Intro to Indoor Bonsai Workshop

Come one, come all on Monday, November 18^st 6:30pm-8:30pm to the first Make Your Own Bonsai Workshop at Chadwick Arboretum using indoor-friendly tropical species and hosted by Ryan Huston / In Vivo Bonsai and Kevin Faris.

Event Details

You will learn how to repot, prune roots, propagate from cuttings, and style a bonsai via directional pruning and wiring of branches and trunks! All students receive a 1-3-year-old rooted ficus, jade, or other suitable prebonsai tree, 1 ceramic bonsai pot (and a plastic pot to root any cuttings in), bonsai soil, bonsai wire as needed, and a printed handout of the key lessons to care for and maintain your bonsai. Dip your toes into a new artistic side of caring for plants and you may never look at trees the same again! This class is also ideal to build confidence for pruning your houseplants or landscaping plants. Expected time 2 hours.

Ticket Includes ($50 each, total price)

• Starter tropical / indoor bonsai (Choice of jade, dwarf jade, ficus, or others)
• Choice of a locally made bonsai pot from Ancient Art Bonsai
• Bonsai wire, soil chopsticks, and loaner tools as needed for repotting operation
• FREE 1 year Combo CBS + COCSS Membership ($55 value) to help you continue to learn and care for your plants.
• $10 Chadwick Arboretum donation

Agenda

• 6:30-7:00 – Discussion / Presentation – Intro to the Art of Bonsai.
  
  • How to keep your first bonsai alive indoors.
  • How to grow bonsai faster
  • How to prune and shape your bonsai over time.
• 7:00-8:00 – Hands on – How to repot, prune, and propagate your bonsai.
  
  • Get dirty with guided root pruning, repotting, and potting and pruning/styling help.
• 8:00-8:30 – Bonus question / flex time. Optional introduction to bonsai wiring.
  
  • Ask any additional questions before you leave with your new baby bonsai! If time allows, students may also practice wiring branches as this is a basic skill to direct bonsai's growth.

Offering Capacity: 10 Students maximum. All ages welcome including minors with adult supervision.

Instructor Information:

Ryan Huston / In Vivo Bonsai is a local bonsai nursery born and raised in Columbus, Ohio where he now operates from. He has been doing bonsai for 20 years now including a 4-year part-time apprenticeship with the world famous Dan Robinson of Elandan Gardens in Bremerton, WA.  Ryan enjoys carrying on his teacher’s style of “naturalistic” bonsai including salvaging unwanted landscaping and native plants for bonsai in addition to propagating trees to introduce new people to this transformative and relaxing artform.

Kevin Faris is a longtime bonsai student as well who has turned plants into his passion through bonsai and also his landscaping business and via a horticultural degree he is pursuing at OSU. Kevin is a co-founder of the Bonsai Time Podcast, leader in the Columbus and American Bonsai Societies, and is currently the lead bonsai volunteer for the Dawes Arboretum’s permanent bonsai collection.

Registration is full. Please email invivobonsai@gmail.com to be added to our waitlist. 

 Questions can be directed to invivobonsai@gmail.com. Also please get in touch if you have registered but need to cancel, then we can offer spots to our waitlist.