BSM Annual Exhibit & Sale

Our group holds an Annual Bonsai Exhibit and Sale. This weekend event is held at the world renown botanical showplace called Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in Miami Florida. This year, 2007, we celebrated our Twenty-First Anniversary.

The Garden allows our society to use an area within the park to create a masterpiece display of bonsai trees. In conjunction with our members and the members of nearby bonsai clubs, many trees are provided allowing us to convert the Garden House at Fairchild in to an exhibit using some of the finest bonsai trees in South Florida.

This exhibit takes more than just trees. Many hours of manpower go into this transformation. From construction the display tables, to covering backdrops, to connecting special effects lighting, to proper tree placement. This takes a lot of planning and coordinating on our exhibit committee chairperson. This main exhibit is only a part of what makes this show a success.

Our show committee has two additional areas that require planning and coordination. First, we use the large lecture hall in the Corbin Building for our lectures and demonstrations. We provide local bonsai masters (2 per day) the opportunity, to explain and show the general public, how to transform a nursery stock tree into a finished bonsai. They give a relatively quick explanation of the basics of Bonsai - tree selection, basic styles, pot selection, soil mixtures, fertilizer and watering. As they lecture, they will work on their tree. Removing it from the nursery pot, looking for good roots, choosing a front for the tree, consider which branches they wish to keep, wiring along with tree placement in the pot. All this and more is done to turn your nursery stock into a bonsai masterpiece. It may take many years to achieve this goal, but with time and continuous refinement, this masterpiece will evolve. Now that our guests have a better explanation of what to look for and how this is achieved, they can go to our next area.

This area is outside the Garden house where we transformed the greenery into our vendors sales area. Open tents provide our vendors with a place to display and sell their goods. The vendors provide an excellent assortment of products.

Trees - pre-bonsai (nursery stock) to finished trees

Pots - a large selection by size, shape & color

Soil - mixtures by the bag

Tools - concave cutters, trimming scissors, etc.

Wire - small packages to large rolls

You will be able to purchase all the materials needed to create a finished bonsai of your own.
If you wish to transform an area of your yard into a Japanese Garden, one of our vendors can provide help. Lanterns, water basins & trees are available along with the knowledge to assist you.
As you can tell, our exhibit & sale can help you understand the Art of Bonsai. Many of our members will be available if you have any questions or you may choose to ask one of the vendors.
This event begins on Friday evening with a Bonsai Sponsor Preview continues on Saturday and Sunday. This year, Our 21st Anniversary Bonsai at the Garden Exhibit and Sale and was held on October 13 & 14.
In addition to our show & sale, you may choose to tour the Garden. Fairchild provides a narrated tram ride or you may choose to walk the magnificent grounds. Take the time to visit the Rare Plant House and the Garden Bookstore. At the bookstore, many excellent books on all subject of horticulture are on display and for sale.

For more information about the Garden and the other affiliated societies and their shows, click below on the banner.