NFBC Upcoming EventsJuly 14th: NFBC Meeting- Pre-Meeting Help Hour- This month we will be continuing our pre-meeting help hour. In an effort to be of service to those newcomers, David Ruth has been kind enough to offer his guidance between 6pm and 7pm at the club before the meeting starts. If you need help with anything bonsai related and have the time, join us at 6pm at the club and bring whatever material it is you are seeking help with.
- Meeting Topic: Horticultural Health & Tropical Repotting- Horticultural health and knowledge is the very foundation of good bonsai. To develop a high level bonsai one must first keep their tree alive, and ideally, thriving. In that spirit, you’re encouraged to bring in any tree or trees you have that is either ailing or even just not thriving. We can then as a club troubleshoot and identify what issues these trees may be experiencing and offer some suggestions as to remedies. Additionally, we will be discussing the repotting of tropical trees.
- ***Heads Up For August Meeting***- Our meeting for August will involve a tie-in to a previous meeting, specifically to November 2024’s meeting where those of us who were present received a tree to take home and develop to be revisited approximately 10 months later. As you may recall, most of received a Green Island Ficus, while a handful took home a different species (Parrot’s Beak, Brazilian Rain Tree, etc.) with the idea being we would bring them back to review and see what improvements were made and how the tree has progressed. The time has come so if you have been neglecting that tree for 9 months, you still have time to act! August 11th we will be bringing those trees back in to take a look at and evaluate/give feedback.
July 19th & 26th @ 3pm: Beginner’s Study Group - If you are new, fairly new, or just seeking more bonsai knowledge in general, try out our very first Beginner’s Study Group! Recommended for folks with less than 1 year of experience.
- At the moment this group is completely open. So, if you plan to sign up please do so soon! If there are no sign ups this group will pick back up the next month where we have participants.
- WHEN: Saturday 3pm July 19th & 26th @ Florida Bonsai
- More information will be available at the meeting or you can email Kelly Harrison directly at [email protected] to register or if you have any questions!
July 23rd @ 6pm: Intermediate Study Group - Not a beginner but not ready to call yourself an expert? We’ve got just the group for you!
- While this is the first group meeting of the new quarter, we welcome any and all participants to come by whenever they can make it. You do not need to be present for every meeting in a single quarter to sign up, but if you wish to take the study group sessions in succession, this quarter’s meetings will be taking place on July 23rd, August 20th and September 17th!
- We will be sending out a reminder the week before each meeting.
- WHEN: Wednesday 6pm July 23rd @ Florida Bonsai
-
- More information is available at the club meeting, or you can email Kelly Harrison directly at [email protected] to register for July!
|
|
|
|
Florida Bonsai Nursery & Supply Now Has a Podcast- The Florida Bonsai Podcast has officially launched with the Pioneer Series featuring Mike Rodgers.
- You can check out the first episode here!
-
|
|
The BSF 2025 Exhibit Book is now Live on Amazon!- If you loved this year’s exhibit, or didn’t get to see it, don’t fret!
- You can get your own copy for just $22.99 right here!
-
|
|
Bonsai & Beer w/ Jay & Ronni- Saturday July 19th- All Day
- Located @ Strings Sports Brewery-
- 1618 Penman Rd, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
- Numerous species of Bonsai & other interesting plants for sale as well as multiple free demos throughout the day!
- Check out the flyer here!
|
|
9th Sho Fu Bonsai Society Bonsai Show & Exhibit- July 13th 10am-4pm
- St. Mark’s Church, 508 Riviera St., Venice, FL
- Featuring demos, an exhibit and a raffle! Plenty to do and see!
- More info available here!
|
|
9th Annual U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition- September 12th-14th in Rochester, NY
- Sponsored by The American Bonsai Society and featuring some of the best bonsai in the US!
- More info available here!
|
|
|
|
Pre-Meeting Help HourAn opportunity for anyone seeking help, newcomer or otherwise, to bring in any material they are seeking advice on. David Ruth is generously donating his time for the second month in a row (thank you, David!). If any of our more experienced members would like to lend their time for future meetings that would be fantastic as we are seeking to make this a permanent fixture. Thank you! Part 1 Club Update/AnnouncementsWe will begin the club meeting with an update on club business and upcoming events of note. We will also briefly take a look at some of the materials/items acquired at BSF that members are willing to share. There will be an update on Club Soil. Part 2: Horticultural Health & Tropical RepottingThis month we will be hearing from our very own Joe Stumpf on the importance of horticultural health in bonsai. Additionally, you are welcome to bring any tree that may be stumping in you regarding its health. From there you can seek some second opinions on what may be going on with your tree and some potential remedies. Also, Joe will be going over the finer points of repotting tropical trees and giving tips on the when’s and how’s. *Heads Up For Our August Meeting*Our meeting for August will involve a tie-in to a previous meeting, specifically to November 2024’s meeting where those of us who were present received a tree to take home and develop to be revisited approximately 10 months later. As you may recall, most of received a Green Island Ficus, while a handful took home a different species (Parrot’s Beak, Brazilian Rain Tree, etc.) with the idea being we would bring them back to review and see what improvements were made and how the tree has progressed. The time has come so if you have been neglecting that tree for 9 months, you still have time to act! August 11th we will be bringing those trees back in to take a look at and evaluate/give feedback. |
|
|
Bonsai Beginner’s Study GroupJuly 19th & 26th (Saturdays) 3pm |
|
This is not a class or workshop. It is a group of individuals in a similar place in their bonsai journey studying the same material. There is no charge or membership fee. We will be studying from The Foundations of Bonsai by Harry Harrington and will cover the material over two meetings in a single month, but this group will be ongoing. We currently have about 5-6 copies of the The Foundations of Bonsai so please only commit if you are serious about attending both meetings and studying the book. We will need each copy returned at the last meeting of each month. Typically the second Saturday of each month will mark the beginning of a new study group and will be led by a facilitator. Because it is a study group and not a workshop or class, you do not need prior experience to facilitate this group. So, if you are interested in facilitating or participating please get with Kelly Harrison at the April meeting or send him an email at [email protected]. |
|
|
Intermediate Bonsai Study GroupJuly 23rd (Wednesday) @ 6pmThis is not a class or workshop. It is a group of individuals in a similar place in their bonsai journey studying the same material. There is no charge or membership fee. This group will meet once a month over a 3 month period before a new group begins. David Ruth is hosting our very first intermediate study group. The course material is The Principles of Bonsai Design by David De Groot. There are limited copies of the course material so please only commit if you are serious about attending all three meetings and completing the reading of the material. We will need each copy returned at the last meeting of the third month. Keep in mind the course material is merely a guide and a source for discussion topics at the meetings. The NFBC is not in the business of “indoctrinating” members on particular styles of bonsai. If you would like to go ahead and register for this group you may do so by talking to Kelly Harrison at the April meeting or sending him an email at [email protected]. |
|
