BC Bonsai Society

09/25/2026

October Meeting Thursday, Oct 1 at 7:00 PM
Sunnyside Hall 1845 154 Street Surrey, BC V4A 5J8

Hello members,

As fall arrives, it’s an important time to think about how and when we prune our deciduous bonsai. Darren will lead the main presentation on fall pruning, covering the correct timing and techniques for pruning deciduous trees, with a Japanese Maple as our example. We’ll look at what to prune, what to leave, and how thoughtful pruning can help set your trees up for the next growing season.

Air Layering – From Air Layer to Bonsai

Jaffey will also be separating the air layers we started at our May meeting. This is a great opportunity to see the results several months later and learn the proper techniques for separating, preparing, and potting newly rooted air layers.

Show Table

Bring along any trees that are looking particularly good right now. Our show table is a great opportunity to share your trees, see what other members are working on, and get some ideas and feedback.

Member Auction

We’ll also have our member auction. Each person may bring up to two items to auction. Please remember to bring cash to make buying and selling easier for everyone.

We look forward to seeing everyone at Sunnyside Hall for another evening of bonsai, learning, and good company!

09/06/2026

https://www.bcbonsaisociety.org/event-details/nursery-tour-event-gardenworks-burnaby

Join us for a special bonsai club outing Saturday, September 12 at 1:00 PM for a guided tour of GARDENWORKS Burnaby-Lougheed!

GARDENWORKS Burnaby-Lougheed

Darren will be hosting a guided tour of the nursery, pointing out trees and plants that have good potential for bonsai and discussing what to look for when selecting nursery material.

Darren is an experienced bonsai artist and educator and President of the BC Bonsai Society. He has taught hands-on bonsai workshops covering design principles, horticultural considerations and specialized bonsai techniques, and has been involved in promoting and exhibiting bonsai in the Lower Mainland for many years.

After the nursery tour, GardenWorks has kindly set aside a room for our group. We’ll be able to review our purchases together and discuss how best to style each tree—so you can leave not only with a new tree, but with a plan for what to do with it.

Special Club Discount
Bring your club membership card and receive 10% off:

• All green goods (live plants)
• Garden supplies
• Soil
• Pottery

Excludes Home Décor and giftware.

Location
GARDENWORKS Burnaby-Lougheed
6250 Lougheed Hwy
Burnaby, BC

Please use your preferred map app for directions. The entrance roads to the nursery can be a little tricky to navigate, so checking the route before you leave is recommended.

Saturday, September 12, 2026
1:00 PM

Come prepared to look at trees with a bonsai eye—and you may just find your next project!

Become a member today for 50% off and join us on this event.

09/03/2026

We know you are out there! We know there are Bonsai enthusiasts out there lurking in the shadows, who haven’t come to a club meeting yet, who are isolated, misunderstood by friends and family, and desperate to ask questions or get a real consult with bonsai veterans on their trees. Videos are just not cutting it anymore! Bonsai enthusiasts who just need that extra nudge to come to a club night!

Well, if it’s a nudge you need, the time has come! Half year Memberships have come into effect and for the low rate of $15 you can enjoy 4 more club meetings and activities like auctions, raffles (tonight!), guest speakers, special events and activities. Ability to acquire popular bonsai cultivars you won’t find in nurseries. Not to mention free consults on your trees, and new friends you haven’t met yet! We invite you to join us tonight, listen to Anton about collecting yamadori and see what we are all about! We want no bonsai enthusiast suffering alone so come on out! New faces, regardless of experience are always welcome. Feel free to bring a tree with you or just come as you are. We hope to see you there tonight at 7pm!

09/02/2026

After an August pause, BC Bonsai club meetings start back up again this Thursday. This month we welcome a Guest Speaker from Vancouver Island: Anton Nijhuis!
Anton is a specialist in collecting trees from the wild (yamadori) and will be sharing his knowledge and experience with us. He is very well known in the North American bonsai community and his trees have been featured in the biggest shows on the continent.

