Hi, lucky you! What I would suggest is to seriously read up on bonsai, not one or two books, but a few (e.g. The Complete Book of Bonsai by Harry Tomlinson, or books by Herb Gustafson, Deb Koreshoff, Colin Lewis) and you'll find your own answers, and a lot more info. than you might realize is out there. For short but excellent info. go to www.evergreengardenworks.com/articles, and google anything by Vance Wood and/or Michael Persiano. However, the latter two tend to specialize in pines, and that is the first tree NOT to start with as they can be a bit harder to deal with. Spruce are used, but not extensively, larch are terrific though, and cedar is good. Fir are ok too, as are hemlocks. Jack pine don't make very good bonsai at all, so I wouldn't bother (yet, anyhow). Your best bet also is finding local clubs so you can see first hand how things are done and get answers that inevitably don't show up in books. Good luck!

Thanks for the info and tips.

I've looked up some info in the literature but always prefer the first hand experience of individuals. I'll definitely be using a couple of larch as they seem to be recommended by everyone. Perhaps I'll try a couple of each genus and then cull them down after a year to a couple overall.

It's curious how spruce aren't used much. The contorted krumolz Engelmann spruce high in our mountains looks the most 'bonsaish'. Perhaps it's more an issue of where bonsai is popular.Perhaps the issue with spruce is more keeping them alive in milder climates than them not making a good bonsai in our colder climate. I grow a lot of our alpine and native plants. Many of these are supposedly difficult to grow in cultivation but have been reliable in our environment.

Again, thanks for the tips. I'll check out the on-line catalogue of our library and order in some more bonsai books.

Spruce always seem to have watering issues of one kind or another, plus don't take well to wiring (no conifer takes 'well' to it anyhow, and they often need to be rewired every year for a few til they stop reverting after you snip). I suggested all that reading because growing bonsai is just not like growing a tree in the ground (I do appreciate that you're experienced there), and so it's important to learn some new things, and maybe unlearn some others. Little pots are not very forgiving sometimes. Good luck with it all.

Hi Plantcompost. Sounds to me like you have a lot of real nice trees. I am sure with a little homework and a little luck you can create some nice bonsai.
If I were you, I would definitely include bristlecone pine(s) in my bonsai project. I have a few small ones (5 yr. old) started from seed. They seem to be very hardy, though slow growing (for me anyway). Pretty little things. You will need a long lineage of hardy decendants to care for them when you pass on though! There is at least one wild bristlecone pine that scientists think is near 4000 years old - right?
With their short needles, they remind me of Japanese white pines.
This year I think I may try grafting a young bristlecone scion to a more vigorous, faster growing pine's rootstock; as is done with Japanese white pine scion (slow) grafted to Japanese black pine rootstock (fast), to create a more vigorous white pine. Maybe try a J. black pine rootstock; I have lots of them in the ground right now.
I have a tamarack bonsai that I collected about 6 years ago and it is one of my favorite trees. It blooms every year, so maybe it likes me too! Ha! Pretty light purple flowers (new cones).
I also have a bunch of Japanese black pines, J. red pines, eastern white pine, junipers, Scots pines, and one odd-ball tree I got from a large local defense contractor. During Earthday festivities in 1998, the company was handing out bare-root seedlings to children in attendance. My daughter grabbed one and it is a bonsai now. Probably one of those genetic-engineered monster trees that the large logging companies plant in their clearcut moonscapes. It is very hardy and so-far, a nice bonsai.
Anyhow, nice talking to you. Good luck.

You said your going to take 2-3 plants to work on... Well, let me warn you, when you become addicted, your going to have about 3-5 times, or more, of that amount.
Just a fair warning.
Have loads of fun with them!