Category: Club Meetings

Rock bonsai plantings are distinctive and fascinating artistic expressions. A bonsai tree planted in a rock has the appearance of a tough existence in a rugged environment.

Sean Tyson will demonstrate how to create a unique bonsai pot from rough rock materials. His tested technique may be used for you to make, on your own, a one of a kind creation for your own special bonsai. During the program, a tree will be planted in a pre-constructed rock bonsai pot and raffled.

Note: This month, we will meet at the Melbourne Public Library, 540 E. Fee Blvd (at 1pm.)

The Dwarf Jade raft tree shown here is being displayed at Epcot and by our very own Anthony Castillo. Our club has 5 other members who have trees at Epcot this year and we are ready to help you with

BYOT is a great way to get specific input on your trees. Club experts will help you with styling decisions, pruning, wiring, and give horticultural advice. Spring is a great time to work on many tropical species.

Bring tree(s) and tools. Wire to be provided by club.

Note: This month, we will meet at the Melbourne Public Library, 540 E. Fee Blvd (at 1pm.)

The club’s president, Rob Kempinski, will give an overview presentation and demonstration of Chinese Lingnam Style. This artform can be compared to the Impressionistic art movement in Europe.

The Chinese Lingnan penjing style has vigorous, elegant and unrestrained parts placed in a harmonious composition not always related to staid nature.  It uses extensive clip and grow and breaks many of the norms we have learned from Japanese influenced bonsai.  The program will delve into this style and encourage BSOB members to try something different.  

Note that the demo tree will not be raffled, though we will raffle two tiger bark ficus to club members.

Don’t forget to bring your dollar raffle table items.

Note: This month, we will meet at the Melbourne Public Library, 540 E. Fee Blvd (at 1pm.)

Adam Lavigne, an artist based in Orlando, Florida, specializes in deadwood carving and tours throughout Florida to teach about tropical bonsai. He will perform a bonsai demonstration featuring a large Silverberry Elaeagnus tree. During the demonstration, attendees will have the opportunity to witness the transformation of pre-bonsai material into a refined bonsai. A drawing will be held after the demonstration. He is a “cunning linguist” per his own admission, so watch out for the paronomasia. Adam’s bonsai blog is located here. AskAdamWhy.com

Don’t forget to bring your dollar raffle table items.

Note: This month, we will meet at the Melbourne Public Library, 540 E. Fee Blvd (at 1pm.)

Back by popular demand, we are once again organizing a captivating event featuring a rotating trees. Here’s how it works:

1. Group Styling: We’ll establish 2 or 3 groups, each comprising approximately 6 people. Every group will take charge of styling a tree handed to them.
2. Timed Handoff: When the timer goes off, the trees will be passed to another group for their styling opportunity. This rotation continues until the overarching time limit is reached, or groups all agree that styling is complete.
3. Lucky Draw: At the end of the event, we’ll hold a drawing to determine the lucky winners who get to take home these magical junipers.

This fun event gets everyone to participate in a fast paced styling adventure. We have three Hollywood junipers for this program. Bring your favorite tools. Club will supply wire. Let the styling magic begin! 🌳🌿✨

Note: This month, we will meet at the Melbourne Public Library, 540 E. Fee Blvd (at 1pm.)

Welcome to 2024! It’s going to be an exciting year as we continue to see bonsai grow throughout the Brevard area.

Bonsai is a fascinating art form that attracts more and more people every day. If you are one of them, you will love our club’s activities for this year. We have some amazing club meetings lined up, so mark your calendars for the third Saturday of each month. You won’t want to miss them! And if you want to dive deeper into the art of bonsai, join our study group on the first Saturday of each month. You will learn a lot from other bonsai enthusiasts and share your own insights.

Bring your own tree session

This month will be special…. Dave Cutchin will host a Bring Your Own Tree (BYOT) event for club members. Dave Cutchin is a highly skilled and experienced bonsai professional who specializes in native species of the Southeastern United States. He is also a student of Ryan Neil, the founder of Bonsai Mirai. He teaches bonsai cultivation and design through his nursery and online platforms (Home – D & L Bonsai Nursery (dlnursery.com).

To join the BYOT session with Dave Cutchin, you will need to be a standing member of BSOB. You can pay for club membership in advance (here), or pay the Treasurer at the club meeting. You will also need to prepare your bonsai tree and bring it to the session. Make sure your tree is healthy, clean, and free of pests and diseases. You may also want to have some basic tools and supplies with you, such as scissors, wire, soil, etc.

Note: This month, we will meet at the Melbourne Public Library, 540 E. Fee Blvd (at 1pm.)

The December club meeting will be a celebration on many fronts.

First: BSOB will hold its styling competition to select a winner to represent BSOB at the district level competition. This is a fun way to explore your creative abilities while being cheered on by a supportive group of fellow bonsai artists. And yes, there is a time limit! Please go here for full details. Note that you need to be a 2024 member in good standing to compete. If you are interested in competing, please fill in this form by Dec 1st.

Second: We will hold our annual holiday party and potluck event with all the fixings. This is a fun time with lots of food and festive discussion. BSOB provides meat, drinks, and paper goods. We ask you to bring a side dish or dessert to share.

Third: Each December we do a forest planting club project after the festivities. The forest will be raffled off to a lucky winner.

It will be a busy day, please come at 12:30 to help setup….

Note: This month, we will meet at the Melbourne Public Library, 540 E. Fee Blvd (at 1pm.)

Please come to our November club meeting. Rob Kempinski will do a presentation of bonsai tree display approaches, forms, and techniques. He’s done this program for both a club in Cincinatti and the Central Florida Bonsai club. You are encouraged to bring items to test your display concepts.

As a separate note, EPCOT is accepting trees for both the Japan pavilion and the China pavilion. You are encouraged to consider traditional trees and penjing styles for submission. Submissions (with photos) are due by the end of the year. Here.

Note: This month, we will meet at the Melbourne Public Library, 540 E. Fee Blvd (at 1pm.)

It’s been a year since our last BYOT meeting. This is a great way to get specific input on your trees as you work on them. Club experts will help you with styling decisions, pruning, wiring, and give horticultural advice. Start now and set aside some trees to work on during the meeting. Sorry no repotting.

Bring tree(s) and tools. Wire to be provided by club.

Note we will have a raffle drawing for three ficus just before we work on the trees. These ficus will serve as good material for this BYOT event.

Note: This month, we will meet at the Melbourne Public Library, 540 E. Fee Blvd (at 1pm.)