Prairie State Bonsai Society

June 2022 Board Meeting
2022-06-14 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | IL
Board Meetings are currently held via ZOOM. The board meetings are open to current members as non-voting observers.

Click the Zoom button to join the meeting.
June 14, 2022
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

MABA/Milwaukee 202Two
2022-06-23 08:00 - 2022-06-26 17:00 | IL
On June 23-26, 2022, Bonsai artists and MABA members are heading to Milwaukee, WI for the MABA/Milwaukee Convention! In part to see headlining artist François Jeker from France or any of the other nine artists.
Following the unprecedented 2020 pandemic we postponed this convention twice. The safety and the well-being of all those that come together for this event will always come first. Now with the country starting to feel safe, our partner artist and vendors agree to go forward.
http://www.milwaukeebonsai.org/maba/

MABA
The Mid-America Bonsai Alliance (MABA) is an organization made up of local bonsai clubs and societies from nine Midwest U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

MBS
The Milwaukee Bonsai Society (MBS) mission is to create a rich and diverse community through its inspiring bonsai exhibits, education, and community engagement.

PSBS Annual Club Picnic 2022
2022-06-26 10:00 - 17:00 | Cantigny Park, 1 S 151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, IL, 60189, United States
This year’s summer picnic is Sunday, June 26, at Cantigny Park, 1s151 Winfield Rd. in Wheaton, IL 60189.
Cantigny is a beautiful park with gardens, the Robert R. McCormick House, and the First Division Museum.
Our club picnic is the perfect time to come together and enjoy bonsai. We should take this opportunity to bring a tree to show others and bring trees that we would like advice on. It is a great time to hang out together and work on trees. Nothing beats a summer day talking bonsai and wiring trees.
Our picnic will take place under the shelter at the First Division Pavilion. Lunch will take place around noon. The club will provide the burgers, hot dogs, and drinks; members are asked to bring their sides and share if they feel comfortable. Phil Maliot will give a demonstration at 2 pm.
Members, please plan on bringing a tree or two to work on. The club will have our wire box available if people need wire for their trees.
I would love to see people bring trees to show the public at this event. It is not a formal show, so the trees don’t need to be in perfect show shape. We want to let the public know about all the trees we are working on. However, please do if you are inclined to bring the tree you plan to show at the Midwest symposium. We would love to get a preview of the tree.
We will raffle off a couple of trees, so bring a little extra cash. A raffle will be open to the public with the tree Phil Maliot works on for the demonstration. A separate raffle will be held for club members only for a Jim Keith-Styled Shimpaku.
Win a beautiful Shimpaku juniper styled by former club president and member Jim Keith! Only members will be allowed to buy tickets for this tree’s raffle. Don’t miss your chance to add this fabulous piece to your personal collection at the club picnic!
So we hope to see you on June 26th!

Please be aware that while there is no entry fee to Cantigny, there is a $10 parking fee per car.
Please feel free to call me (Nick DiBattista 630-479-2112) should you have any questions.

Map of Cantigny with picnic area circled in red.

July General Meeting
2022-07-13 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Meeting Highlights
⇒ Tree on a rock planting by Larry Magee
⇒ Muck demonstration by Linda Camp
⇒ Three raffles – Three trees

Phil Mahliot’s Demo Tree from the Club Picnic

Jim Keith’s Demo Tree

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

July 2022 Board Meeting
2022-07-19 19:00 - 20:30 | IL

August General Meeting
2022-08-03 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Tropicals

Meeting Highlights
Jennifer Price will talk about how to enjoy summer color with flowering tropicals plus a few unusual species for your bonsai garden. We will also discuss the advantages of different soil blends.

Please bring some of your tropicals to the meeting for display and to get hints on improving your specimen or just showing off how beautiful it already is.

August Meeting raffle tree was potted this last Spring. Mountian Pine (Pinus mugo) styled by Phil Malhiot

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

PSBS Annual Fall Show
2022-08-06 09:00 - 2022-08-07 16:30 | IL
Destination Asia Festival – The Morton Arboretum
And the Winner is…

Lodgepole Pine – Best in Show
Jennifer Price

Japanese White Pine – Peoples Choice
Dan Turner
See all photos from the Show

Read the recap of all the happenings at the Show below
Click to read the recap of the Show
The results are in for the people’s choice awards.
Click here to see where your tree ranked with the public vote.

