PSBA Annual Spring Sale 2026
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Puget Sound Bonsai Association
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Photo by club member Anthony Fajarillo
Coming Up:
2026 events lineup at a glance:
April 12 — New Member workshop, noon-5PM - more information
April 12 at Bellevue Botanical Garden - JBP (Japanese Black Pine) Symposium, 2:00-4:00 PM
April 27 at CUH — Technical Series 5:30–6:30, Victrinia and Eric Ridgeway on bonsai display accents, objects and cultural crafts. They will also have Tenpai available for purchase at the meeting.
April 27 at CUH — General Meeting 7:00–9:00 PM, demonstration on the Lǐngnán School of pénjǐn by Che Zhou Sheng
May 9th & 10th - PSBA’s Spring Show at Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way: 10:00AM - 4:00PM daily.
June 6th - PSBA’s Annual Auction held at the Pacific Bonsai Museum** (check back for details)
June 27 & 28 - PSBA Show Booth at Japan Fair in Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue
Sunday April 12th, noon to 5:00 PM - Spring Session #3 of PSBA’s New Member Workshop
PSBA’s fabled New Member Workshop series Spring session for PSBA members only. This is the repotting workshop. Attendees must be PSBA members, new within two years and have not taken the Spring session previously. For new members who have not previously take a new member workshop, a one-time $75 fee is required prior to signing up for the workshop. Pay the fee at the PSBA webstore. If this is your second new member workshop, bring the tree you received in your first (fall session) new member workshop. Contact our new member coordinator to register. Classes are limited in number of attendees. The first to sign up get the available seats.
Sunday April 12th, 2:00 to 4:00 PM - JBP Symposium at Bellevue Botanical Garden
Join the PSBA for a special Japanese Black Pine Symposium on April 12th from 2-4pm at the Bellevue Botanical Garden Aaron Education center, located at 12001 Main St. in Bellevue.
The symposium, while open to all members, is specifically intended for “intermediate" skill level members, who are interested in expanding their knowledge of styling and developing Japanese Black Pine bonsai. This symposium will focus on the early and middle stages of bonsai creation and development. The format for the event is a combination of lecture and hands on demonstration of styling and development techniques, presented by knowledgeable and experienced PSBA members.
The Japanese Black Pine (Pinus Thunbergii) is one of the most used coniferous species for bonsai, especially in Asia. If you are interested in better understanding how seasoned bonsai artist create beauty from “ordinary” plant material, this event is for you!
Bellevue Botanical Garden is at 12001 Main St., Bellevue, WA 98005
Monday, April 27, 2026 5:30–6:30 PM at CUH - Technical Series
presentation: to be determined
Monday, April 27, 2026 7:00–9:00pm at CUH
General Meeting with guest artist Che Zhao Sheng
Mr. Che Zhao Sheng
We are excited and honored to welcome Che Zhou Sheng as our guest artist for the April 27 general meeting. He will be doing a demo on Lignan-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 Times and his work featured on Jonas Dupuich’s highly-popular Bonsai Tonight blog.
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 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.
Guest artist workshops are offered on Sunday, April 26 in the morning and afternoon at Mercer Slough Environmental Center in Bellevue, and Monday, April 27 at CUH. Please check our Guest Artist Workshop Guidelines before signing up for a participant seat. Contact Lynn to sign up or for more information.
Participant and observer seats are still available for all of Mr. Che’s workshops.
May 9th and 10th - PSBA’s Spring Show … details to come.
June 6th - PSBA’s Annual Bonsai Auction … details to come.
Japan Fair 2026
PSBA Booth at Japan Fair 2019
June 27 - 28 - Japan Fair at Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue
After a six year hiatus, the Puget Sound Bonsai Association is returning to Japan Fair! This free festival celebrating Japanese art and culture will take place Saturday, June 27 (10am-6pm) and Sunday, June 28 (10am-5pm) at Meydenbauer Center in downtown Bellevue. Among musicians, artisans, community organizations, and businesses from both Japan and the U.S., the PSBA will have two booths in the main hall and two tables in the lobby area. Come enjoy live performances on stage, hands-on exhibits, cultural workshops, vendor booths, and bonsai! We are looking for docents to help share information about bonsai and our club during the fair. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact co-chairs Nicky Ducommun and Josef Leibfried at psbajapanfair@gmail.com
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 Reads
The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsessions”, by Amy Stewart
Recommended by Ladd Smith
I could not put this book 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 Pacific Bonsai Museum and the chapter about bonsai is on Enrique Castaño, a guest artist for PSBA in November 2024!
PSBA in The Seattle Times
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/
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)
Join the club!!
Existing membership renewal, select the appropriate link for your membership type: Family or Individual
