Looking for California Juniper

[bonsamurai]

I really like the tree. In fact for anyone who likes it as well, I kindly ask that you give me two weeks before you feel the urge to buy it before me.

But with that being said, I'm very much still open to all offers/suggestions if anyone has any.

 

[David Moore]

The issue with California juniper is that it is actually a pretty large tree/shrub in its native range. I have seen some that exceed 20' height. There are tons and tons - hundreds of square miles of them - but most are far too large to be considered for bonsai. You have to be clever and figure out where they are at the edge of their range and are more likely to have stunted / dwarfed growth. This usually means going into the desert, or up into the higher mountains (higher than where they are normally found). There are probably 1000 Cali junipers out there that are too big for bonsai for every one that you find that might work, and then most of them grow in rocky terrain where it is difficult (if not impossible) to dig them out. I have truly walked through miles of California junipers without finding a single good candidate for collection.

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Where have you seen them? I have one that my teacher gave me from Mojave, harvested in the the late 80's, that a former teacher form the San Diego Bonsai Club gave him before he passed away and fortunately I have one. I would love to find a specimen in the wild to call my own, but not sure what the permit situation is like, or if someone has some on private land to buy. They are absolutely my favorite of all Bonsai Species. The smell of the Juniper is intoxicating and so different from all other Juniper species. Mine has been approximated to be over 300 years old due to it's size and rings we counted in the dead wood before we carved on it and lime suflured.

 

[David Moore]

Love David and June... he has an incredible selection. They always feed me when I visit

 

[David Moore]

He was in town three weeks ago

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David and June are wonderful people.

 

[Shima]

I go to UCR and live in Riverside most of the year.

I've been looking into California Junipers too but I can't afford nicer stock. I'm hoping to collect some in the future but I need to figure out viable locations as well as permits.

If you're going to care for bonsai you have to live in the same place ALL the year.

 

[justBonsai]

If you're going to care for bonsai you have to live in the same place ALL the year.

Unfortunately life doesn't work that way

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Where have you seen them? I have one that my teacher gave me from Mojave, harvested in the the late 80's, that a former teacher form the San Diego Bonsai Club gave him before he passed away and fortunately I have one. I would love to find a specimen in the wild to call my own, but not sure what the permit situation is like, or if someone has some on private land to buy. They are absolutely my favorite of all Bonsai Species. The smell of the Juniper is intoxicating and so different from all other Juniper species. Mine has been approximated to be over 300 years old due to it's size and rings we counted in the dead wood before we carved on it and lime suflured.

They are all over the state - truly hundreds of square miles of junipers. Google "pinyon juniper woodland" - that's where they are. You can find them from the border of Oregon all the way south to the border with Mexico.

Here's an example of a natives nursery that has them in stock:

Las Pilitas Nursery - Pinyon Juniper Woodland



Pic of California juniper in the wild... They are most common east of the Sierras but there are truly pockets of them (and by pockets I mean hundred square mile pockets or more) all over the place. There are even scattered individuals in the Saddleback mountains here in Orange County, though this is not their habitat and they are uncommon here.