Destination Asia raffle tree winner was Jan G., who won a juniper styled by Dan Kosta of PSBS.
Click here to read an article from the Suburban Life Newspaper about Dan Kosta in 2001

Destination Asia Festival – The Morton Arboretum

August 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
August 6 and 7, 2022 @ 9:00 am – 4:30 pm

Destination Asia Festival
The Morton Arboretum

Explore the diverse cultures of Asia through music, dance, food, and more. Join us for a fun-filled weekend that will transport you across the globe. Starting with a member preview on Friday evening and all day on Saturday and Sunday, enjoy diverse cultural performances and demonstrations, various shopping and art vendors, and local food trucks.
This event attracts new members to our club and allows members to gather and interact with the Festival attendees and teach them about the art of bonsai.
PSBS is proud to be back in the Sycamore Room hosting our Annual PSBS Bonsai Exhibition. Our Bonsai Exhibition is where our club members can show their trees which they have spent so much time on. There will also be several “trees in training” tables where our new members can show their work and others can display interesting trees in progress. Please consider bringing as many of your trees as possible. As PSBS members, you are allowed up to three display trees for judging but unlimited “trees in training.”
We are lucky to have Mr. Chris Baker of the Chicago Botanic Garden as our judge for this year’s exhibition. Chris will also be on hand Saturday afternoon to do a Bonsai demonstration. When he was introduced to bonsai, Chris Baker’s journey began 15 years ago in Gainesville, Florida. After moving to Maryland in 2004 to work as a horticulturist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, he joined the Baltimore Bonsai Club. In 2010 Baker, at an Open House at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, met Curator Jack Sustic and expressed an interest in curating a public bonsai collection one day. He began volunteering at the Museum in the spring of 2011. Then, thanks to an introduction from Sustic to Tohru Suzuki, a third-generation bonsai master in Japan, Baker spent six months in 2012 as an apprentice at the Daijuen Nursery. In 2013 he was chosen for the NBF-sponsored First Curators Apprenticeship position. In 2014 Baker’s dream to curate a public bonsai collection came true when he accepted a position as the first full-time curator at The Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois. There he has used the skills and knowledge gained in Japan and at the National Arboretum to raise the status and quality of the Chicago collection. See below for the criteria Chris will use while judging.

Bonsai Judging Criteria

Workshops are available with limited seating on both Saturday and Sunday.
(PSBS members, please call the registrar to receive the member rate
630-719-2468 (Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

Please click the links below each Workshop to register for members and guests of the Morton Arboretum.

1) Brazilian rain tree (Chloroleucon tortum) Workshop

The Brazilian Rain Tree is a beautiful tropical tree. The bark is very smooth and tends to exfoliate, creating a striking image. A Raintree’s trunk will begin to twist and change shape as it matures. The tree has small compound leaves that will fold slightly shut at night. The primary focus of this workshop will be on styling the tree both with wire and branch selection. The instructor will provide seasonal tips so your tree will stay healthy for years. All skill levels are welcome.

Notes: Limit 8
Saturday, August 6, 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Thornhill Education Center
$55.00 members

Click here to Register online.

2) Procumbens Juniper Workshop
This beginner to intermediate class will feature Procumbens Juniper. The primary focus of this workshop will be what to look for in creating bonsai; design and wiring will all be covered. The trees featured are in 1-gallon pots and have ¾”-1 inch trunks. The goal of this class is to come away with a tree that has its first initial styling and is on its way to becoming a bonsai.

Notes: Limit 10
Saturday, August 6, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Thornhill Education Center
$80.00 members

Click here to register online.

3) Fukien Tea (Carmona retusa) Workshop
The Fukien Tea is a beautiful tropical tree originally from China. Its name is taken from the province Fukien (in Chinese Fuijan). The tree features small dark-green shiny leaves atop a trunk with an irregular surface that gives it the appearance of great age even after a few years.Small white flowers can appear all year round and sometimes produce small yellow-red to dark berries. The primary focus of this workshop will be on styling the tree both with wire and branch selection. The instructor will provide seasonal tips so that your tree will stay healthy for years to come. All skill levels welcome.

Notes: Limit 10
Sunday, August 7, 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
$83.00 members
Click here to register online.

4) Chinese Elm workshop (Ulmus parvifolia)

This workshop features a selection of Chinese Elm trees. This workshop will explore the many possibilities of “Chuhin” bonsai, its smaller size requiring less space and time for the overall design. Chinese Elms are strong, adaptable, fast-growing trees with small textured leaves perfect for the beginner or the experienced student. Students will learn design principles as well as how to select and prune branches to develop the desired shape for your tree. The instructor will provide seasonal tips so that your tree will stay healthy for years to come. All skill levels welcome.

Notes: Limit 10
Sunday 7, August , 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Thornhill Education Center
$83.00 members
Click here to register online.

