Bonsai Society of SWFL

Monthly Meeeting-January 2023
2023-01-21 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Garden Council Headquarters, 2166 Virginia Avenue, Fort Myers, FL, 33901, United States

Monthly Meeting-February 2023
2023-02-18 09:00 - 12:00 | Garden Council Headquarters, 2166 Virginia Avenue, Fort Myers, FL, 33901, United States

Monthly Meeting-March 2023
2023-03-18 09:00 - 12:00 | Garden Council Headquarters, 2166 Virginia Avenue, Fort Myers, FL, 33901, United States

Bonsai Auction and Sale - April 15 9:30-2PM
2023-04-15 09:00 - 14:00 | Garden Council Headquarters, 2166 Virginia Avenue, Fort Myers, FL, 33901, United States
Our Annual Auction and Sale will feature a “Five Club Styling Competition” The winning club will take their tree home. One lucky audience member will win a tree and the remaining trees will be auctioned. There will be a huge selection of Silent Auction Items. We will also have a large table of $5 and $10 items. Many quality trees will be for the live auction.

Meeting, Saturday, May 20
2023-05-20 09:00 - 12:00
IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR! Trees are growing and some need wiring and some need repotting. If you need help with an original styling or a ‘how to’ on repotting or a ‘how to’ on wiring, bring that tree to the May meeting. We will have plenty of experienced people that will gladly help you with your tree(s). We will dedicate the entire program to working on trees to make sure you get a great start to the season.
We will also have an initial talk on potting soil, bug protection, watering, and fertilizer. There are many different opinions, but none are wrong if experienced people use them and are successful. Come with an open mind and learn.

June 17th Field Trip
2023-06-17 08:30 - 17:00
We are so excited to announce that for our June meeting, we will be taking a field trip. We will be caravanning it over to Dragon Tree Nursery on the east coast. We will meet at the Garden Center at 8:30 AM and leave for the trip at 9:00 AM. If you don’t want to drive, you can hitch a ride with someone else, just be sure to chip in on the gas. It will be a full day trip. It takes about 2½ hours to drive over, about 2 hours at the nursery, lunch somewhere and about 2½ hours to drive back. So, you see it will be a full day. The nursery has a huge selection of trees and really great prices.

Meeting, Saturday July 15, 2023 9AM-Noon
2023-07-15 09:00 - 12:00
This meeting will be a Refinement Class. We will show you how to repot, wire and style your trees. This is a BYOT (Bring Your Own Tree) session. Bring anything you have, large or small. If you don’t have tools, someone at the meeting will let you use theirs. This is a relaxed and informal meeting for Bonsai enthusiasts of all levels…..novice, intermediate, or skilled. Everyone is welcome, even if all you want to do is watch!

Meeting, August 19, 9-12PM
2023-08-19 09:00 - 12:00
On August 19th at 9AM at the Garden Council Building we will be creating
a Root-Over-Rock. The club will supply a training pot, soil, extra supplies
and a tiny tree with long roots. You will bring the rock and remember to
keep it small. If you have a tiny tree you would like to use, bring it but remember, it must be small. The cost of the trees and supplies will be $20.
Those who signed up and paid at the July meeting will have first choice. If
there is room for more, I will send out a blast email.

Meeting, September 15 (Friday), 9-12PM
2023-09-15 09:00 - 12:00
September 15th (FRIDAY) SPECIAL SPEAKER: LAURENT DARRIEUX.
beginning at 9AM at the Garden Council building,
we will be meeting for a very special demonstration by renowned French artist Laurent Darrieux, the author of the Cosmic Bonsai.
The tree that he will use will become our December Holiday raffle tree that we
draw the winning ticket for at our Holiday Party. Members can attend the
demonstration for free. All non-members are welcome at a $10 door charge.
After a break for lunch, we will resume at 1PM for a workshop with the artist.
Only those participants who signed up in August and paid the $40 fee may
participate.
The club provides the trees and the wire. Participants must bring their own
tools.

Meeting, Saturday, Oct 21, 2023, 9AM-Noon
2023-10-21 09:00 - 12:00 | Garden Council Headquarters, 2166 Virginia Avenue, Fort Myers, FL, 33901, United States
This meeting will be about preparing trees for the Annual Bonsai Show on Nov 4-5. We’ll discuss using moss, cleaning the appearance of trees, and how to use a companion. This will be an important session to help everyone get ready for next month’s show. We think it will be bigger than ever.

41st Annual Bonsai Show and Sale
2023-11-04 09:00 - 2023-11-05 15:00 | Garden Council Headquarters, 2166 Virginia Avenue, Fort Myers, FL, 33901, United States
This year’s 41st Annual Show will have an Exhibit of Bonsai Trees, Sales, Demonstrations, Raffles, Workshops and a Multi-Club Styling Competition. Free admission, free parking. Dorothy Schmitz, a world-renowned Bonsai artist, will be the judge in addition to holding a Green Island Ficus workshop.

Meeting, Nov 18th, 9-12
2023-11-18 09:00 - 12:00
We will discuss the Annual Show that was held on Nov 4-5, 2023. We were very pleased with how we set up the display, and the many vendors were pleased.

