PSBA Annual Spring Sale 2026
Welcome to PSBA
Puget Sound Bonsai Association
Photo by club member Anthony Fajarillo
Coming Up:
2026 events lineup at a glance:
February 23 — “Bring Your Own Tree” study group style meeting at CUH 7:00–9:00 PM. (No technical series this month)
March 15 at CUH — PSBA Annual Spring Sale, NOON–3PM
March 23 at CUH — Technical Series 5:30–6:30 PM, Ladd Smith on fertilizing bonsai, plus pesticides for bonsai.
March 23 at CUH - General Meeting 7:00–9:00 PM, presentation on repotting by guest artist Michael Hagedorn.
April 27 at CUH — Technical Series 5:30–6:30, subject to be determined.
April 27 at CUH — General Meeting 7:00–9:00 PM, demonstration on the Lǐngnán School of pénjǐn by Che Zhou Sheng
THE PSBA BONSAI TECHNICAL SKILLS SERIES IS HERE!
By member request, PSBA is initiating a series of pre-program presentations dealing with bonsai technical skills and seasonal care.
All presentations will take place inside the CUH Merrill Commons (glassed-in room in CUH courtyard) from 5:30 – 6:30 prior to our general meetings when we have a guest artist.
The pre-program presentations are open to all members without cost or reservation, like our general meetings.
Monday, February 23, 2026, 7:00 PM at CUH
General Meeting
Our FEBRUARY 23rd general meeting will be a “BRING YOUR OWN TREE”-type meeting. Every member is highly encouraged to bring a tree, or a few, on which they have questions, would like assistance, or would like to work on in a fun atmosphere with the ability to seek input from fellow members. The goal of these meetings is to facilitate member-to-member transfer of the tremendous knowledge that is resident in our organization, while building community. You can think of it like a study group on steroids. Our club is blessed to have many very knowledgeable and experienced practitioners, who are happy to share their knowledge.
At least a dozen senior and expert members will be on hand to answer your questions, help guide you through design choices, and provide some hands-on instruction concerning wiring, pruning, seasonal tasks, etc. The atmosphere of these BYOT meetings is quite informal and lively, allowing for conversations and bonding not possible in our standard guest artist demo format. Please consider bringing a few trees, especially if they are smaller or younger, in case there’s limited work to be done on each.
This meeting will also feature a special REPOTTING DEMONSTRATION by Ken Wassum. If you’ve ever wanted an up close and personal look at how an expert repots a bonsai, don’t miss this opportunity. Ken is a past president of the PSBA, has been a member for 30 years, studied with bonsai professional Boon Manakitivipart for two decades, and has exhibited at the Pacific Bonsai Expo.
You’re welcome to bring just about anything, but consider the following as you decide which tree(s) to bring:
• At this time, existing foliage on evergreens is mature and buds are still tight, so there’s still some time to do styling work, including branch thinning and wiring.
• Check maples and other deciduous trees before doing significant branch thinning by cutting one or two small branches to see if the tree has started to weep. If it weeps, it might be better to mark branches for removal and wait to prune until later in the growing season.
• This is the best time to check trees, especially deciduous trees, for overwintering scale, and treat as needed.
• It is getting late to plan for repotting some species, but testing the density of your tree’s root mass with a chopstick will give an indication as to whether the tree might benefit from repotting this year.
• Ume (Japanese flowering apricot), cherries, crabapples and any other early-flowering species can be repotted, even if they’re already in bloom, as foliage has not yet emerged, and roots are already active.
Please bring your own tools, wire and any supplies you may need to perform the type of work you’re hoping to do. Trees of any and all qualities are seen at such meetings, so please don’t be bashful about what you bring!
This larch will be raffled off at the February 23 PSBA meeting.
Click to email psbaspringsale@gmail.com
Monday, March 23, 2026, 5:–6:30 at CUH
A presentation by Ladd Smith
You are invited to learn about different fertilizers and the reasons when and why to fertilize bonsai for maximum results from your trees. Examples will be available for viewing and discussion. Some samples will be available to take with you.
Ladd will also discuss pesticides and the use of them in bonsai. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, pesticide use (insecticides and fungicides) and products will be discussed.
Monday, March 23rd, 2026, 7:00 - 9:00 at CUH
General Meeting with guest artist Michael Hagedorn
We are excited and honored to welcome Michael Hagedorn as our guest artist for the March general meeting. He will be doing a presentation on repotting. Michael is a leading light of bonsai in America and a pillar of the Pacific Northwest bonsai community. Having been fascinated by bonsai since just age fifteen, he first gained notoriety in the bonsai community as a young man for his work as a potter. His Crataegus Bonsai Ceramics pots, which he made from 1995 to 2003, are considered by many to be some of the finest American bonsai ceramics produced to date. They are now highly collectible and cherished, particularly by his many bonsai students across the country. Prior to his work as a potter, Michael was a painter and sculptor for years. He holds an MFA from The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.
