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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. 
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

June 2 through 11 -  Our exhibit of "Bonsai as Fine Art" at the Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville and associated activities at the NC Arboretum. 

See the "Bonsai as Fine Art" webpage.

 

July 9 - 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Picnic for members at Peggy Snow's house in Asheville. A BBQ lunch from Louella's will provided for $5 per person. (Pleae bring a lawn chair.)

RSVP to Stuart by June 20. See Stuart's email on June 4 for more details.

Aug. 13 Meeting. Location to be determined.

"How to prepare trees for a bonsai show." This presentation will be by member Troy Schmidt who has been a award winner at the National Bonsai Show. Bring one tree of your own to work on.

Sept. 17.  Meeting at the Bonsai Learning Center in Statesville, NC with a program by the Learning Center owner and bonsai professional, Brad Russell. There will also be pots, tools, and trees at all stages of development available for purchase.

 

Oct. 7. Bonsai professional, Daniel Coffey, will be holdiing several workshops at his studio in the River Arts District in Asheville. There will be a fee for the workshop, and attendance at each one will be limited.

More details later.

 

Oct. 8 Meeting - Location to be determined

BRBS Club Bonsai Show 

This show is only for club members and members' trees. Its purpose, besides being fun, is to give us more practice in judging trees.

You can enter trees at several levels from "Beginner" to "Advanced." They will be judged by club members and also by bonsai professional Daniel Coffey.

November 12: Annual pot luck dinner and auction.

December 1 & 2 (?): Everyone is encouraged to go to the Winter Silhouette exhibit in Kannapolis, NC.

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. 16At 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.

Our Bonsai as Fine Art exhibit is now open at the Blue Spiral 1 gallery in Asheville. 

 

Bonsai are 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.

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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

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BRBS Dues for 2023

Dues are $35 per year for Individual membership or $40 for Family membership.  Dues for 2023 must be paid by the end of February, 2023.

Dues may be paid online using this link to Square. (This link is not live. You must paste it into your browser. This arrangement is necessary for us to avoid fees.)

              https://square.link/u/AxObp8de

 

You can also pay dues by giving cash or check to our  Treasurer Rebecca Ayres or mailing her a check at:

                  Rebecca Ayres, BRBS

                 15 Murrough Dr

                  Biltmore Lake, NC   28715

If you are a new member, please download this membership form and include it with your dues.

Thanks!

 

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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).

 

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