Marc Torppa @ The Growing Grounds and/or Don Blackmond @ GBB

[butlern]

I have reached out to a few vendors, including Marc, also Don Blackmond, about the availability of juniper material...

and I never get any replies.

What is the mechanism? Do many vendors only deal with previous clients?

No phone numbers listed for either individual.

Maybe it's just the wrong time of the year (although I thought it would be ideal, given dormancy will be ending)?

 

[my nellie]

I would suggest, if I may, that you tag @Don Blackmond here so that he will hopefully respond to this thread of yours.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

@Don Blackmond Is a member here, so you may try just sending him a PM.

I don't know about Marc. I have heard mixed messages about him but have no personal experience.

Many of these growers are busy growing... and they don't have a lot of time to spend on the day talking to people. I'm not making an excuse, but I know some nurserymen that are hard to get hold of - but are really nice people when you meet them in real life. They are just busy in their nursery and don't have full time customer service people to work the phones.

 

[Dav4]

I've reached both Don and Marc via email without issue.

 

[Walter Pall]

Many folks just don't know that they have to look at their spam-file once a week to find posts which are of interest. Your mails might be considered spam by the mail program. It happens to me all the time.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Don has always been very responsive in my experience, and I have bought 4-5 trees from him over the years. He’s a good guy, with good trees and fair prices. Here are some from Don:


I would not recommend Marc Torppa for online shopping. He has been slow to respond to my requests, and I have only seen nightmarish shipping results. I would like to visit his nursery, however and have an opportunity to maybe pick something in person.

 

[JudyB]

I second Brian's recommendation. I've gotten the bulk of my collection over the years from Don. Great trees and prices. Something for everyone he has. And a really stand up individual. Hope you are able to reach him. He may be out fishing or something, he's a big outdoors guy.

 

[LanceMac10]

I actually had an e-mail correspondence with Don the other day. He's still selling material, but mentioned he was focusing on growth and development with his current stock. Realize it's a busy time right now for vendors, be patient.

 

[KeithE]

Torppa has mainly large deciduous material and prefers not to ship. Unless you prefer an imported tree, check with Brent at Evergreen garden for raw material. Keep an eye on Bonsai Import Co if you want a higher level import.

 

[Nybonsai12]

Do not mail order from growing grounds.

 

[Adair M]

Brussels has juniper material.

“Juniper material” is a very broad description. Perhaps if you could be more specific, the folks here could give you some ideas if vendors to contact. I’ve had good experiences with Don, I’ve never dealt with Torpa.

 

[Dav4]

Do not mail order from growing grounds.
View attachment 179870

Hah! That looks EXACTLY like the box Marc sent me!!

 

[chansen]

Chris Kirk at Telperion Farms has a ton of junipers as well. Lots of kishu and itoigawa, from small to huge. His website (http://telfarms.com/) is outdated and the catalog of trees hasn't been updated in years. But I make it up there every few years when I visit family in the area, and there are tons of junipers to pick from.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Growing grounds has a bad rap for shipping trees. But if you can pick up...your good.

Don he is a great guy...the tree I got from him was packaged well. Arrived healthy.

Adair brings up a third party...seen some of their material through photos Matt shares. Adair gave good advice as well.

Good luck.

 

[Adair M]

Growing grounds has a bad rap for shipping trees. But if you can pick up...your good.

Don he is a great guy...the tree I got from him was packaged well. Arrived healthy.

Adair brings up a third party...seen some of their material through photos Matt shares. Adair gave good advice as well.

Good luck.

Brussel’s? Lol!!! They are the largest wholesaler of bonsai trees in the US! And he sells retail, as well. He literally sells thousands of bonsai every year!

 

[Cadillactaste]

Brussel’s? Lol!!! They are the largest wholesaler of bonsai trees in the US! And he sells retail, as well. He literally sells thousands of bonsai every year!

Third party as in...one not mentioned by poster. He named two. I must admit am exhausted...I thought I made sense...to me. No? Maybe it's time to shut down before I confuse myself.

 

[butlern]

Thanks for the info and feedback

Marc replied today. He has only a single, large Foemina available right now (Foemina!).

I'll wait and see if Don replies. I'm also waiting for Todd Schlafer to let me know which of his RM junipers will be available after dormancy. I've been planning to write to Brett, too, as I had a great experience dealing him in the past. I saw a tree on his website, I emailed, it was available, I bought it. Todd does a great job of updating his available material, I will say.

Anyway, I can see why it's tough to keep up with inquiries... Not the primary source of income, other professional responsibilities, life gets in the way, etc... I do get it, honestly.

Beyond those factors, I can also see, putting myself in the position of such a vendor (specifically those who rarely update their website presenting what is actually available), that receiving an inquire like the one I presented ("Dear XXX, I am intersted in sourcing some quality juniper material, either relatively well-developed stock (but not styled) or finished trees....") I suppose I would groan and let it slide down the list of priorities.

Basically, as I see it now (especially after Adair made it clear that I can be vague when writing) answering an email like mine is opening the door to be pestered by requests to take a bunch of pictures of a potentially a large number of trees.

That could turn into a major time-suck, being asked to dig through the stock and take pictures, when in the end the vendor is only entertaining the interests of a "potential" customer.

I suppose if I ask for something very specific (Shimpaku, single trunk, twisted, live vein/deadwood, 2-3 jins, 18" tall, 3-4" base, 6-8" nebari) then it would be simpler.

But, honestly, right now, I am simply looking for "quality" material (i.e. material with very good foundations and potential).

I didn't know how else to phrase it when I reached out to these guys. I have no idea if they have 2 trees or 220 trees that they might regard as "quality juniper material, either relatively well-developed stock (but not styled) or finished trees."

Maybe you all (who deal regularly with Don, Brett, et al.) can help me more effectively interact with a potential vendor, because clearly I'm not sure how to source really good, high-quality stock material... When nothing appears on their websites.

Maybe, in the end, I should just take Adair's advice and buy some green mound from Brussel's!

 

[Adair M]

Give them an idea of the price range you are willing to spend, and tell them you are looking for the best tree that amount will buy.

 

[butlern]

That's a point, Adair... I actually considered this, but then thought longer about it and decided not to include this detail.

I can see the advantage, as you suggest, but I can also see the downside.

I suppose "quality" is subjective. I was just hoping to have these respected vendors (artists, too, really) offer up what they regarded as quality, then transition to the topic of value.

 

[Carol 83]

Brussel’s? Lol!!! They are the largest wholesaler of bonsai trees in the US! And he sells retail, as well. He literally sells thousands of bonsai every year!

The quince I just got today was from them, as well as a brt last year. I have to say, both trees were extremely healthy, and are packed very well. My only complaint is the ugly mashed potato bowl white pots both trees were in. But for the price, the material is very healthy, and nicer than I would have thought it would be.