There is one tree I love to kill. Don't get me wrong, I like the tree. I've just gotten good at killing them. It was one of the first Bonsai trees I received as a gift.
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana'. Also known as the Dwarf Hinoki Cypress.
I love the way these trees look. If pruned properly, they can look like full grown trees even though they are only a couple inches tall. I've also found that they are easy to kill. I've gone through a couple dozen of them over the last 12 years.
I think it's me. But I have had input from a bunch of Bonsai enthusiasts and the main theme they shared with me is that Kansas is one of the hardest places to grow Bonsai. The weather is SO extreme in its changes, heat and cold, wet and dry, that growing any kind of Bonsai is a challenge. And the Hinoki's are not very forgiving.
My books disagree, but my luck agrees with the others. I still try. I can't help it. There is a part of me that just won't give up.
So, when I ran across a couple at the local garden store, I bought yet another one. Maybe this time...
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