We had an excellent and very productive workshop on Saturday, one of a regular series with Lee Verhorevoort. Quite a few members attended with various varieties of trees, so even if you don’t have a tree of that species, there is always something to be learnt, as Lee is a mine of information, happy to pass on his knowledge to anyone who cares to receive it. A great day which we all enjoyed. Plus an opportunity to look at some of Lee’s tempting sale trees, as well as stock up on soils and sundries, etc.
It is always a good opportunity to come to these workshops to learn, develop your trees, Lee is always looking ahead to help you get your tree to a show standard, even if you don’t want to show. Lee was also discussing the benefits of activated charcoal, although he stated still in the testing phases of using the material in his soil compositions, always interesting hearing what is in the development stage.
Massive thank you to David Cheshire for visiting our December meeting. Not only did David provide retail therapy to club members; he also provided a short discussion on his bonsai philosophy and some of the techniques he has been developing inline with his approach for a more natural bonsai aesthetic. Our members got a great deal from his thoughts and observations.
Twickenham Bonsai Club was founded in 2019 with just a few members and has flourished to a membership of around fifty.
This is the fifth show the club has put on, a combination of both summer & winter shows. Each club member was invited to display three trees, and as more trees were put forward than the club had room for, a selection process had to take place.
It was great to see such positive engagement by all their club members, and year on year the standard of their trees continues to develop, and it was a pleasure to attend their show today.
A visitor vote for the best tree is used, also the winning trees from the previous summer show were invited back for second display (but excluded from voting this show).
The winners of the public vote were Liz with her Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’ in 3rd place, Mark with his Acer palmatum ‘Arakawa’ in 2nd place and Terry with his Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Boulevard’ in 1st place. Tina Todd was also presented by Tony Peter Ulatowski with the RHS medal for all her contributions to the bonsai club.
The show was a buzz with lots of visitors plus conversation and activity with club members working on their trees. Mark was building a double tier Japanese Larch forest which looked great.
The venue is ideal for a bonsai club show being spacious and well lit too. They even had a food catering truck provided by Jason Fisher this year, their own club sales and traders including Nick Payne of Springwood Ceramics, Neil Hutchings of Devon Bonsai Nursery, Vinay Rathore of Toko-en Bonsai and Stuart Beresford.
As a club they are always progressive and this year have compiled a book of their 2025 club newsletters which are very informative and it is a first which will be available to purchase from the club later this year. They also have partnered with Over Rock where you can purchase Twickenham Bonsai Club merchandise from Over Rock’s website.
Cracking club workshop with Chris Thomas at Swindon Bonsai Society today. A nice group of members attended and there was plenty of advice and work undertaken by Chris on members trees as well as lots of time for members to work on their own trees. As ever having the expertise and skills of Chris’s carving set club members up to continue work he started on their trees. Advice to anyone who has never done a workshop is to join a club and get on a workshop or grab the pocket money and see what’s about locally from the Bonsai professionals.
The bonsai club’s April meeting drew an excellent turnout, with members enjoying an engaging evening of discussion, and seasonal tree care advice. Attendees shared progress on their own trees, exchanged tips on pruning and repotting, and admired a varied display of bonsai brought along for discussion. The friendly atmosphere and strong attendance reflected the growing enthusiasm within the club, making it one of the most successful enjoyable evening for everyone.
What a fun day, informative, creative and social learning about the art of accents and kusamono with Ritta and Mark Cooper.
Their extensive knowledge of bonsai, Japan and showing bonsai was incredibly useful explaining the key principles of what accents are, how to use and create them and what are the main considerations and concepts behind them.
After the morning presentation and discussion, Ritta then did a demonstration of how to put together both a mixed accent planting and a kusamono. Then it was our turn to have a go and get creative.
Everyone had bought in a wide range of plants, pots and moss and got stuck in after lunch to selecting, potting up and mossing their creations. We had a lovely surprise as Zelijko and his wife Ivana joined us for the afternoon and it was so lovely to see them again.
We used keto tsuchi as the main soil to bind the planting together to help the placement and topped the pot up with a finer Akadama dust then top dressed with moss to stop any soil showing.
