I received a bare root seedling in April 2005 from the Arbor Day Foundation. It was one of their promotions to join the club.

I have been growing it in a one gallon pot and am thinking of using it as a bonsai specimen. Now, I'm a newbie at this so I approach it with some trepidation.

The seedling is growing well; it has three long upright branches and it's about 2.5 feet tall.

Should I transplant this into the ground for the coming winter, transplant it into a bonsai pot for the coming winter, or leave it in the pot it's in? Alternatively, I guess I could bury it in the pot in the ground too. I have enough room to bury it in the ground (by the way).

My concern with burying it in the ground, pot or no pot, is those 200 pound rats we refer to as "deer." I can bury it within a fenced in area of my backyard (the fence is about 6 feet tall).

My strategy was to bury it in the ground for another year and take it out in spring 2007 (maybe). And then start working on it.

Thanks for your advice.

--Tony