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Only One Can Stay: Two 60-Year-Old Lemon Trees with a 90-Year Legacy — Help Me Choose the Future Bonsai
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Only One Can Stay: Two 60-Year-Old Lemon Trees with a 90-Year Legacy — Help Me Choose the Future Bonsai


Hey folks — I need your help making a decision that’s part horticulture, part history, and definitely full of emotion.

Backstory: My great-grandfather started a lemon tree from seed sometime in the late 1930s. He nurtured it for years before handing it down to my grandfather, who continued the tradition by taking two cuttings from that original tree. Those two cuttings grew into their own trees — both now around 60 years old.

All three trees — the original and its two offspring — have been container-grown their entire lives, never in anything larger than a 20-gallon pot. That’s kept them relatively small and compact over the decades, which is pretty amazing considering their age. My grandfather has meticulously cared for them, pruning them as needed and overwintering them in his basement wine cellar to protect them from the cold.

But time catches up to all of us — and he’s recently decided he can no longer manage the weight and upkeep of all three trees. After 15 years of asking, I finally got the call: “Do you still want one of the lemon trees?” You better believe I jumped in my car and drove 2.5 hours to his house the same day.

The Dilemma: I can only take one of the two offspring. The original tree is going to be kept by my grandpa for the time being but the other is promised to another family member who’s coming to claim it soon. That leaves me with a tough but meaningful decision: Which of the two should I choose to become the future bonsai?

I’m not necessarily planning any major chops or aggressive reductions unless good reason in the comments— I’d like to preserve some of the structure and history in whichever one I take, but I do want to develop it into a refined, well-groomed specimen over time. I’m looking for the best starting material — character, trunk movement, nebari potential, taper, etc. I’m including videos and photos (with the original lemon tree somewhere in the background for reference) to help you see what I’m working with.

Would love to hear your thoughts on not only which one you would take but what you would do to them design-wise going forward. Thanks in advance for your advice! 🍋

(P.S: I will include more photos in the comments to get a better understanding)



by CommercialWrap1060

22 Comments

  14. cbobgo

    I think keeping the tree as a larger “patio tree” rather than trying to make a typically proportioned bonsai would be best. I like the first one in the video better of the two.

  15. augustprep

    I would keep them as container grown trees rather than risk killing them by trying to bonsai.

  16. jonmeany117

    If you’re committed to the bonsai course instead of keeping them as container trees, I’d work with the first one. I think the low movement in the trunk makes it a more interesting candidate.

  17. Junkhead_88

    I agree with the others that you should keep it as a patio tree, but you can take an air layer if you’re dead set on developing a bonsai from them.

    The second tree is a better air layer candidate in my opinion. The trunk with a twist at the bottom is a solid option but so is the forked section on the middle trunk since it would open up the center of the tree.

    The risk of killing a tree through bonsai cultivation (we all do it) is too high for trees with this much history and meaning.

    Edit: another reason to take an air layer is adding your own tree to the legacy that can be passed down, in the same spirit of your grandfather taking cuttings to make his own trees.

  18. spydamans

    Air layer any branches you plan on cutting for your bonsai so you have more stock incase you mess up or don’t like the results.

  19. TimeToTank

    There’s no way and no reason you should be attempting anything other than the care and preservation of these trees in their current state in an effort for them to be passed onto future family Members.

    Making these a “Bonsai” is a poor decision and the only people who should even consider it in these instances are professionals who have a deep understanding of the art form, how to care for the trees, and the experience to do it right.

    Even that kid on YouTube “Notion Bonsai” or whatever had no business hacking his grand mother’s apple tree up.

    Want a lemon tree “Bonsai”? They’re $20 for the small tree at Lowe’s. Start there.

  20. Serious-Conclusion41

    I cannot participate in this absurdity. Leave the 60 year old trees alone. WTF Dude, by another tree.

  21. saturninetaurus

    You are a custodian of this tree for future generations. You are not its owner. Don’t risk killing it.

  22. supermopman

    I once inherited a lime tree from a neighbor who was moving away. I cherished it as one of my greatest possessions. When I moved away, I also gave it away to an envious neighbor.

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