Welcome
The Blue Ridge Bonsai Society supports and promotes the art of bonsai in the region around Asheville, NC. We meet together monthly, providing companionship, education, and workshops from beginner to advanced level and we exhibit in various shows during the year.
A Goal: To help each member gain in knowledge of how to develop a show-quality bonsai.
We can be contacted at blueridgebonsaisociety@gmail.com.
2023 Meetings and Events
In general, when the meeting place availability and meeting content allows, the time from 1:00-2:00 pm will be available for informal conversation, tree advice, and sharing. The formal meeting will be from 2:00 - 4:00 pm.
2023 Upcoming Meetings
Sept. 17. Meeting at the Bonsai Learning Center at 193 Volt Circle in Statesville, NC.
(Ignore the address on their website. It is for another location in Mooresville, NC.)
We will start with lunch at 12:30 pm. Please RSVP to Stuart's email of 8/10 so we know how much food to buy.
After lunch, the Learning Center owner and bonsai professional, Brad Russell will present a program. There will also be pots, tools, and trees at all stages of development available for purchase. Brad is offering club members a $5 discount on soil.
Oct. 8 Meeting - Asheville Botanical Garden
BRBS Club Bonsai Show
This show will display only club members' trees. Its purpose, besides being fun, is to give us more practice in judging trees.
See the right column on this page for more details.
Oct. 14 Workshops
Bonsai professional, Daniel Coffey, will be offering two workshops at his studio in the River Arts District in Asheville. https://www.treethepeople.com/
The fee for either workshop is $100, paid in advance. Participants must bring their own tools, wire, etc.
Schedule Change!! These workshops were originally scheduled for Oct. 7th.
-
Basic information and styling workshop -10:00 am - 1:00 pm. Limited to 7 participants. A boxwood tree will be provided as part of the fee.
-
Advanced workshop - 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, limited to 5 participants who will bring their own tree to work on with evaluation and guidance from Danny.
First come, first served. To sign up, email Chris at
November 12: Woodfin Community Center
Annual BRBS pot luck dinner and auction. Also, we will elect club officers for the next two years.
December 2 & 3: Everyone is encouraged to go to the Winter Silhouette exhibit in Kannapolis, NC. Admission is free: https://www.winterbonsai.net/
No regular club meeting this month.
2023 Completed Meetings
Jan. 8 - Meeting at the Asheville Botanical Gardens
Presentation by bonsai professional Daniel Coffey on the development of deciduous bonsai, using trident maples as an example. He also had some small trees for sale.
Note: All members who ordered potting compound materials from the Bonsai Learning Center picked up their orders at this meeting.
PLANNED Feb. 12 - Meeting at Bullington Gardens in Hendersonville. This is the first time we have met at this location. See their website for driving directions:
https://www.bullingtongardens.org/
12:00-2:00 pm: Repotting workshop - the basics. Chris will cover this information at the meeting using his PPT which you can download on the "Tips, Advice, and More" page. If this is your firt repotting, experienced members will be ther to answer questions and help you
2:00-4:00 pm: Everyone bring a tree for any kind of work, including repotting, or just advice and comments.
ACTUAL MEETING: Because of forecast freezing rain and snow, we actually met from 1:30 to 4:00 for the repotting presentation and worked on members' trees.
Saturday, Feb. 18 - Field Trip: Stone and tree-collecting trip to member Greg Hinson's property close to Spartanburg.
Mar. 12 - Meeting at NC Arboretum. (Education Bldg)
Arthur Joura, the Bonsai Curator at the Arboretum, restyled an old Chinese Hackberry. More than simply showing what to do, Arthur explained the thought process behind working with an older, established plant when shaping it to be a miniature expression of a great old tree in nature.
Note: This event was open to the public. BRBS members had a short business meeting starting at 1:00. Arthur's presenation started at 2:00 pm.
Apr. Field Trip to Mountain Meadows Nursery and New Leaf Garden Market. See Stuart Roger's email on March 17th
Apr. 2 Meeting. RESCHEDULED FROM APR. 16. At Bullington Gardens
Hands on session: Wiring and/or initial styling of members' trees.
May 7 Meeting. At Asheville Botanical Gardens
Make Yourself a Kusamono workshop led by Peggy Snow.
Note: This was open only to BRBS members who had paid their dues for 2023.
