Boy that picture is pretty small, can't really make out the leaves or bark textrue, but from growth habit and similarity to trees I've seen I'm going to guess Elm, Just a guess though.

Jean,

As Brendan said it is not really clear what this is but it looks more like a conifer to me. Possibly Spruce? Can you find out more from HGTV?

Norm

Hi, it could be a spruce, but it also could be a lot of others that have been very well trained over many years to look that 'neat' and yet actually have tiny deciduous leaves on close-up, and without a close-up of leaves, it's impossible to say. The thing is, it's not necessarily the individual tree you're looking at ... it's what's been done with it by a very good bonsaiist, and if you are very experienced, you can achieve the effect with various trees, but most of us may not be able to.

So is it realy just one plant, or more (4?)? I know the picture is small, and I appreciate all the help you have given me so far. I just really loved the look and was curious. Guess I need to go and get a bonsai book from the local library. Any you can suggest I read?

Thanks again,
bluejean in ohio

There are 7-9 trees, probably shimpaku juniper, in the photo.

randy

I think I didn't express myself very well... when I said 'it's not the individual tree you're looking at" I wasn't commenting on the #'s (though there are obviously a bunch), but meant that I believed you were admiring that particular bonsai (or more) as a finished product, and so would have a lot of trouble finding such a tree just waiting for you down the road (no one without thousands of $$ gets that lucky!).

Lucy,

I understood what you meant, I just wanted to make sure that my eyes (and common sense!) were not playing tricks on me. I believed it to be multiple trees, however, never having any experience with bonsai before, I wanted to be sure. (I knew you guys did "neat" things, but making 1 (ONE) tree look like a small forest was beyond what I call "neat"- more like "magical"!)

Since opening this thread I have been reading the various other threads as well as the links provided in many of them and find myself very intrigued. I have always had an obsession with trees and leaves. The thought of being able to capture the magic of a tree (espcially one in fall color!) has me enthralled. Naturally, I love the woods and when I saw the picture in the link above (with all the different trees), it was love at first sight! I am very aware though, that the bonsai in the picture only happened as a true LABOR of love.

Again, thank you all for your help!

bluejean in ohio

That could actually be one tree, a raft style tree, by laying a small trunk on its side and training each of the branches as a seperate tree you can at times reduce the origional trunk to nearly nothing.

Brendon that sounds interesting could you give more details or is this not recomended?
Matt