Oak species suitable for Bonsai

Lately, I've been enjoying my Quercus palustris trees. I have two in development, and many more I'm growing from seed. They have naturally smaller leaves and internodes than other red oaks, grow vigorously, backbud profusely, and seldom suffer from diseases. They're a popular landscaping tree for large yards, so they're easy to buy, and acorns are easy to come by. I collected about a quarter pound of acorns in a parking lot last fall, and almost all of them germinated this spring.
 
The Warm Canuck said:
So all oaks leaves will reduce and backbud well?
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:rolleyes: The OP asked which oaks are suitable for bonsai in the eastern North America. Since none have really been tried or tried much, it's all pretty much a crap shoot. Whatever oaks grow in the local area are the optimal subjects to use, since there is no real in-depth experience with Eastern U.S. oak species as bonsai.

Not much is known about leaf reduction in eastern oak species. From my experience with a couple of species, yeah, leaves can reduce. Asking how to do it for specific species, however, is a crap shoot. Doesn't make much difference which one you choose, as far as eastern U.S. native oak species go. White oak tends to have larger leaves, pin oak smaller, but it's all relative. Care is pretty much the same. Best trunk and nebari wins, the rest is mostly a crap shoot.
 
I've got LOTS of white oak seedlings in their first year, and some pagoda & cherrybark oaks that are 3 years old I think, along with a couple water/willow hybrids roughly that same age. I'm not very far along in solving them though. I suspect willow, water, and a hybrid of the two would likely be pretty good candidates as far as leaf size. The rest will be an experiment. I'm suspecting they'll behave like Ponderosa pines and will require a density of ramification to reduce the leaf size, but it'll take some time to really figure that out.
 
All oaks I have seen tried as bonsai respond well to bonsai techniques, including leaf size. Obviously leaf reduction is proportional so starting with smaller leaf species will be easier than trying the biggest leaf species.
There are many oak species with a wide range of growth habits an characteristics so there may be some that don't work as well but there are lots that have been tried and all appear to backbud well. I haven't seen any posts anywhere that indicate any species that don't respond.
 
You issue is your location. Cold and wet are the problems.

I would be careful about using Western U.S. oak species, as well as Southern U.S. oak species (live oak, willow oak for instance), as well as European cork oak. Although those species have been used successfully as bonsai, they're not going to be hardy in your area. Willow oak is a great bonsai candidate,( shallow roots easy to collect, small leaves dense branching) but here in Va. I'm at the Northern end of its natural range. Same for live oak.

Western oak species tend to like drier conditions and humidity East of the Mississippi tends to be too heavy for them to thrive. Cold wet winters don't help either.

I could have said those species make good bonsai (I've had them as bonsai), but they are all not really suited for your area without substantial winter protection. That is why I pointed you to the local nursery. Not to get a tree, but to see what oaks will survive in your area.
 
The oaks that we have growing naturally in the Taconic range of southwestern Vermont, which should be a similar climate to Ontario, are the red oak, white oak, and chestnut oak. I have also planted oaks in the white oak family with the common names of swamp white oak, bur English oak, and gobbler oak in our landscape and they have grown well. These white oak variants have an interesting bark that has large flakes. The main virtue of these oaks are that they produce heavy crops of acorns for the benefit of wildlife. I can't say how good they are for bonsai.
 
In terms of Eastern US/CA native oaks, the closest thing to a dwarf species is the bear oak (Quercus ilicifolia). They have a bushy form around here, and leaves are about half the size of other oaks. I haven't found any info out there on them as bonsai but I collected 2 this winter and they seem to be doing well so far. That said, you may be a bit too far north to find them in the woods nearby, and I don't think there are many nursiries growing them- but it may be worth some googling.

Other than that I'd say just go with whatever the biggest oak you can find at the nursery or dig up from the woods nearby (with permission of course)!
 
chance said:
In terms of Eastern US/CA native oaks, the closest thing to a dwarf species is the bear oak (Quercus ilicifolia). They have a bushy form around here, and leaves are about half the size of other oaks. I haven't found any info out there on them as bonsai but I collected 2 this winter and they seem to be doing well so far. That said, you may be a bit too far north to find them in the woods nearby, and I don't think there are many nursiries growing them- but it may be worth some googling.

Other than that I'd say just go with whatever the biggest oak you can find at the nursery or dig up from the woods nearby (with permission of course)!
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0_O beeeeeaaaaarrrrrr oooaaaaaak … I must collect
 
Javaman4373 said:
The oaks that we have growing naturally in the Taconic range of southwestern Vermont, which should be a similar climate to Ontario, are the red oak, white oak, and chestnut oak. I have also planted oaks in the white oak family with the common names of swamp white oak, bur English oak, and gobbler oak in our landscape and they have grown well. These white oak variants have an interesting bark that has large flakes. The main virtue of these oaks are that they produce heavy crops of acorns for the benefit of wildlife. I can't say how good they are for bonsai.
Click to expand...
Yes I’m looking to collect white oak … I’ve seen 1 that was very very old and not able to collect. I had an awesome white oak but it died .. I’m still mourning its loss.. I need to find an east coast native , that’s old , Cragly ass bark , and good foliage size
 
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