(PSBS members, please call the registrar to receive the member rate
630-719-2468 (Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

Please consider bringing a tree for display.
If you are interested in volunteering time at the show or need transport for your trees, please contact Nick DiBattista (nicholasd_1@yahoo.com or 630-479-2112).
Link to Parking information for volunteers
Link to Morton Arboretum for more information

August 2022 Board Meeting
2022-08-09 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
August 9, 2022 – Meeting of the Board
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Click the link below to join the meeting

https://prairiestatebonsai.com/monthly-meeting-page/

44th Annual Mid-America Bonsai Exhibition
2022-08-19 08:00 - 2022-08-21 17:00 | IL
44th Annual Mid-America Bonsai Exhibition
August 19-21, 2022
About | Guest Master | Vendors | Schedule | Workshops | Volunteers Needed! | Dinner and Auction | Tree Registration

View fullsize

August 2017 Best of Show & 1st Place Professional

Our August Exhibition has the longest history, going into its 44th year in 2022. It is one of the largest regional shows in the nation. Centered on the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Permanent Collection, featuring over 50 world-class trees, it’s a showplace of trees from across the Midwest and beyond. Enthusiasts from across the country bring their trees to be judged in the main hall at the Garden’s Regenstein Center.
A gallery of the 2018 41st Annual Mid-America Exhibition is available here. We have a review of the August 2017 Exhibition available here. We also have a review of the 2015 Exhibit available with that year’s winners.
The show is free, but regular parking rates apply for entry to the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Traveling from out of town? Many of the hotels near the Chicago Botanic Garden offer discounted rates.

September General Meeting
2022-09-14 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
IRON BONSAI COMPETITION
Our September meeting should bring back some fond memories for our longtime members. Our Iron Bonsai is a competition between three bonsai artists and one assistant who will each style a mature juniper in a 5-gallon container in one hour.
Attendees will wander around the room, observing the transformation of the raw plant material into a work of art. The audience is encouraged to ask questions of the artist, make suggestions, question, and comment as they work. Please allow the artist space to work and avoid any physical contact with the work site.
At the close of the competition, attendees be given a ticket to vote for their favorite tree. The artist with the most votes will be crowned Iron Bonsai Champ of 2022.
All three-styled trees will then be raffled individually. Raffle tickets are priced at 1 for $3.00, 3 for $5.00, 7 for $10.00, and 15 for $20.00.
In alphabetical order, the participating artists this year are; Jim Beck, Phil Malhiot, and Victor Zurczak.

This meeting will be held on the second Wednesday of the month due to the Holiday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

September 2022 Board Meeting
2022-09-20 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
https://prairiestatebonsai.com/monthly-meeting-page/

October General Meeting
2022-10-05 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Penjing Demonstration

Jennifer Price will design a Penjing planting on a slab. She will be using approximately nine Chinese Elms, Muck, and a marble slab. Penjing, also known as penzai, is the ancient Chinese art of depicting artistically formed trees, other plants, and landscapes in miniature.
Using artificially dwarfed trees and shrubs, these arrangements are created in special trays or pots which are placed on ornately carved wooden stands. Often, rocks, miniature ceramic structures (like buildings and bridges), and figurines are added to give the proper scales as part of the natural scenery. These miniatures add to the symbolism of a penjing specimen by providing a social or historical context in which to interpret the overall penjing design.
These miniature landscapes include trees that are frequently over a hundred years old. Like the plants in the Chinese garden, they have been carefully selected and tended so that they develop into twisted and gnarled shapes reminiscent of their full-size counterparts in the wild. Like Chinese gardens, these miniature landscapes are designed to convey landscapes experienced from various viewpoints – a close-up view, a medium-range view, or a panorama.
As an art form, penjing is an extension of the garden since it enables an artist to recreate parts of the natural landscape in miniature. Penjing is often used indoors as part of a garden’s overall design since it reiterates the landscape features found outside. Penjing pots grace pavilions, private studies or living rooms, and public buildings. They are free-standing elements within the gardens or placed on furniture such as a table or bookshelf. A lattice display stand is sometimes built, which adds particular prominence to the penjing specimen and exemplifies the interplay between architecture and nature.
Photo of the quartz slab and elms to be used for the demonstration and raffle

There will also be a discussion on preparing Topicals for the upcoming winter season.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

November General Meeting
2022-11-02 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Our guest presenter for November is Angelica Ramirez, currently working on a six-month bonsai internship at the Chicago Botanic Garden. She will share her extensive knowledge of bonsai pot artists’ from around the world.
She has compiled an extensive database of the bonsai ceramics community together and made bonsai pottery easily accessible. The potters of all skill levels, from amateur to professional, in all populated regions. You might also discover potters who don’t make “bonsai pots” but rather make unique pots that may suit as accent or nontraditional style pots. This database includes active potters, archive potters (coming soon), retailers, and resources about bonsai ceramics.

