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:
January 31–February 1 — PSBA’s Winter Silhouette Show at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens - see details below!
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, discussion to be determined.
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.
Puget Sound Bonsai Association Winter Silhouette Show 2026
WHEN: January 31 - February 1, 2026 10AM-4PM Open to the Public
WHERE: Bellevue Botanical Garden - Aaron Education Center
The Puget Sound Bonsai Association invites you to experience the wonder of bonsai in their winter form. Join us, as we explore the subtle beauty of bonsai trees in their winter silhouette form.
In the quiet beauty of winter, ancient bonsai trees reveal their purest form. Stripped of leaves, each branch and trunk stands in sharp relief, showcasing the artistry of structure, balance, and design.
This exhibition invites you to discover the intricate framework and branching of deciduous bonsai trees. In the winter, elegance is found not in the foliage, but in the graceful architecture beneath.
Monday, February 23, 2026, 7:00 PM at CUH
Bring Your Own Tree (B.Y.O.T.) General Meeting
Bring your own bonsai, tools, and whatever else you need to work on in the company of your fellow PSBA members. There will be advanced members available to provide suggestions, guidance, and help if needed.
We will have a raffle at this BYOT meeting. This larch, sourced by David De Groot, will be one of the items in the raffle.
See you there!!
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
Technical Series
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.
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)
Join the club!!
Existing membership renewal, select the appropriate link for your membership type: Family or Individual
