Nice day in the neighborhood. Why not showcase??

[Aaronkslater]

The destroy it just for fun seems way more likely than sell it. Think of how difficult it would be to sell a bonsai. Where would you sell it? Many people on here complain that they don't even have a bonsai nursery within 100 miles of them.. what average person even knows that these things are valuable let alone where they can sell it? are they going to list it on facebook then learn how to package it up and ship it? C'mon.
You are right Rockm, its probably just going to be your average drunk dickhead looking for kicks.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@Daniel son STL
I applaud your faith in humanity, and your lack of attachment to material goods. Very Zen or Taoist of you.

I live in a crappy neighborhood. I keep all my trees in my back yard, with only an easy to see through cyclone fence surrounding the yard. So if you look, you can see my trees. The fence is 6 foot, but cyclone fences are easy to climb, and there is no lock on the side yard gate.

When I say crappy, I mean crappy, I have a retail drug house next door to the north, 24 units of subsidized housing to the west, across the alley, with a full view into the back yard.

Strangely, I have had no tree theft. Did find 2 "little kids" maybe 7 & 10 years old, trying to lift one of my largest trees. They were not strong enough. Chewed them out and they left. Over all, in 30 years, my mediocre collection has never attracted thieves.

Because of the neighborhood. Nobody from the local bonsai society comes over.

Oddly, my friend who lives in a "good neighborhood" and frequently hosts gatherings of members of the bonsai club, has been written up in the newspaper as a local bonsai artist, they have had several major thefts over roughly the same 30 year period. Thieves each time targeted some of the best trees.

If you are going to have theft, it is not the unknown, stranger, druggies or whatever. Most likely it will be someone that you invited into your home specifically to see your bonsai. My friend who was ripped off a number of years ago, had the theft happen about 2 weeks after an "open house" for bonsai friends.

So I would not be so worried about the "druggies" and "poor people" who see your bonsai. I got that every day. They don't care. It is the person who is into bonsai, and covets your trees that will be the problem.

My last dog died of old age about 10 years ago. It is probably time to get a new dog, but mainly for companionship, not guard duty.

 

[vp999]

My neighbors are pretty snobby!

Had this bougainvillea and desert rose out front all summer, 24 hours a day.

View attachment 277511

Although I most definitely put the jbp back into its regular spot at sun down

That’s a nice Bougie! Did you get that online ? I’ve been trying to look for an online place that sells then but all the decent ones are so expensive, great price!!!!

 

[Warpig]

Priceless.

 

[rockm]

@Daniel son STL
I applaud your faith in humanity, and your lack of attachment to material goods. Very Zen or Taoist of you.

I live in a crappy neighborhood. I keep all my trees in my back yard, with only an easy to see through cyclone fence surrounding the yard. So if you look, you can see my trees. The fence is 6 foot, but cyclone fences are easy to climb, and there is no lock on the side yard gate.

When I say crappy, I mean crappy, I have a retail drug house next door to the north, 24 units of subsidized housing to the west, across the alley, with a full view into the back yard.

Strangely, I have had no tree theft. Did find 2 "little kids" maybe 7 & 10 years old, trying to lift one of my largest trees. They were not strong enough. Chewed them out and they left. Over all, in 30 years, my mediocre collection has never attracted thieves.

Because of the neighborhood. Nobody from the local bonsai society comes over.

Oddly, my friend who lives in a "good neighborhood" and frequently hosts gatherings of members of the bonsai club, has been written up in the newspaper as a local bonsai artist, they have had several major thefts over roughly the same 30 year period. Thieves each time targeted some of the best trees.

If you are going to have theft, it is not the unknown, stranger, druggies or whatever. Most likely it will be someone that you invited into your home specifically to see your bonsai. My friend who was ripped off a number of years ago, had the theft happen about 2 weeks after an "open house" for bonsai friends.

So I would not be so worried about the "druggies" and "poor people" who see your bonsai. I got that every day. They don't care. It is the person who is into bonsai, and covets your trees that will be the problem.

