Hi all, When I started my mini orchard, I also went after trees that were as close to bearing age as I could afford. I order 2 five gallon persimmon trees from buyplantsonline in January of this year, one tree produce about five persimmons and the other tree never really leaf out but John replaced it at no cost to me (great customer service too) unlike other places that ask you to pay the shipping for a replacement. I also ordered several trees from Bay Laurel this year, the nursery employee said they would produce some fruit in 2012 and the crop would increase each year thereafter. Three of the BL trees flowered this summer but no fruit formed. Also another member on this forum has posted that his trees from Bay Laurel (I think he said they were from BL) fruited in their second leaf. Baylaurels trees cost much less, but I'm very happy with all the trees. Goodluck

There are plenty of independent nurseries in Sonoma County and any number of them will carry dormant oil (for pests), lime sulfur and copper sulfate (the latter for diseases). The Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate and lime) you have to make yourself. There's a formula available on the attached UC extension website. Before you spend any money, note that winter spraying of fruit trees is NOT an absolute necessity, despite what books suggest. It's critical only if you live in an orchard area or if you've had pests and disease problems in the past season. Joe Here is a link that might be useful: UCExtension Bordeaux Mixture

I know you didn't ask our opinion on this tree, but since Mary offered you general advice about maples, I want to add a little to what she said. I will agree with what Mary said about maple trees in general. When we lived in Texas we had a large silver maple tree on the west side of our house. It had been planted by the previous homeowner about 25 years before we bought the house and was our only shadetree on the west side of the house, so we were 'stuck' with it. It had a million seeds every year, which we just chopped up with the lawn mower and caught with the grasscatcher. Any seed that sprouted we mowed down with the mower and it really wasn't much of a problem for us. It did have large surface roots, but I was able to plant a ground cover around those roots and it hid them quite well. The surface roots did not cause any sort of foundation problems for us, which was a relief! But the Shantung Maple is a different animal, so to speak. It is a hybrid maple bred to capture the good aspects of maples, like being fast-growing and quite beautiful without the negative qualities like excessive seeds and root problems. A lot of people say its' foliage reminds them quite a bit of that of some Japanese Maples. The fall color is gorgeous. It does not produce a lot of seed and usually doesn't produce surface roots like most other maples do. It is an Oklahoma Proven Winner from 2004 and the proven winners have been widely tested in a state before they are given that designation. I would never plant a Silver Maple in my yard, but I wouldn't hesitate to plant a Shantung Maple. There is a cultivar of Shantung Maple called Fire Dragon that has truly beautiful red foliage. I've linked a website with a photo of it below. The website has quite a few photos of Shantung Maples if you are interested in seeing them, including one tree that is quite large. Here is a link that might be useful: Fire Dragon Shantung Maple

heruga: if you buy a finished bonsai you will still have to learn to take care of it. And if you have not done this before you will find it even harder to repot, prune, water, etc a finished bonsai. Better to buy the plant from a nursery or garden center and practice on it. You can a buy a large plant, take cuttings and air-layers and you will several to practice on. Look for a plant that has a nice root flare and trunk taper and if you are lucky you will have an instant bonsai. Best will be to start with reading and learning about bonsai and when you are visiting nurseries you will have a better idea what to look for. There are a few reputable places to look for starter plants. evergreengardenworks as hemlock mentioned is one of the best. I like Meehan's miniatures, Logee's greenhouse. Although they may not have what you are looking for. Funny thing is that I searched for podocarpus bonsai and the first hit (for sale) was Walmart !!!