"Black Thumb Award" Meeting, Saturday, Jan 20th, 9AM
2024-01-20 09:00 - 12:00 | Garden Council Headquarters, 2166 Virginia Avenue, Fort Myers, FL, 33901, United States
The “Black Thumb” is an award for a tree that has somehow died while in your possession. The purpose of this is multifold. First of all, the meeting is usually full of laughs, and then you get to explain what went wrong! Everyone who works with Bonsai has experienced the demise of a tree, but often it has nothing to do with anything you did. We will discuss what went wrong, and treat this as a learning experience.

Club Meeting
2024-02-17 09:00 - 12:00
Rick Owens will do a demonstration of Yose-eu….a Forest Bonsai Style that appears a great deal just like the multi-trunk style, however, the distinction is the fact that this bonsai style is composed of many trees instead of one tree with numerous trunks.

Club Meeting
2024-03-16 09:00 - 12:00
Martha Goff and Don Williams will hold a pottery class. (Max 15 people at $5/person.) Also taking place is help with any tree that you have and bring in.

Annual Bonsai Auction and Picnic
2024-04-20 09:00 - 14:00
This is our Annual Auction and is a great opportunity to acquire some very nice Bonsai Trees. Our auction is open to the public, and is held at the Berne Davis Garden Center at 2166 Virginia Ave., Fort Myers. This location is directly north of the Edison-Ford Winter Estates. We do two types of auction: Silent and Bidding. There will be many types of trees, pots, tools, and Bonsai-related materials. Everyone is encouraged to bring food to share, and we have some pretty good cooks!

Club Meeting
2024-05-18 09:00 - 12:00
During this meeting, we will be honored by Mike Lane, who will demonstrate Grafting techniques. Mike is one of the world’s best!

BSF Convention, May 24-26, 2024 Orlando, FL
2024-05-24 08:00 - 2024-05-26 21:00 | Florida Hotel Conference Center, 1500 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL, 32809, United States
The 50th BSF Convention is almost upon us. Three full days of world-class Bonsai.

Club Meeting
2024-06-15 09:00 - 12:00
Here’s something nobody should miss….this month’s Moss workshop
! There are many types and sometimes difficult to find, but we have some good advice!

Club Meeting with Hiram Macias
2024-07-20 09:00 - 17:00
We will be honored to host another world-renowned Bonsai Artist Hiram Macias. He will do a Literati demonstration in the morning, and a Workshop in the afternoon…$80/person and Tree included.

Club Meeting
2024-08-17 09:00 - 12:00
CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS…..SUBJECT TO BE DETERMINED SOON….This month, Kathy Maisano will discuss Daiza and Suiseki in their many fascinating forms and beauty. The Daiza is a carved wooden base, custom-made to accommodate and enhance a stone. It helps stabilize it in a chosen orientation to reveal its potential. Suiseki, in traditional Japanese culture,(水石), are small naturally occurring or shaped rocks which are appreciated for their aesthetic or decorative value. As always, we encourage you to bring with you any tree that you might be working on, and one of our many Bonsai experts will be happy to help you.

Club Meeting
2024-09-21 09:00 - 12:00
We will work on Trees for the November Show, and discuss display guidelines. Please bring in your tree(s).

Club Meeting
2024-10-19 09:00 - 12:00
Richard Owens will do a Kintsugi demonstration on broken pots.

Annual Bonsai Exhibit
2024-11-16 09:00 - 2024-11-17 15:00 | Garden Council Headquarters, 2166 Virginia Avenue, Fort Myers, FL, 33901, United States
This year’s Bonsai Exhibit will be held at the Berne Davis Gardens in Fort Myers on November 16-17, 2024. As usual, it will showcase the work of many local Bonsai artists. Over the years, our show has gained national recognition and enhanced the Ancient Art of Bonsai. Parking and admission are free. Please join us. Click Here for the Show Flyer with events and scheduling.

January 18 Meeting
2025-01-18 09:00 - 12:00 | Garden Council Headquarters, 2166 Virginia Avenue, Fort Myers, FL, 33901, United States
This month’s meeting will feature the “Black Thumb Award”. We encourage you to bring a tree that didn’t make it. It’s a learning experience where talk about causes and remedies. Following that is a presentation by Ron Kempinski, a world-wide Bonsai Artist

Kokoro Study Group with Dorothy Schmitz
2025-02-15 12:00 - 15:00
Feb 15, Mar 15, Apr TBD, May 17, Jun 21, Jul 19, Aug 16, Sep 20, Oct 28 Noon to 3PM ….$20 per session

Adam Lavigne Workshops
2025-03-02 09:00 - 15:00
Group A (Thursdays): March 2, April TBD, May 1, June 5…..9AM-3PM
Group B (Sundays): Feb 2, March 2, April 6, May 4 …..9AM-3PM
…..
For availability, send an email to: info@bonsaiswfl.org

Mike Lane Shohin Workshops
2025-03-10 09:00 - 12:00
March 10, April 15, May 12, June 6…..9AM-Noon
…. For availability, send an email to: info@bonsaiswfl.org

Pest Control by Troy Randall
2025-03-15 09:00 - 12:00 | Garden Council Headquarters, 2166 Virginia Avenue, Fort Myers, FL, 33901, United States
Troy Randall will talk how to control pests in tropical Bonsai.

Bonsai Annual Auction
2025-04-26 09:00 - 13:00
Silent and Live Auction with a Grab ‘n Go Table for outright purchase.