Come listen to a talk about the process of finding and collecting quality material, what makes a tree worth collecting, and the considerations involved in successfully bringing wild trees into cultivation
We will also be having a raffle of materials donated to the club, so please bring a donation to add or $5 to support the fundraiser.

Come out, learn something new, and enjoy an evening with fellow bonsai enthusiasts!

We hope to see you there!

Meeting Time: Sep 3 at 7pm
Sunnyside Hall Location: 1845 154 Street Surrey, BC V4A 5J8

08/17/2026

We’re excited to have Anton Nijhuis joining us for the BC Bonsai Society meeting on September 3rd.

Anton is a well-known yamadori collector and bonsai artist from Vancouver Island, with years of experience finding, collecting, and developing trees from the wild. He’ll be sharing some of that experience with us and talking about his approach to yamadori.

If you’re interested in native trees, collecting, or just want to learn more about working with yamadori, this should be a great evening.

September 3rd, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Sunnyside Hall
1845 154 Street, Surrey, BC

Members only. If you’re not a member yet, you can join through the BC Bonsai Society.

08/15/2026

Ever wondered why bonsai artists pluck needles on Japanese Black Pine Bonsai? Isn’t picking off needle growth counter-productive to growing a bonsai tree??

It’s all about balancing energy and promoting back budding! Pines naturally direct most of their energy to the top and outer edges of the tree, which can cause lower or inner branches to weaken and die off. By plucking needles on stronger, upper areas and leaving more needles on weaker, lower areas, you shift the tree's hormonal balance and equalize growth across the entire canopy.
Dense patches of old needles also block sunlight and airflow from reaching the interior branches and inner dormant buds. Plucking old needles opens up the canopy so light can reach hidden back-buds, stimulating new interior growth and creating new branches with shorter internodes or greater ramification on existing branches. This is a critical technique for keeping bonsais small and compact!
What’s your experience using this technique?

08/07/2026

No meeting today! We take a break in August. Next meeting in September will feature special guest presenter Anton Nijhuis on Yamadori collection. Stay tuned!

07/01/2026

I hope you all got out to our very successful bonsai show at the start of the month.

We know many of you brought home new trees from the show and sale that you will be styling soon, so at our July meeting John will be giving you some instruction on how to transform raw material with an initial styling.

Check out our blog about the show and sale here: https://www.bcbonsaisociety.org/post/2026-bonsai-show-and-sale

We will also be having a raffle at the meeting, and it will include pottery and other items recently donated to the club. Please bring a donation for the table too, as well as cash to get a ticket. All the proceeds help fund our club activities. First time visitors are ALWAYS welcome check our club out and no fee is required.

What to Bring:
1. Raffle donations
2. Cash for tickets
3. A tree to work or get advice on. Any tree, don’t be shy!
4. A tree looking its best for the show table.

Meeting Details:
Meeting Time: July 2nd at 7pm
Hall Location: 1845 154 Street Surrey, BC V4A 5J

BC Bonsai Society held its highly successful 18th annual show and sale at the Surrey City Hall Saturday, June 13th. Over 400 people attended including Surrey mayor Brenda Locke who said in part: “It was wonderful to see the creativity, skill and dedication that goes into this unique art form and t...

06/23/2026

BC Bonsai Society’s 18th annual Show & Sale was a beautiful day of art, community and learning at Surrey City Hall. Over 50 stunning bonsai and hundreds of visitors joined us to celebrate the creativity and dedication behind this unique art form. Read the full recap and see event photos: https://wix.to/beW78Py

06/19/2026

See the progression of our club Juniper from 2023 to 2026. It has had many a training session with Michael McTeague from Bonsai Harmony, and the talented Kanta Nakajima at our past sale this June.
Goes to show how much a bonsai can change and mature in just 3 years!
Swipe through to see the progression to today.