There were two sessions:
10:30 am - 12:30 pm or 2:00 - 4:00 pm.
Instructions to members:
-
Register for one session using email from Chris. Registration deadline is April 1.
-
Bring a pot, tools, and wire and moss. Everything else will be provided. Fee of $5 to be paid in cash or by check at the event to help defray the cost of the plants.
May 13 & 14 - World Bonsai Day with club activities at the at NC Arboretum on both days. Club members displayed trees, did demos, and answered questions from visitors.
June 2 through 11 - Our exhibit of "Bonsai as Fine Art" was held at the Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville with associated activities at the NC Arboretum.
See the "Bonsai as Fine Art" webpage.
July 9 - 1:00 - 4:00 pm. A picnic for members at Peggy Snow's house in Asheville. A BBQ lunch from Louella's was provided for $5 per person.
Aug. 13 Meeting. Woodfin Community Center
"How to prepare trees for a bonsai show and how to judge bonsai." This was preparation for our BRBS show in October when our trees will be judged by our members and also by as by bonsai professional Daniel Coffey.
Members each brought a tree of their own to work on at this meeting, and Chris led of review of the judging guidelines we received from bonsai professional Tyler Sherrod last year. You can download the guidelines here:
Oct. 8 Meeting - Asheville Botanical Garden Visitors' Center
BRBS Club Bonsai Show
This show iwill include only BRBS members' trees. You can enter one tree in one of the following categories: Beginner/Intermediate Trees or Advanced/Mature Trees.
Activities:
-
Our display will be open to visitors to the Botanical Garden
-
Each club member is encouraged to score the trees in each group using the guideance included in this presentation from Tyler Sherrod:
-
Felix Laughlin, veteran of international bonsai exhibitions, will critique the Advanced trees.
-
Members'scores will be correlated during the event and discussed.
The purpose of our club show, besides being fun, is to give us more practice in judging our own trees and deciding on the next steps in their development.
See email on 8/29 from Jonas Johnson. He needs information on the tree you are entering, including a photo. jonas.johnson@gmail.com
Additional Meeting Place!
Woodfin Community Center
23 Community Road
Woodfin, NC 28804
Our membership has grown considerably in the last year.
We still have some events scheduled at the Asheville Botanical Gardens, but this location is no longer big enough for workshops. We will probably also continue to meet sometimes at the Paviliion at the Etowah Golf Club.
(Directions to these locations is on the About Us page.)
The Woodfin Community Center is one exit further north from Rte. 26 than the exit to the Asheville Botanical Gardens.
Our Bonsai as Fine Art exhibit was held at the Blue Spiral 1 gallery in Asheville.
Bonsai were on display at Blue Spiral 1 from June 2 through June 11 wth additional bonsai on display, an auction of bonsai and bonsai pots, and a demon-stration by Bjorn Bjorholm at the NC Arboretum on June10 and 11.
You can now order copies of the Commemorative Album.
Use the links on our new web page: "Bonsai as Fine Art.
Download official flyer for "Bonsai as Fine Art' here:
Could You Contribute?
The Bonsai as Fine Art exhibition will be open to the public without charge, but the Blue Ridge Bonsai Society will incur considerable expenses connected with these events and for
producing the Commemorative Album. so we are seeking tax-deductible donations to help offset those costs.
The BRBS is a section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so your contribution will be tax-deductible. By contributing, you will become part of the legacy of these events, and receive grateful recognition in the Commemorative Album.
Sponsorship levels:
Sponsors: $500 up
Patrons: $250 up
Benefactors: $100 up
Donors: Any amount to help support
You may make your tax-deductible donation by mailing a check to:
Rebecca Ayers
BRBS Treasurer
15 Murrough Drive
Biltmore Lake, NC 28715
Interesting Topics on
Our Tips, Advice, & More page
-
BRBS Monthly Bonsai Tips
Download a short, clear statement of what each of us should be doing for our bonsai each month, correct for our geography, written by a small committee of our most experienced members--Felix Laughlin, Peggy Snow, and Troy Schmidt.
Also, thanks to Bjorn Bjorholm, for sharing with us his excellent summary on "Pesticides and Insecticides."
-
Download a PPT presentation by Daniel Coffey on the new "Shag Rug" method of creating a bonsai forest on a rock.
-
A new source--VSANA--devoted to suiseki (viewing stones).