel fairly sure that is a Callery Pear. It leafs out relatively early and "edge woods and along the fence line " makes me feel even more certain that's what they are. Birds eat the tiny pears and sit on fencelines and poop out the seeds. That's how they spread and are turning out to be a huge problem in Georgia. The wild saplings look different from the ornamental cultivars and form thorny thickets that crowd out native plants.

If you find good hawthorns, I'd be interested in buying one from you.

Not sure if any heavy equipment is used in the area or not. My dad leases out the land to a guy who keeps cattle there, and I believe he is the one who keeps up with the pastures as well. I will have to ask what kind of equipment he uses. Now that I have something to compare it to I should be able to determine wether or not it is bradford pear next time I go.

I will definitely let you know if I find any good hawthorns out there.

 

[GGB]

So far, the search feature on bonsai nut has actually been my biggest wealth of info, but there's a lot to comb through. Everytime I get discouraged by an experienced artist I read something by another experienced artist and it relights the flame. Someone on here said they got the needles down to 1.5". That's a fair size for a medium large tree I think, who knows what time will reveal

 

[tylerwdesign]

So far, the search feature on bonsai nut has actually been my biggest wealth of info, but there's a lot to comb through. Everytime I get discouraged by an experienced artist I read something by another experienced artist and it relights the flame. Someone on here said they got the needles down to 1.5". That's a fair size for a medium large tree I think, who knows what time will reveal

Well I hope to do some experimenting on them in the future. Once Ive learned the basics of course. With the amount of trees around me I can collect it would be amazing to figure out the nuances of the species and get some good bonsai out of them. Their is on spot near where I was looking that has thousands of smaller pine growing on a few acres of sandy red clay that seems like it was cleared out years ago. I just need to figure out who owns the land.

 

[GGB]

very jealous, i live in a city, surrounded by towns, surrounded by super young hardwood forests. BORING! I go down south a lot and am always so jealous of the amount of pine trees growing everywhere. I love the southeast. And bald cypress!? what?! you guys have it all

 

[substratum]

@tylerwdesign - do you know of any laws regarding the collection of plants on public land, forests, or right of way in GA? I saw some cool little trees in NW GA last week, growing in rocky soil, that would be excellent specimens, and I get up there regularly to see my son. However, it occurred to me that in FL, there are laws about this sort of thing, with some species, most notably the native azalea varieties, being 100% prohibited to dig on public land. When I did an internet search, all I could find in GA was prohibitions on digging near streambeds (to prevent erosion), and prohibitions against taking soil from public land - nothing really about species.

 

[tylerwdesign]

@tylerwdesign - do you know of any laws regarding the collection of plants on public land, forests, or right of way in GA? I saw some cool little trees in NW GA last week, growing in rocky soil, that would be excellent specimens, and I get up there regularly to see my son. However, it occurred to me that in FL, there are laws about this sort of thing, with some species, most notably the native azalea varieties, being 100% prohibited to dig on public land. When I did an internet search, all I could find in GA was prohibitions on digging near streambeds (to prevent erosion), and prohibitions against taking soil from public land - nothing really about species.

I'm not sure honestly. I would assume you would need permission to dig up a tree on public land, and it might depend on the city. I know in Atlanta they are very strict about removing trees, and you have to get permission and pay a fee to remove certain trees even if you own the land. I remember a few years back Tyler Perry was fined $170,000 for removing trees on his property without a permit. Having said that, removing a small tree for a bonsai isn't quite the same as cutting down an old dogwood or magnolia, what he did was considered unauthorized deforestation. If the species of tree is not protected, I would say use your judgment. It seems like one of those situations where asking forgiveness would be easier than permission. lol. Again I have no experience with this so Im just guessing. I'm sure there are other members on here who have collected in Georgia before would know more about this.

 

[Hyn Patty]

Let me know if you find any hawthorns please....

(seriously)

There's a lot of hawthorn here. I've been digging up a few to take with me and so far they are doing great, bagged up with live sphagnum over perlite and bursting with new growth. Trying some air layering as well. Let me know if you are still looking for any and I can walk the property to see if I can dig you up a few. Or if you aren't too far from here (near Cumming) then you'd be welcome to come stop by for a visit. We are about to relocate to NC near to Asheville but I'm taking some of these hawthorns with me. The older haws are in bloom right now and rather pretty. I don't know which species exactly but here's a photo of one of the larger ones in bloom. Or I could ship something.

 

[Hyn Patty]

Also, for those of you in the Atlanta area, go join the Native Plant Society. I used to be a member and most large cities in the US have them. We'd go out and get permission for collecting both native and invasive species on land that was about to be cleared for development. You even get to remove endangered species in the attempt to save them. I collected mostly lady slipper orchids for relocation (which is hard, you have to collect and plant colonies with the original pine duff and fungus for them to have a chance) as well as trees, etc. It's absolutely free and they are happy to accept volunteers to come help, even if you aren't a paid member. You are not allowed to collect with intent to resale for at least a year, I think it was. It's been a number of years since I was a member but it was a lot of fun.

https://gnps.org/

 

[Melospiza]

Also, for those of you in the Atlanta area, go join the Native Plant Society. I used to be a member and most large cities in the US have them. We'd go out and get permission for collecting both native and invasive species on land that was about to be cleared for development. You even get to remove endangered species in the attempt to save them. I collected mostly lady slipper orchids for relocation (which is hard, you have to collect and plant colonies with the original pine duff and fungus for them to have a chance) as well as trees, etc. It's absolutely free and they are happy to accept volunteers to come help, even if you aren't a paid member. You are not allowed to collect with intent to resale for at least a year, I think it was. It's been a number of years since I was a member but it was a lot of fun.

https://gnps.org/

Great idea! I am a member actually!

 

[BrightsideB]

Hey guys,
I'm new to collecting trees, and bonsai in general. I'm wondering what species of tree I should be on the look out for in Georgia, more specifically about 30 miles south of Atlanta. My family has a few hundred acres of cow pastures, so there are open pastures, a few streams and a small lake, so a nice variation of terrain for the relatively small amount of land. They will be clearing some of the land later on this year, otherwise I would just mark the trees and wait to collect once I had more experience, which I will do in the areas they wont be clearing. I am interested in any species that would be good for bonsai, but being new to this, any species that are easier to collect and keep alive would be ideal. Im planning on going down sometime in the next few weekends, which from what I've read seems to be a good time for collecting here.

Also what would be the best way to keep any really nice material I might find that I wouldn't be using until I have the skills to do it right. Or should I keep it the same as a tree that I plan on working on once it has recovered? Thanks in advance!

*If this topic has already been covered please feel free to point me to the thread. I couldn't find what I was looking for when I searched.

Curious if you had any luck in collecting any tree's?