General

Bonsai is Close Enough to Purchase

by Gim Retsinas

There are a lot of people wondering where they can buy decent bonsai (not nursery stock). If you are one of those people who do not want to go through the hassle of going to the US for trees, given the post 9-11 drama of US security and the tighter border, there is a solution.
This is Yves Letourneau, the owner of Les Bonsai Enr in Quebec. If you are looking for trees that have been grown for bonsai, this is the place to find them, and in Canada as well.
There are roughly 4 greenhouses full of all kinds of bonsai trees. Yves specializes in many varieties including crab apple, trident maple, grewia (lavender star flower), firethorn, hornbeam and now with Japanese black pine. He also has many varieties of orchids for those who are interested.
These are views of a trip that I went on with a friend. It is not the easiest place to find as the roads in the Quebec countryside are not well labelled, so be prepared and go with a friend. It would also help if someone spoke French.
Yves has begun grafting Japanese black pines. All the prices for these trees are also reasonable.

You could visit the website for more information and pricing at http://www.lesbonsai.com/fr/bse.htm.