Yes. Va. Pine can be made into bonsai. Unfortunately digging them up as your first trees is problematic, since you will have to learn how to keep them alive after you've dug them. That's not easy.

Any bonsai work on them will have to wait until they recover from collection. That can take up to three or four years. If you dig them and try to force them into a bonsai pot immediately, they will most likely die.

Collecting trees for bonsai is an art unto itself and is challenging even for long-time bonsai people. It takes some knowledge, skill and a bit of luck to get collected specimens to live, then more skill and patience to make them into bonsai.

If you're starting out, keep the pines in mind and get an already established bonsai. Learn from that tree the care requirements of bonsai.

Once you learned the basics, you can think about the pines. If you dig those pines now, you will have nothing left after they've died.

Losing a tree or three or four or more is part of the learning curve in bonsai. Almost everyone loses their first two or even three trees in learning potting, watering (the hardest thing to learn in bonsai) and other day to day care basics.

Get a few books on bonsai and definitely join a local bonsai club to get more experience.

By the way, a tree's age has really very little to do with bonsai, unless it is less than five years old, or old than 100. Bonsai is the illusion of age, not really age.

One other item that Mark didn't mention is that most pines will prove to have too steep of a learning curve for someone just starting bonsai. Many other trees, such as elms or maples, are far more forgiving of mistakes. Try something easier to start with, then try the pines.
Good luck,
zube

"That said, I have an unlimited supply of Wild Virginia Pines in my area, and many of them are almost natural Bonsai growing in very shallow soils or even in the cracks of rocks."

You might collect those growing in shallow soil 'if you know how to go about it' but those with the roots in the rocks you should leave alone. They won't live unless you get plenty of feeder roots with the tree and that will mean spliting the rocks to get at the roots. Lots of work to be sure.

Tony

Try the link I've attached. It has some guidelines for caring for and working with this type of pine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Eastern White Pine (Nashville Bonsai Society)

Just dig up the rock! Might be a bit heavy though.

I can remember all the trips i've taken to Va. and I look at those pines and just dream. They look like they would make some good specimens. At any rate it would be fairly useless for me to dig up the poor buggers and drag 'em down to the florida heat and humidity. (now i know it could be done, I am just not willing to put in that effort.....yet....)

Oldrelicsse post some pics to get my juices flowing while
i wait...

GO Zone 9!
Go Bucs!