What's the most you have ever spent on a single tree? (finished or pre-bonsai or yamadori or raw stock)

[Cadillactaste]

Would be interesting to see the top-trees people have bought here. But an impolite question to pose

I've no issue with showing the tree I found to push me to a higher price point.

Yamadori Hawthorn...I feel good,deciduous yamadori to be lacking in the USA. I consider myself fortunate to have it on my bench. Again all in the eyes of the beholder.

I'll say this...I try not to remember prices. Because their value to me isn't in the price tag. The one I shared just happens to be the last one I brought in. And the price I've not forgotten yet.

Pot: Kandied Clay

Video footage of it dormant.

Cadillactaste on Instagram: "Come now...I'm in love with this yamadori Hawthorn sitting in a Kandied Clay pot. Both tree collected and the pot was made by @bonsai_echo ... thanks again, my friend. 😉 #yamadoribonsai #Hawthornbonsai #kandiedclay #ya

43 likes, 9 comments - cadillactaste on January 18, 2024: "Come now...I'm in love with this yamadori Hawthorn sitting in a Kandied Clay pot. Both tree collected and the pot was made by @bonsai_echo ... thanks again, my friend. 😉 #yamadoribonsai #Hawthornbonsai #kandiedclay #yamadorihawthorn...

www.instagram.com

 

[leatherback]

showing the tree I found to push me to a higher price point

Thx for sharing.

Guess I will now have to fess up too.
This is my splurge tree. The is a before of the tree used as my "graduation project".
Will eventually share the tree once repotted & the deadwood finalized.

 

[Ruddigger]

Big california junipers arent cheap…

 

[Cadillactaste]

Thx for sharing.

Guess I will now have to fess up too.
This is my splurge tree. The is a before of the tree used as my "graduation project".
Will eventually share the tree once repotted & the deadwood finalized.

View attachment 525799

I'm a sucker for movement in a trunk. Will look forward to watching where you take it. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Paradox]

I havent hit the $500 mark yet. There were a few I contemplated over that but never pulled the trigger.
My highest price trees are 2 that were about the same price. A scotts pine in 2016 and a chinese elm in 2023.

The pictures are from when I purchased them. The picture of the elm is from the website I purchased it from.
It doesn't do the tree justice, it is bigger than it looks in that picture. I was shocked when I opened the box.

 

[Srt8madness]

Would be interesting to see the top-trees people have bought here. But an impolite question to pose

Izzy and Sergio are certainly in that range, and have shared some of their stunners.

 

[Nybonsai12]

I've only bought 4 trees above $500 all of which i have posted here on bnut. 2 are dead and the other 2 i sold...

Despite spending way more on other hobbies, i have a tough time justifying spending much more than $500 on a tree. Not sure if that also has to do with how particular i am now, having not bought any trees in a few years outside of a recent less expensive purchase and other starter material to grow out. I've also sold a lot of trees as too many just wasn't fun so not wanting to have so many could have something to do with it.

I have certain kinds of trees in mind that i'd like to add to the collection at some point and if the right one comes along it may push me to spend more.

 

[Srt8madness]

I used to be in RC airplanes quite a bit, when "drones" started coming out. What is called giant scale fixed wing (80"+ wingspans) cost in the thousands to build out. There was a guy who built a scale B29 with a wingspan of like 30'.

There are RC planes where the jet engines are 3k+. Airframe is about the same. imagine crashing that after 10 minutes of fun. And who has just one plane?

A starter plane is around $300, you're looking at $500 for something decent.

I've heard horror stories of saltwater aquarium keeping here on this forum. $ wise.

Hobbies are absolutely expensive, but for the price of some other common hobbies, you can have a few really nice trees.

At $1k for clubs and $75/week for a round, golf seems pretty cheap in comparison

 

[leatherback]

Hobbies are absolutely expensive, but for the price of some other common hobbies, you can have a few really nice trees.

Yeah, I hear you. My wife has a horse. For the monthly stable rent I could get a decent tree. Imagine buying one tree a year instead. Somehow I never do

Izzy and Sergio are certainly in that range, and have shared some of their stunners.

I was thinking more, what anybody considers their own best trees / splurges. Not a more elitist view of the best trees on the forum per se

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I am assuming the criteria of “a single piece of material” means the price tag to buy a tree. Interestingly, I think the one I’ve spent the most money on over the years has been a small(ish) JBP that I’ve worked on with Bjorn several times, bought an antique pot, and commissioned a stand, and sent to the Natty’s. Each of those dwarfs the original purchase price of the tree itself. To recover the total cost, hands-down it has become my most expensive tree.

How about the collecting trip that requires a week off, flights, driving, hotels, and $10.00 National Forest removal permits?