The types of plants used included grasses like Blood grass (Imperata cylindrica), Hakonechloa Japanese forest grass, Carex (sedges), Ophiopogon both the black and green forms.
Equisetum Scirpoides: miniature mare’s tail, Miscanthus and Leptinella Plants.
Ferns were also used and could include, Davallia spp. (Davallia ferns), Asplenium trichomanes (maidenhair fern) and Pyrrosia ferns.
The flowering Plants could include Saxifrage Dianthus (carnation), Phlox, Viola, Daisy, Thymes, Bugle, Leptinella, Mini hosta, Persicaria capitatum, Houttuynia cordata, and Sisyrinchium. Try to find dwarf or miniature varieties though.
Succulents are used to and the key thing to remember for mixed planting is to try to use plants that all like the same conditions. Fortuitously Ritta had bought a range of suitable plants, pots and keto for us to buy if we needed.
In summary an accent planting (or shitakusa) for a bonsai display is a companion piece that reflects the season, scale, and habitat of the main tree. It should not extend higher than the bonsai table the main tree sits upon.
It should be harmonious in proportion, have seasonal appropriateness, contrasting shape, and use natural or aesthetically pleasing container.
Everyone made a range of amazing shitakusa and kusamono, it was a lively and inspirational day.
This evening Andy brought the Japanese black pines he has been growing with and for club members to show and discuss progress and possible future techniques. Club members were invited to have a go at working on them with pruning and wiring.
The pine trees have been kept in aquatic baskets, which means the pines cannot be over watered and are showing strong signs of growth and development year on year.
Club members were also asked to bring in accent plants and to display the combinations created at our recent shitakusa & kusamono workshop with Ritta Copper.
Best in show: English YewBest evergreen: SpruceBest group: LarchBest deciduous: Trident Maple
Chichester & District Bonsai Club have hosted an annual show since 2019 at the Manor Nursery Garden Centre in Runcton, Chichester. The club has been running for over thirty years. Held on Saturday 18th July & Sunday 19th July 2026 there was an excellent variety of different species being exhibited.
Well supported by Solent, Eastleigh, Sussex, Twickenham clubs, and the mini bonsai group, there were many trees on display and to be enjoyed. Collette’s Bonsai was on hand for sales. Also, the weather was 28° so comforting to have a café next to the show providing much needed refreshments.
Discover a brand new summer exhibition, tucked away in a tranquil garden square in the heart of London.
Behind the hedges of Oxford Square lies a secret garden you won’t want to miss. Bonsai Treehouses is a display of over 25 architect-designed mini treehouses for bonsai, sitting alongside are 12 specimens from bonsai master Peter Warren’s own collection, a nature trail, creative workshops and free activities for children.
Enveloped in greenery and dappled light, it’s the perfect summer escape, part architecture, part secret garden, and a world in miniature waiting to be explored.
Alongside the exhibition, you can book a creative workshop for a hands-on session making a treehouse garden as a family, or selecting and working on your own bonsai tree to take home.
A Children’s Summer Camp runs throughout the summer – drop your children off for a full day of creative activities.
Peter Warren is holding two 4 hour bonsai masterclass workshops on Sunday 12th July from 12:30-4:30pm and Sunday 19th July from 12:30pm-4:30pm. These can be booked through the workshop section of our website here by booking the 12:30 Sunday workshop slot on either day. The ticket is for 1-4 people and includes a tree to work on during the workshop and to take home.
Location
Oxford Square, Connaught Village, London W2
About Connaught Village
Connaught Village is a charming pocket of W2, where flower-filled streets and independent boutiques create a village feel, a world away from the bustle of central London.
Shaun pointed out this neat little find at the apex of a Larch being worked on at Chichester’s recent show.
It is — we think — likely a pine hawk-moth caterpillar (Sphinx pinastri), in its late instar. They feed almost exclusively on pine, larch and spruce, so finding one here fits well. Earlier instars are green with white stripes, but just before they descend to pupate they turn brown/purplish-grey — which matches the bark-like camouflage.
The pine hawk-moth is not typically considered a serious pest on ornamental trees or bonsai conifers in small numbers. Usually one or two caterpillars per tree, no need to spray.
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