Those mini christmas trees from Trader's Joe's?

[sorce]

The ones by me are labeled cypress.

Dont propogate warning?

Sorce

 

[Vance Wood]

Where does one acquire a license to propagate? Moreso, where does one get the job of policing people propagating in their back yard?

What a crock!

This suggests that the tree is a cultivar developed by someone for commercial resale like the Too Little Ficus which has the same parameters about cultivation.

 

[Bunjeh]

Pinch it

Pinch off one of the leaves and smell it. Often time cypress are used for such a purpose and the ones most used have a slight lemony smell. Anything can make a good bonsai with the proper care.

 

[jcarpenter]

I realize this post is nearly a decade old, but it doesn't look like anyone ever really identified the tree. I, too, purchased one of these trees from Trader Joe's (covered in glitter just like yours), and I'm 95% convinced it's an Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens). If it becomes root bound, as mine was at the time of purchase, you will probably see knees staring to emerge. I will update with a photo of mine the next opportunity I get so you can compare leaves and also see the knee that's developing.

 

[AJL]

No from the original photo theyre definately Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Ellwoodii.( a form of Lawsons Cypress)
Theyre such a common mass-produced tree in Europe and Britain I cant imagine why anyone would still claim plant breeders rights for them! very easy to propagate from cuttings just like most Lawsons cypress cultivars!

 

[Lorax7]

Anything can make a good bonsai with the proper care.

Good luck getting the leaves to reduce on a Catalpa to the point where it makes a credible bonsai. “Anything” is a pretty broad brush to paint with…

 

[Vance Wood]

Only until the grower has gained enough skill and expeience to come to tha conclusion by themselves through trial and error. It is unfortunate that many people getting into bonsai start with useless for bonsai plants. They ask for advise but ignore the same advise they are given on which plants to acquire and which plants are a dead end. So that being said it is better to do bonsai with hopeless plants than it is to not do bonsai using world class material at six figure prices.

 

[rockm]

I realize this post is nearly a decade old, but it doesn't look like anyone ever really identified the tree. I, too, purchased one of these trees from Trader Joe's (covered in glitter just like yours), and I'm 95% convinced it's an Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens). If it becomes root bound, as mine was at the time of purchase, you will probably see knees staring to emerge. I will update with a photo of mine the next opportunity I get so you can compare leaves and also see the knee that's developing.

Uh, no. Bald cypress (which is mostly the only tree that makes knees) and Italian cypress are not the same thing. Italian cypress is a Mediterranean climate species--warm dry. Bald cypress is a temperate to subtropical species wetland species. Italian cypress doesn't produce knees and typically isn't used as an indoor ornamental species...At this time of year, Bald cypress is leafless...even at Trader Joe's.

 

[rockm]

Uh, no. Bald cypress (which is mostly the only tree that makes knees) and Italian cypress are not the same thing. Italian cypress is a Mediterranean climate species--warm dry. Bald cypress is a temperate to subtropical species wetland species. Italian cypress doesn't produce knees and typically isn't used as an indoor ornamental species...At this time of year, Bald cypress is leafless...even at Trader Joe's.

"and typically BALD CYPRESS isn't used as an indoor ornamental species...At this time of year, Bald cypress is leafless...even at Trader Joe's.