 

[Maiden69]

At $1k for clubs and $75/week for a round, golf seems pretty cheap in comparison

LOL... that's the starting point. My cousins play, I don't... we recently joined the Country Club near our house, lets say the fees are a little more than $75 a week to play there.

 

[johng]

I might spend more if I ever thought some of the mountain conifers would thrive in my garden. I've purchased one tree for 800 and a couple at 500. Certainly not as many folks selling trees but I wonder how that survey would look?? I've sold trees for multiple times more money than I have purchased trees for...

 

[johng]

I would venture to say that most of the folks here, that participate heavily, are more like DIYers and are not likely to spend big bucks on a single tree.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Now I'm wondering what people got as the highest offer for one of their trees!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I would venture to say that most of the folks here, that participate heavily, are more like DIYers and are not likely to spend big bucks on a single tree.

I happen to be a person who likes to develop my trees from scratch, so I am typically in the pre-bonsai / yamadori camp. Though I agree with @Brian Van Fleet about how trees can cost money over time. For example I know some trees that I have where the pots cost more than the original cost of the tree. That will be our second survey - what is the price of your most expensive pot

 

[badatusernames]

Thx for sharing.

Guess I will now have to fess up too.
This is my splurge tree. The is a before of the tree used as my "graduation project".
Will eventually share the tree once repotted & the deadwood finalized.

View attachment 525799

I hope to see you make a video on the shaping of this one!

 

[Cadillactaste]

Now I'm wondering what people got as the highest offer for one of their trees!

I had someone offer me $800 for my Virginia Creeper. 18 inches high it was ... in a 9 inch pot.

 

[pandacular]

I was actually just going over all my bonsai expenses to get a high level overview. I’ve spent more than I had expected, but A LOT less than my partner had estimated. I have 4 trees around the $250 range--this is a decent sweat spot for semi-raw material, like pre-bonsai grown from seed/cuttings, someone else's not-so-refined bonsai, or yamadori without eye popping features. In total, I've spent right around $2000 on trees. Not bad, if you ask me!

Actually, the most expensive tree I've purchased is this @Cajunrider bald cypress trunk (though the price I paid includes shipping.

panda's bald cypress

I purchased this collected bald cypress from @Cajunrider. Potted it in an Anderson to let it sit for a few years (so this thread may be boring for a while!) It looks rather healthy considering the distance it's traveled. Roots were still moist in the box when it arrivedved, bagged up. I'm...

www.bonsainut.com

You say that buuuut.. I had people surprised when they came to my garden, asking, which trees are for sale?

My policy is “everythings for sale”…i just may not give you a realistic price if I want to keep it!

But that is very odd to expect someone to price out all their trees. Even at some bonsai nurseries, it’s all price on request, as it’s often in flux

 

[Cadillactaste]

I was actually just going over all my bonsai expenses to get a high level overview. I’ve spent more than I had expected, but A LOT less than my partner had estimated. I have 4 trees around the $250 range--this is a decent sweat spot for semi-raw material, like pre-bonsai grown from seed/cuttings, someone else's not-so-refined bonsai, or yamadori without eye popping features. In total, I've spent right around $2000 on trees. Not bad, if you ask me!

Actually, the most expensive tree I've purchased is this @Cajunrider bald cypress trunk (though the price I paid includes shipping.

panda's bald cypress

I purchased this collected bald cypress from @Cajunrider. Potted it in an Anderson to let it sit for a few years (so this thread may be boring for a while!) It looks rather healthy considering the distance it's traveled. Roots were still moist in the box when it arrivedved, bagged up. I'm...

www.bonsainut.com

My policy is “everythings for sale”…i just may not give you a realistic price if I want to keep it!

But that is very odd to expect someone to price out all their trees. Even at some bonsai nurseries, it’s all price on request, as it’s often in flux

If I had a nickle for every inquiry on my bald cypress. One said everything has a price.

ummmm no...no it doesn't. LOL

I won't even state what he offered. As I don't feel it was a true offer. But one high enough he thought I would bite. The answer was still no.

 

[pandacular]

If I had a nickle for every inquiry on my bald cypress. One said everything has a price.

ummmm no...no it doesn't. LOL

I won't even state what he offered. As I don't feel it was a true offer. But one high enough he thought I would bite. The answer was still no.

And that's totally reasonable! Some people think "everything is for sale" is an absolute, but it's a personal policy. Feels rather chauvinistic to assume that others would feel that way.

ANY time one makes a unsolicited offer, it is important to ask if the owner is open to an offer; failing to do so is extremely rude. Same goes for negotiating on a price. No one will be offended if you ask if they're open to offers, but they WILL be offended if you low-ball them.