Fairly new, Texas

[usbTypeF]

My zone is 8a, and I have experience with other types of plants, regular trees, fruits, herbs, vegetables, flowers; but only a little with bonsai.

My only bonsai experience is growing some random seed i found into a tree, 2 years old and still living so
I just made a neat little part in my yard with room for 8-12 large bonsai; I have quite a lot of time to spend on this and I want to make sure I am getting the best trees for my location, so I dont have to constantly move them inside and outside.

As far as I know the standard bonsai thing is to have small leaves, but I dont mind having a larger bonsai to make up for large leaves, I also dont mind them being difficult to grow, so long as they can withstand the extreme summer temperatures, or occasional winter storm. I do really love the idea of a functional tree as a bonsai too, some sort of fruit or herb

I had a few ideas for trees, and just wanted to see if anyone else had a suggestion or advice:
Honey Mesquite
American Sycamore
Southern Catalpa
Lilac Chastetree
Crapemyrtle
Texas Elm
Lavender
Ginkgo
Japanese Maple
Italian Stone Pine
Rosemary
Southern Red Oak
Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine
River Birch
Black Hickory
Sweetgum
American Witchhazel
Southern Magnolia
Honeylocust
Willow Leaf Ficus
Alligator Juniper
Black Willow
Sassafras
Montezuma Baldcypress

 

[BrightsideB]

It would be good to find experienced people doing bonsai local either in person of online to you. I think it’s good to get a few practice local nursery tree’s/shrubs. Starting fresh working on already established bonsai or pricey pre bonsai I don’t think is good. You could spend a pretty penny and die to lack of experience kill a tree you really had hopes for. When I started I got several tree’s and almost killed them. I realized I should practice a little before messing with roots and branches/foliage. There is a lot to learn with bonsai and over time you continue to learn. There are usually bonsai clubs as well as bonsai nurseries that shouldn’t be too far from your location with people who can help you out in person.

 

[rockm]

"Texas" elm is most likely Cedar elm, as it is all over the place in eastern and northern Texas. It is among the best trees to use for bonsai on the planet and has been used for bonsai for quite some time. It is tough, resilient and easy to collect from the wild when dug at the proper time. It's also pretty available at nurseries. It's leaves are already smallish, but can be reduced with bonsai cultivation (species don't really have to start with small leaves, bonsai cultivation in part is about reducing leaf size).

Bald cypress or Montezuma cypress are also excellent bonsai candidates, as they grow very strongly and develop quickly.

Texas live oak (quercus fusiformis) is a great candidate as well. The Texas live oak that grows in East Texas up into Oklahoma is used regularly as a landscape tree. It is more drought tolerant and tougher than its cousin the Southern Live Oak. Mine is pictured below. It was dug up in Salado in the late 1990s and worked into a container.

I have all of these species here in Va. Mine were dug up in Texas or Louisiana and brought here. I've had the for a very long time.

Crape myrtle is a pretty common bonsai subject as well. Any kind of ficus is good, but winter quarters are necessary as they can't withstand freezing or have trouble when temps get below 45 or so. Ponderosa pine or western U.S. conifers can work well too, but will have issues if you live in a humid area-like Houston or the Gulf Coast--Western U.S. pines like things on the drier side...it would be helpful if you at least gave the location of the closest city to you in your avatar. That info is helpful for people giving advice.

As for the others on your list, it's largely hit and miss as most of them haven't been used extensively for bonsai. Keep in mind any species with extremely large leaves (sycamore) or compound leaves (mesquite, wisteria) can be quite difficult as bonsai as you're starting from more difficult places.

 

[Shibui]

Ginkgo is painfully slow to develop trunk and branches. Treat it as a 20 year project.
I would substitute trident maple for Japanese maple. Both are excellent for bonsai but trident is more resilient, hardier to temperature extremes, grows and develops about twice as fast and responds better to pruning.
Lavender can be used but is more short lived and prone to dying unless conditions are excellent. Quick to develop but all your work is wasted when it dies prematurely.
Honey locust is difficult. Long internodes and large compound leaves make it hard to get a good shape in a small tree.