My last dog died of old age about 10 years ago. It is probably time to get a new dog, but mainly for companionship, not guard duty.

dont' know if you saw the vid that was going around on FB a while back in which the owner of an entry-level bonsai had his tree stolen by his crackhead brother for cash. I have had heroin addicts steal metal key chains from my car to sell for cash. I would indeed worry about "druggies." The bonsai covetors are at the bottom of my list for possible suspects. Bonsai community is too connected and trees stick out. If a knowledgeable thief someone steals a relatively developed tree, they're going to want to show it off eventually.

 

[Tentakelaertje]

Very nice of you sharing your fav tree with the neighbours! I gotta second some others here though, watch out it doesn't become 'community property'. That would suck realy bad.

I live in a student house in the XTC/MDMA capitol of the world, over 90% of those drugs is produced in the area here. Right across the street is a legal weed store, and a hashish lounge as direct neighbours. Many people pass by my house to buy weed daily, many people smoke weed openly here. It's legal, why not? Many of my friends and of my roommates's friends come here, and we get drunk and smoke often.

My collection lives in the backyard and a lot of friends want to see the trees. When we have parties they always get checked out. It's no secret that I'm a bonsai enthousiast but NO one however, absoluty NO one has ever nicked one of my trees.

Stoners, drug users and drunks are not really the problem I think. Y'all'd be very surprised what walks by the house to buy weed. I have seen people from all layers of society go inside that store, and yes - businessmen in tailored suits with expensive Mercedes cars too. I am not sure who steals bonsai trees and I have my fingers crossed no one ever steals my or your trees, but to talk about other people like that is just nasty. I'm sure all of us could have a great time over a beer (and maybe a reefer). Something with books and covers 'n' stuff.

 

[Carol 83]

I guess on the rare occasion, it does pay to live in a very small agricultural town. My trees are out on my patios spring through fall, completely out in the open. Granted, none of my trees are really worth anything much. The only disturbance I've experienced to my trees was caused by squirrels.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I'm also a member of several Hosta clubs, and the whole state-wide bunch get together at Michigan State University's Hidden Lake (Botanical) Gardens and maintain the Hosta Hillside, planting and maintaining every Hosta worthy of such a place. We used to plant and label every new and especially desirable Hostas, donated by the originator. Often these new plants worth hundreds of dollars disappeared. We don't label those anymore. They disappeared, anyway. It's not difficult to figure out that those doing the deed are especially well versed in what's worth stealing and what isn't because all the plants are beautiful and a novice would just choose older, bigger plants.

 

[Eckhoffw]

Once you get nicer trees as your skill grows as well as your wallet, and you buy finished trees, you might not be willing to let a couple of hundred dollars worth of bonsai slid down the drive way in some scum-bags hands. It becomes difficult to look at twenty-plus years of work become the property of some dope smoking jack-ass.

The kids still call it dope?

 

[canoeguide]

My house faces south to the street and my backyard is a deer, bear, bobcat, and rabbit funnel/highway. I figure that I'm more likely to lose a bonsai in the backyard than the front.

I am considering a couple of surveillance cameras for general reasons though.

 

[Daniel son STL]

Would you tape a 100$ bill to your sidewalk and leave it there all day? It would only be a matter of time till that 100 bucks would disappear...

Cool post....

 

[Daniel son STL]

That’s a nice Bougie! Did you get that online ? I’ve been trying to look for an online place that sells then but all the decent ones are so expensive, great price!!!!

Yep, good ole ebay!

 

[Daniel son STL]

And to everyone who didn’t answer my Q in the original post, I’ll guess I can answer that now. Not a single one of you have balls big enough lmao.

I can’t argue with anybody about the subject bc everyone has made valid points. Although I’m still not worried about a cheap tree that’s puts out beautiful flowers all summer as part of my front landscaping. Balls are big with this one.

 

[Pitoon]

Definitely not in the front yard. One of the best security devices you can have is a degree of anonymity, I had a tree stolen a number of years ago just because it was accessible by a reach over a fence.

