You can only come to the art of bonsai by understanding the whole process of creating and growing a miniature tree. It will be a total disappointment when a plant bought or given as a gift suddenly leaves you with a negative attitude towards its quality and towards this art in general.
But the problem is different - lack of information, knowledge and experience in a particular subject makes us statisticians, unable to influence the course of events. Try, for example, to go into the console of a web page and rebuild the primary code without breaking access to the site. (IT experts can imagine the navigator's cockpit of an airplane on landing).
If growing plants is a process based on the experience of many generations, then growing bonsai is an ancient art plus Eastern philosophy, religion, laws and methodology.
Hence the answer to the main question is to start with yourself.
After getting enough information, you need to assess your physical capabilities. Real, valuable bonsai, as a rule, coniferous species of trees and their cultivation and maintenance takes place in the open air. They are only brought indoors on holidays, in a specific place and for a few hours. Placement, microclimate, lighting, time, special tools, soil, utensils and much more will require certain and considerable material costs. And the economy here does not pass, for example, you can buy special branded clippers for good money and years to enjoy working with them or order a copy of such clippers with free delivery and immediately hang on the nail, or better yet, throw away (bent at the first cut and broken at the second). There is no refund. The same applies to everything else.
If all this is behind you and the desire to start only intensified, the place is chosen, there is a tool, the type of desired plant is determined, then new questions open up and the first one is where to take the living material. A few basic options: seeds, cuttings, 2-3 year old seedlings from a nursery in a pot, a plant from nature, buying a ready-made bonsai. Each of them should be considered separately.
Seeds
Note that almost all plants from seeds do not retain maternal qualities and grow dicots (deciduous plants may not bloom, conifers - change color, fruit - give bitter fruits).
This is the least materially costly (in terms of time), the most educational, exciting and interesting way. It is well suited for lovers of exotics and the extraordinary (baobab or sequoia are hard to find for reasonable money).
Cuttings
They save about a year to two compared to seeds, but there are also disadvantages here. Limited choice of plants for cuttings (plants from other climates usually do not take root). Successful cuttings are possible in warmth and maximum humidity (greenhouse, irrigation 3-4 times a day). Not all trees are cuttings (pine, spruce, fir, larch, etc.). The plant is obtained with an exact copy of the parent.
Plant nursery
Purchasing a plant from a nursery is also a budget option for growing bonsai. You need to be prepared to start shaping, transplanting and care (from the get-go). It is better to buy plants grown in the local climate. After 5-6 years, you can already get a good result.
Plants from nature (yamadori)
Trees taken from nature and planted in a pot represent the method from which the art of bonsai originated. Therefore, such trees are of special interest and pride. In search of suitable material, you can walk or climb through the mountains a lot, but it is worth it. The uniqueness of the forms created by nature will be unique.
Buying bonsai
Adult bonsai (usually Japanese species of trees) will cost a considerable amount of money. Transportation of such trees is done only during the dormant period, as damage is inevitable during the growing season. This method is suitable only for experienced bonsai growers or buyers with advanced gardeners.
