One of the oldest bonsai societies in the US is in Cincinnati. What's a bonsai society?
By Charles Infosino
Special to Cincinnati Enquirer. Reproduced with permission.
Sometimes smaller is better.
Especially if you've got limited space but lots of patience and big gardening ambition.
The Bonsai Society of Greater Cincinnati knows this. That's why it teaches individuals and families about the Japanese art of bonsai, the hobby of trimming trees so meticulously that they resemble real traditionally sized trees,yet remain small and rooted in shallow tabletop pots.
Translated from Japanese to English, bonsai means “planted in a container” or “tree in a pot.” The horticultural practice of creating artful miniature live replicas of otherwise enormous species dates back to 700 A.D. in China, where the art was called “punsai.” The art form made its way to Japan during the 12th century.
Technically, a bonsai plant is a tree or shrub grown in a container that is artificially prevented from reaching its natural size using the techniques of back budding, dead wooding, defoliation, grafting, pinching, pruning, repotting and wiring.
Cincinnati and bonsai: Nearly six decades promoting Japanese horticultural art
Cincinnati's affair with the art began in earnest when the BSGC was founded in 1964 and is one of the oldest bonsai societies in the United States. The club’s purpose is to promote the study and appreciation of bonsai and bonsai-related arts.
Tree types commonly used for bonsai include broadleaf evergreens, coniferous, deciduous, Ficus and pine.
The most commonly used tools used to do bonsai are cutters, scissors and wire cutters to trim the trees. Additional tools include chopsticks, butter knives, tweezers and specialized tools.
Equipment can be as cheap as a pair of scissors.
BSGC has approximately 60 paid members, and about 10% include families with children. There is no age limit to join, but age 12 or older is recommended.
They have meetings on the third Thursday of each month, except for January, at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati at 7 p.m. The average meeting has about 30 people and lasts two hours.
Offering tips on how care for, create bonsai
The meetings are discussions and/or presentations on a specific topic. They post in advance what each meeting will be about. So, if members want to learn about deciduous trees or Ficus trees, there will be specific meetings to attend. At the meetings, they bring in bonsai experts, both local and nationally known, for demonstrations.
BSGC also has workshops, usually six times a year, which are typically held on the first Saturday after a meeting. Many of the workshops are held at the Civic Garden Center. They have had workshops where members bring in their own trees and others help them sculpt or provide advice. BSGC also has workshops on repotting.
BSGC typically offers beginner classes to members and the public at least once a year. Children are welcome. These classes are both lecture and hands-on.
The society has two members-only special events per year, the Christmas Dinner and the Summer Picnic. The Christmas party is held at the Krohn Conservatory.
For those who want to dip a toe in the bonsai waters, there is also the annual white elephant sale which offers trees, pots, tools, books, and anything bonsai-related. It is in October at the Civic Garden Center.
Want to see what this all looks like? Visit the Krohn Conservatory where BSGC members take care of the John Carroll Bonsai Gallery’s trees, fertilizing and trimming them. Every Wednesday two BSGC members are available to answer questions. During the Krohn Conservatory’s Butterfly and Christmas shows, BSGC members regularly appear and share information.
“I thought that it would be great that when a child is young, even in the first couple of years, that either a parent or a grandparent starts a tree for them. That way they could watch it grow and mature while styling the tree along the way," said Steve Germperline, BSGC president.
Bonsai Society of Greater Cincinnati
Where: Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati, 2715 Reading Road, Avondale.
When: The third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m.
Membership Costs: $45 per year for an individual or two members of a family. A family of four would need two memberships.