Sorry to hear that

 

[BuckeyeOne]

I'm also a member of several Hosta clubs, and the whole state-wide bunch get together at Michigan State University's Hidden Lake (Botanical) Gardens and maintain the Hosta Hillside, planting and maintaining every Hosta worthy of such a place. We used to plant and label every new and especially desirable Hostas, donated by the originator. Often these new plants worth hundreds of dollars disappeared. We don't label those anymore. They disappeared, anyway. It's not difficult to figure out that those doing the deed are especially well versed in what's worth stealing and what isn't because all the plants are beautiful and a novice would just choose older, bigger plants.

Not sure how to react to this!! I guess I'll never understand how these people just help themselves to things that are meant for the masses to enjoy!

 

[Daniel son STL]

Find it funny that this thread has gotten more views than most of my other threads in a short amount of time. Sounds advantageous!!! So let me take this opportunity show a few trees I’ve enjoyed playing around with.

Hinoki cypress recently trimmed


Collected juniper messing around with



ROR mugo
Positioned trunk differently to uncover the roots going down the rock


Ficus cutting


Freshly styled willow leaf.
Been having trouble with this one bc it’s due for a repot sitting in pure akadama mud!

 

[Daniel son STL]

Here’s a cpl mame size plants



Slightly bigger


And a little succulent. Kinda love the pot I just put it in

 

[BuckeyeOne]

Find it funny that this thread has gotten more views than most of my other threads in a short amount of time. Sounds advantageous!!! So let me take this opportunity show a few trees I’ve enjoyed playing around with.

Not sure if you missed the context from the OP, but I think the question was "Do you leave your Bonsai out for the public to see?"
Not a thread to display your trees.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
You wouldn't be the first. Been married 3X.

 

[Vance Wood]

Daniel, sorry you got ripped a new one for this post! doesn't seem justified, but, I guess I am thankful for the reminder from those that have been ripped off that bonsai are attractive to thieves. Its pretty surprising since I can't imagine what they would do with a tree? they couldn't sell it very easily but I guess they just want it?

I do take offense to all the dope smoking comments... get your paranoid racist paridigms straight! dope smoking thieves were in the 50's and 60's, the 70's were junkies, in the 80's all bad-guys were crack heads, nowadays I suppose they are meth-smoking thieves?

Who the hell died and made you God?? I could have made my comparison as to a booze guzzling fool but most of them are not capabable of lifting an 80 lb bonsai or coordinated enough to haul it out of sight without attracting attention.

 

[Paradox]

My trees are all in the back yard behind a 6 foot fence with 3 70-95 pound dogs that patrol it all the time.
We have a landscaping crew that mows the lawn every 2 weeks.
The guy that services our furnace has seen my trees in the garage in the winter and my tropicals and he asks about them a lot.
I often spring dance many of my deciduous out of the garage to the side yard behind a hedge but is accessible from the driveway.

However, I have never had a tree touched. *knocks on wood*

I still cringe whenever we have someone over to do work on the house, because its exposure.
Most of my trees arent what you would call expensive (of course that is a relative term).
However, as my trees get better developed, I worry a bit more because not only is it time but those trees become worth more and are more desirable because they look like bonsai now.

We have recently extended the fence in the back yard so it encompasses the cold frame so now that too is behind a locked gate which is a relief.
Yes the gate wont stop a determined person except that they would be pretty well exposed to the front yard trying to break into it.

I had a 15HP Yamaha engine that weighed 100 pounds stolen off a boat I used to have.
It took them literally 1 minute to cut the power cables and get the thing off the boat.
They knew what they had to cut and what they had to do for a quick get away.
They took it in the middle of the night in a wind and rain storm so that my dogs had a harder time hearing them and didnt bark.
If they can take that, they can take any of my trees easily enough.

I love my trees and Im proud of the progress some of them have made but I am definitely in the school of not exposing my trees to more attention than I want.
If you dont care about losing that $100 tree and potentially years of development its your loss when it walks and I cant feel bad for you.