From 2000 to 2003, Michael studied with Boon Manakitivipart. Boon was an apprentice of the late Kihachirõ Kamiya, is the founder of Bay Island Bonsai, and recognized as one of America's most prolific and successful bonsai educators. Michael then formally apprenticed with master Shinji Suzuki in the city of Obuse, in Japan's Nagano Prefecture, from 2003 to 2006. Suzuki is widely considered one of the greatest bonsai masters ever, and has won numerous major awards, including the coveted Kokufu Prize at the prestigious Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition and the Prime Minister's Award at the Sakufu-ten. A number of Suzuki's prize-winning bonsai were those Michael had worked on.
Michael detailed many of his apprenticeship experiences in a 2008 memoir entitled Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. This, and his later book Bonsai Heresy: 56 Myths Exposed Using Science & Tradition, are must-haves in any true bonsai aficionado's library.
Michael has fostered five apprentices of his own since his return to the US, who've gone on to become respected bonsai professionals in their own right. They are Bobby Curttright (2013–2016), Andrew Robson (2016–2019), John Eads (2019–2020), Carmen Leskoviansky (2021–2024) and Patch Clark (2025–present). Michael has secured major awards for his clients in the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition and in the Artisan's cup. One of his personal trees, a mountain hemlock, was awarded "Best Evergreen" at the 2016 National show, and a client's Cryptomeria won "Best In Show" at the 2024 Pacific Bonsai Expo. He describes his bonsai work as bridging "tradition and innovative design." In addition to teaching students from around the world in his garden, Michael is the Bonsai Consultant for the famous Portland Japanese Garden, and a founding member of the Portland Bonsai Village. He "lives in a tiny home he designed and built" and "enjoys birding, Argentine tango, and fussing with fountain pens."
If you haven't already, subscribe to Michael's free blog for weekly bits of bonsai wisdom.
Monday, April 27th, 2026 7:00 - 9:00 PM at CUH
General Meeting with guest artist Che Sheng
We are excited and honored to welcome CHE ZHAO SHENG as our guest artist for the APRIL 27th general meeting. He will be doing a demo on LINGNAN-STYLE PENJING. Mr. Che is the first and primary pénjǐng artist at The Huntington’s Chinese Garden in San Marino, California. Also known as Liú Fāng Yuán or the Garden of Flowering Fragrance, it is considered one of the finest classical-style Chinese gardens outside of China. Mr. Che has worked at the fifteen-acre garden for over twenty years, and practiced pénjǐng for half a century. More than sixty percent of the Chinese Garden’s pénjǐng collection was cultivated by him, originating from his personal backyard. Mr. Che specializes in the Lǐngnán School of pénjǐng, from the Guǎngdōng region of South China. He has been profiled by the Los Angeles Timesreproduced here) and his work featured on Jonas Dupuich’s highly-popular
Mr. Che was first exposed to pénjǐng in his native Guangzhou while shopping for flowers at a market during the Chinese Lunar New Year Festival. He was “absolutely amazed by the beauty and exquisite form of pénjǐng” and “started going to the store and watching the gardeners every day.” He began his training in 1976 under the guidance of Lǐngnán Master Lu Xue Ming, before immigrating to the United States a decade later. Mr. Lu is one of only five pénjǐng masters to be certified by the Chinese government as such, and is the creator of the Pacific Bonsai Museum’s famous Surinam cherry named "Holding Up the Sky.”
Mr. Che’s work follows the Lingnan School’s naturalistic style, using the “Grow and Clip” technique—a method that promotes new branch growth through repeated and strategic pruning. This results in multiple branches that create movement and balance, closely resembling trees found in nature. He is "inspired by all of nature—the forests, lakes, and rocks,” and brings all these scenes in his mind to bear when creating pénjǐng, which he considers to be “the art of nature.”
Mr. Che is the first pénjǐng master to visit the Puget Sound Bonsai Association in twenty-three years, since Qingquan 'Brook' Zhao’s visit in 2003. Do not miss this rare opportunity to learn about a fascinating art, rarely seen, let alone taught, in the United States.
Friends of the PSBA Robert Cho and his son Nolan, of Asia Pacific Gardening in Kent, recently visited Mr. Che. Check out the YouTube video of their visit with him in the Huntington Chinese Garden here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIG0gJ-mmIU
Many thanks to two PSBA long time and hard working members!!
Kathy, Elsa, and Guy
Kathy and Elsa
Check out our new photo gallery “Spring Show 2024”,
photos by Aki Yamakawa
and … our new photo gallery “Spring Show 2025”, photos by the PSBA website group.
Volunteers at our 2025 Auction held at PBM.
Suggested:
Recommended Read by Ladd Smith
The book is “The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsessions”, by Amy Stewart (who lives in Portland). I could not put it down. One of my people sent me this link below about a zoom presentation with Amy Stewart.
The really cool part is the book mentions the PBM and the chapter about bonsai is on Enrique Castaño, our PSBA guest artist in November!
Here’s a link to a Seattle Times story about Local Bonsai featuring club members Tony Fajarillo, Bruce Williams, and others.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattles-thriving-bonsai-community-tells-stories-through-tiny-trees/
Check out a New Yorker article on Portland area bonsai artist, Ryan Neil (link to New Yorker Magazine article)
Video coverage of the Puget Sound Bonsai Association 2021 Public Bonsai Auction (YouTube video by Ben Nguyen)
Fall Yamadori in the Pacific Northwest (YouTube video by Ben Nguyen)
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Existing membership renewal, select the appropriate link for your membership type: Family or Individual
