I've been thinking about trying my hand (and my patience ) at bonsai.
I don't really know exactly where best to start, though. I live on Long Island in NY, so it gets pretty hot in the summer, and pretty cold in the winter.
I'd LIKE to have my bonsai indoors as much as possible, but I'd be willing to work outdoors as well.
I have a sun room with essentially a wall of windows facing the south, so there's plenty of light for an indoor plant.
I would like to start with as young a tree as possible, (ideally from seed, but I know full well that I have no idea what I'm doing, so I'm willing to compromise on that) because I want to be as involved in the growth of the tree as possible.
Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Walk around at the Bronx Zoo and visit the Brooklyn Botanic Society bonsai collection there. Look around for class' or training postings. They used to teach as well as exhibit trees there.
Subscibe to your area free-cycle. It can be an interesting souce for pots, soil components, and unwanted trees.
LI, by report has both bonsai specific nurseries, big-box stores, and general nurseries. Lookin' is free.
Now I'm a fan of keeping just about every tree out of doors as much as I can. Some tender trees will have to over-winter indoors, but some don't-won't prosper indoors. Survey space that trees can live out of doors.
I agree with the suggestions made. And I'm glad you're starting out with this inquiry before jumping in with both feet. Welcome to a good beginner board.
Please don't jump right into an on-line purchase from unknown sources of plant material. At least not yet. Visit the places tomc mentioned of you can. Read some basic bonsai books. Contact a local club. Take a class.
You will need to determine if this hobby/interest is really for you. You will need to commit some serious time and dedication. You may love it from the get go. There is much to learn about plant & tree care. The artistry comes later on but it too is important.
Good advice so far. Looking is free. That's a great thing to remember. Especially when you can visit a public library and "try out" some books you might wind up purchasing. Not only are books worthy for the information provided, but many are very good sources of inspiration.
On indoor/outdoor... it's a debate that can and probably will go on forever. I tend to be middle of the road on it and view it from a species to species perspective. There are some species that will thrive indoors and there are some that will fail miserably. Many outdoor proponents will espouse the "natural aspects" of being outside, whether they be deity driven or not. This is, of course, a pointless perspective coming from someone who has taken a tree out of the earth and placed it into a pot with artifical soil.
So... a sunroom with a bank of southern exposure windows is an ideal place to grow indoor bonsai. I wish I had one. Alas, I don't, and am limited to my garden window. Nevertheless, there is more to growing than light. Many plants/trees require specific conditions that can not be provided for in a home. For instance, the most glaring, is humidity. Right now, in our area of southeastern New York State, humidity maps show us to be around 55%. And this is a drier day/season. In your average home, humidity fluctuates according to outdoor humidity (in general). Because homes are generally kept warmer in colder, drier weather, humidity levels can drop, in home, to under 10% on a regular basis. The same holds true for air conditioning, which condenses water and drips it outside of the home, effectively lowering humidity. Even in humidity controlled homes, mine being one of those, the humidity is usually kept in the 35-40% range. For many trees, this is just WAY to dry. And imagine, would you place a maple in the middle of the Sahara? Well, winter-time in your home is probably MUCH drier than the Sahara (25% average humidity). Misting and humidity trays can help, but not really under completely arid circumstances. And humidity is only a small portion of growing conditions, though next to light the most glaringly evident one. Temperature changes are also important. We're not talking seasonal either, we're talking daily drops in temperature from day to night of 10, 20, or even 30ºF. These conditions just can not be duplicated in most homes as they would make things unbearably uncomfortable for the humans living within.
IMO, decide on which trees you like and wish to work with. If you want to kep your tree out of doors sometimes, but indoors as well, pick a species that can be grown indoors fully. Be aware, as well, that by placing it outside you may be subjecting it to pests and disease to which it has no defense. Plants kept outside are often brought back inside with scale, aphids, etc. Keeping them fully inside, it is a lot easier to control, monitor and correct parasite and disease exposure.
From what you describe and what you wish to accomplish, I would start with a Ficus species. Growing from seed is a long and painful process and will not sate your desire to have a bonsai for many, many years. For example, on a trip to Atlanta about 3 years ago, I harvested some seed from a Chinese Flame Tree at a rest stop in South Carolina. I planted these seeds afer stratification some 6 months later. I've gone through three winters so far and am currently in the third spring with these trees and they're still nowhere near to ready to begin training. Different species grow at different rates. If a Myrtle that's only about a year older than the trees mentioned above, also grown from seed, and it IS ready for training, and already was ready last year as well. But still, you're looking at a few years before you can even put them in a training pot and do anything but chop to encourage branching maybe once or twice in the spring. Soooooo... if I were you, I'd start with three trees of the same species, one in a 2" pot, which will probably be 1-2 years old and not in "formal training", another in a 4-6" pot, which will be further along and ready for training, most likely, if it has not already begun, and a third in an 8-10" pot which will, effectively be, ideally, a bonsai ready to go into a proper bonsai pot. This will still keep you "starting small" and not overwhelmed, but also allow you to play with the different stages of development on a single species with which you can become very familiar.
) at bonsai.