Welcome to our web site!

Our bonsai club was established in 1965 to promote the study of bonsai Western New York. Bonsai is a living art form which enables the hobbyist to transform conventional trees into a harmonious miniature representation of a mature tree in a small container. Since it involves a growing tree, the design is forever changing and evolving. Some of the techniques used to achieve this miniaturization and styling involve the pruning of roots and branches, defoliation of leaves and wiring the tree and its branches.

2023 ANNUAL BONSAI SHOW

Our 2022 ANNUAL BONSAI SHOW was held at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.

2023  Annual Bonsai Show   

   

Bonsai In Progress:

To see some of the details and techniques involved in bonsai development, click on the Bonsai in Progress button below. In that section there are several bonsai that show their development over the years. There realy isn't such a thing as "Instant Bonsai". It takes several years to develop a good bonsai. In fact, development is never finished, because a bonsai is a living plant. As such, each year the bonsai artist responds to its ever changing state.

A recent update to our Bonsai In Progress Section is in the Yew Bonsai article. It initially was about the eight years it took from collection to initially putting it in a bonsai pot. The recent update shows how another eight years resulted in a very refined bonsai.

The video below shows the development of a juniper from its collection as a wild shrub to a bonsai.

Link to Bonsai In Progress

Membership Benefits Include:

  • Monthly meetings offering an exchange of ideas and enthusiasm
  • A monthly newsletter to provide information on
    the art of bonsai and on coming events of interest
    to bonsai enthusiasts
  • Current information on bonsai techniques,
    supplies, materials, conferences, classes, sources,
    and exhibits
  • Shared activities such as field trips, workshops,
    garden visits, digging expeditions, picnics, and
    plant exchanges
  • Public exhibits and displays of members’ trees
    to make the public more aware of the fascinating
    possibilities of bonsai
  • The free use of an extensive circulating library of
    bonsai books, periodicals and videos

Monthly programs include demonstrations, workshops, lectures, discussion, raffles, and a sharing of ideas and experiences in bonsai. Trees are often brought in by members for display, criticism, diagnosis and help. Please feel free to bring in your trees.

Membership Application & Directions PDF