Photo by club member Anthony Fajarillo
Coming Up:
2026 events lineup at a glance:
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
July 26th - PSBA Summer Picnic and swap meet at Haller Lake Community Club 11:00AM to 2:00 PM (please RSVP)
Monday, Apr. 27, 2026 5:30–6:30 PM, CUH - Technical Series
Victrinia and Eric Ridgeway will discuss bonsai display accents, objects, and cultural crafts.
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.
Time to get ready for the 2026 PSBA Spring Show
at the Pacific Bonsai Museum. We need trees and volunteers!
We are looking forward to this year’s Spring Show on May 9th and 10th, 2026, Mother’s Day weekend. We are also looking for trees to present to the public for our show. Do you have a tree or two that you think is worth showing at this year’s show? We would love to see what you have. We cannot guarantee that all the trees will get in, but please show us what you are working on.
Please send a picture of your bonsai or your display by April 26th
to: Submit my Tree
We will let you know by late April if your tree is in the show so that you have enough time to make sure it is prepared to show.
We have some stands for plants, but if you have any you would let us use; we would appreciate it.
We are also looking for companion plants to put with the bonsai.
Please let us know if you have some that we can borrow for the weekend.
Your bonsai, if it is chosen, will need to be dropped off at PBM on Friday, May 8th, in the morning.
We can arrange to pick up some trees if necessary.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Please email us if you can help at the Spring Show.
Saturday, June 6th - PSBA’s Annual Bonsai Auction, 11AM to 3PM at Pacific Bonsai Museum (PBM opens at 10AM)
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
July 26th - PSBA Summer Picnic and Swap Meet at Haller Lake Community Club
· Sunday, July 26, 2026, 11 AM to 2 PM
· Haller Lake Community Club, 12579 Densmore Ave. N., Seattle
· For PSBA Members and their invited guests
· Swap meet: trees, pots, all things bonsai
· Members are welcome to bring bonsai and related goods for swapping (please request table space in your RSVP, first come first served)
· Pizza, salad, drinks, plates, utensils, napkins, cups provided
· Welcome to bring side dishes or deserts
· Volunteers needed for set up and take down (arrive 10:30, depart 2:30)
· Questions, information, and offers to volunteer, please email us
· Please RSVP so we know how many people to expect.
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
