Looking for a beginner class recommendation

[jeanluc83]

For about two and a half years now I have been obsessively reading and absorbing everything I can about bonsai but lack any real experience. I did make an attempt to grow bonsai as a teenager and had some limited success but I would not call that much experience. I recently moved to a new house with lots of room to spread out and would like to get into bonsai. I could just jump in and try to go it on my own but I feel that I will have better success if I participated in a class first.

I am located in southeastern CT. New England Bonsai and Shanti Bithi Nursery are both within driving distance. I would love to take one of the classes offered at Nature's Way Nursery but at almost 6 hours away it is a little far at this point.

I would like to hear any opinions and recommendations. Also if there is anyone in my neck of the woods let me know I would love to hear from you.

 

[jk_lewis]

I don't know the geography of Connecticut (except there isn't a lot of it) but with those two shops near you, one of these clubs (below) should be close to you:


Connecticut
CONNECTICUT - Cos Cob

Yama Ki Bonsai Society meetings are held monthly usually at the Garden Education Center of Greenwich, 130 Bible St. Cos Cob CT 06807, the 2nd Saturday at 1:00 PM. Check our website for actual location and time. Contact: Michael Pollock, 914-764-5557 or E-mail mikepollock@me.com. Programs scheduled throughout the year offer a variety of topics related to bonsai and include lectures, demonstrations, workshops and other activities designed to help the novice as well as appeal to the more experienced bonsai enthusiast.
CONNECTICUT - Hartford

Bonsai Society of Greater Hartford. Meets at the Pond House at Elizabeth Park, Asylum and Prospect Avenues, in West Hartford on the 3rd Monday of every month7:00 PM. Our club picnic is held in June and the annual show is generally held in July. We do not officially meet during August, but have been using that month for road trips to local bonsai nurseries for new or beginning members. Contact is Diana Majchrzak by E-mail. Website is www.greaterhartfordbonsai.com
CONNECTICUT - New London

China Trade Bonsai Society. Meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month, March through November from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Conn College, New London Hall, 270 Mohegan Ave., Rt. 32, New London, Connecticut. Website: www.chinatradebonsaisociety.org
CONNECTICUT - New Haven

Bonsai Society of Greater New Haven. Meets at Edgerton Garden Center, 145 Edgehill Rd., second Tuesday at 7:30 PM. The regular meeting of the Society are held from January through June and September throught November. There is no July meeting. The August meeting is a members' picnic and the December meeting is members' holiday party. Contact: Ms. Nancy Mack, 36 Mulberry Hill St., Hamden, CT 06517, (203) 288-6744, or Lois Simeone, 30 Coachman Lane, Woodbridge, CT (203) 393-0433. Website: www.angelfire.com/art/bonsaict

 

[Joedes3]

I agree with both New England Bonsai an also Bonsai West.
Joe De

 

[JudyB]

I did some online tutoring sessions with John Romano from NEBG and he's a good teacher, I would go in person if I lived where you do.

 

[AboveBeyond]

I did some online tutoring sessions with John Romano from NEBG and he's a good teacher, I would go in person if I lived where you do.

I concur. I've done 2 classes and 2 tutoring with John and they were well worth it!

 

[BonsaiPrelude]

If you have a little extra cash, the annual Brussel's Bonsai Rendezvous is well worth the trip. I live 10+ hours from Memphis where it is held, so I ended up flying in. Every June a collection of 5 or 6 internationally recognized bonsai artists come to the rendezvous for a 3-day weekend of workshops and demonstrations. If you were thinking about Nature's Way, why not take a workshop from Jim at Brussel's. If the line up was the way it was this year you could also do classes with Bjorn Bjorholm, Keiichi Fujikawa, Marc Noelanders, Erik Wigert, and Kathy Shaner. I mean seriously everybody in one place is one hell of a deal.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Dunno about rendezvous...for the same money, your club could hire one of these guys for the weekend and have $$ left to buy stock (of your choice, not by raffle) to work on. I like Brussel, have many of his trees on my benches, and visit the nursery every couple months. But I have no desire to spend Memorial Day weekend in crowded 3-hour workshops with material drawn by chance.

Most people I know who participate end up with dead trees, no time with the artists, and love every second of the social aspect.

 

[Dan W.]

The first thing I would do is buy Boon's "Bonsai 101" DVD.

Then I'm sure as others have mentioned, the nurseries near you proabably offer beginner classes periodically. You certainly can't beat hands on learning.

I think Collin Lewis might be up that way as well. He would be worth looking up.

 

[Fangorn]

I don't know exactly where you live in CT but I would look into joining a local club, all that were listed have good people in them and because our state is so small you can go to more than one if you want.
I belong to the Hartford club and the information posted above is a little old. We still meet the third Monday of the month but we now meet in Wethersfield CLICK
If you don't want to do the club route, you can't go wrong joining New England Bonsai Gardens and taking a beginners workshop

 

[Gene Deci]

I think you should take seriously the advice of jkl and Fangorn about joining a club. It seems you have really been bitten by the bonsai bug which usually means a long term commitment. That is good. It takes time to get to the level you want and a club will support you all along the way. Just getting started can be hard, and a class could help with that, but it won't be sufficient.

 

[jeanluc83]

I think I'll start off with one of the classes at New England Bonsai. I was leaning that way to begin with but wanted to hear others thought.

I may join one of the clubs in the area. Right now it's hard enough to get away for a day to take a class.

I definitely have been bitten by the bug. Unfortunately the level I want to be at is much higher that I will be for many years. But at least I have goals.

 

[jk_lewis]

I may join one of the clubs in the area. Right now it's hard enough to get away for a day to take a class.

Joining a local club is 200% better than a class; benefits go on as long as you're a member. It's like having a class every month.

 

[jeanluc83]

Well on a lark I decided to email Walter Pall to get his opinion on New England Bonsai and Shanti Bithi Nursery since he has visited both. His recommendation was to go with New England Bonsai. That is enough of a recommendation for me. The last class of the year was last Saturday so I'll have to wait until spring. Probably better anyway.

This thread has gotten me thinking more about joining a club. It looks like there is one endorsement for the Hartford club. Does anyone know anything about the China Trade Bonsai Society? It appears that the website is no longer active and I can’t find any contact information. It is by far the closest. I may need to stop by Conn College to see if there is anyone there who knows.

 

[John Romano]

I'm not sure where China Trade is at the moment. They were pretty active a few years back but I haven't heard much from them in the past few years. If you send me a PM, I can send you the email of someone who was active in the club back then. There are 4 other active clubs in Ct if that one does not pan out - Springfield, Hartford, Yama ki and New Haven. I can also give you contacts for them if you are interested.
On another note, sorry you missed the last class of the year at New England Bonsai Gardens. I also have the Kaikou School of Bonsai there, which is a two year intensive (Tom Mason can chime in as he is a current member). You can get info here: www.kaikoubonsai.com or PM me for more specific questions. If you wanted to stop by sometime that would be great - I work on Saturdays and could meet you.
Good luck in your quest for bonsai knowledge and experience!
John