“I love bonsai pots! I have spent countless hours online, researching and finding potters worldwide. I want to make bonsai potters and their work easily accessible to everyone. My goal is to bring the global bonsai potter community together, support them, and in doing so help the whole bonsai community grow long term.”

Angelica’s website can be viewed here.

Angelica began learning bonsai in 2019 from online videos, books, and Feng (Gary) Gu of Penjing Bonsai Garden in Malabar, Florida. Later that year, Angelica attended a one-to-one class with Peter Chan at Herons Bonsai and was invited to continue her studies with Peter. Angelica returned to Herons Bonsai in May 2022 for a week-long course and will return in February 2023 for a month-long internship. As a member of the Bonsai Society of Brevard, Angelica competed at the 2021 Bonsai Societies of Florida Convention Scholarship Competition, earning second place; encompassing a scholarship to continue her bonsai studies and named a guest artist for the 2022 48th Annual BSF Convention. Angelica was honored to display her bonsai at the 2022 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival and at the Chicago Botanic Garden later that same year.
In February 2022, Angelica launched ‘Discover Potters,’ a free online database of active bonsai potters worldwide, which includes direct links to over 300 potters, bonsai pot retailers, auctions, and bonsai pottery resources.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Board Meeting - November 2022
2022-11-08 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Board Meeting

Club Christmas Party
2022-12-07 07:00 - 21:00 | IL
Join us for the last get-together of 2022
Bring snacks and your favorite NA drinks, plus a white elephant gift.
There will also be a door prize chance whether you are naughty or nice.

We will have our annual Christmas Party this year on December 7 ( our regular Wednesday meeting days ) at the College of DuPage. This is a fun get-together to celebrate the holidays with our bonsai friends and colleagues.
Please bring food to share. It can be an appetizer, dessert, or homemade dish. It can NOT be anything that requires an open flame, and NO alcoholic beverages are allowed. The club will provide pop, water, ice, plates, cups, and utensils.
As usual, there will be a door prize or maybe two. Everyone attending will be given a ticket for a chance to win it.

Also, we will have a White Elephant gift exchange. Bring something bonsai-related if you want to play in the White Elephant exchange. You don’t get to play if you don’t bring a gift. Gifts are inexpensive and can be humorous, new, or used items, but they must be related to bonsai and usable, not junk. It can be a pot or tool you don’t need anymore, a book you have read, but remember it must be bonsai related. Wrap it well, put it in the gift pile when you arrive, and you might get something helpful when it’s your turn to snag a gift from the heap. We will draw numbers from a hat to determine the gift-choice play order. Starting with #1, the first person picks a gift from the pile, then unwraps and displays it for all to see. The second and all subsequent people can steal or take a gift from the pile. If they steal, the person who just had his/her gift stolen can take a gift from the pile OR steal any other gift (EXCEPT the one just stolen from him/her). No limit on how many times a gift can be stolen. When all the gifts have been opened, the first player who started the game (who, by the way, never had the option of stealing a gift, to begin with) gets to either keep or exchange his gift with anyone playing, thus ending the game. It is a very fun event; bring a gift and participate.
Please remember to keep the date open for our Christmas party. We always have a good time, sooo, even if you don’t usually make it to our regular meetings, do plan on coming to this.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

January 2023 Board Meeting
2023-01-10 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Jan 10, 2023, 07:00
All members are welcome to join via ZOOM

General Meeting February 2023
2023-02-01 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Join us for the first meeting of 2023! We will view the official club video from the Destination Asia show and open the floor to discuss the show. As always, feel free to bring any trees you need advice from other members!
REMINDER: If you ordered club shirts or hats, you could pick them up at this meeting in person.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Winter Silhouette Exhibit
2023-02-18 10:00 - 16:00 | IL
The 3rd annual PSBS Winter Silhouette Bonsai Exhibit is at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, IL.

A Silhouette exhibit displays the bonsai without leaves which may seem a little strange, but it is a great time to see the trees’ structure, especially the ramification.
The exhibit will last one day on Saturday, February 18, 2022, from 10 am to 4 pm. Both members and non-members are welcome to display their deciduous trees in the natural winter stage of development. Everyone is welcome to visit the exhibit at no charge. There is a $5.00 charge for parking collected at the gate.
The setup for the event will begin on Friday, February 17, 2022. Contact Nick DiBattista with the number of trees you wish to display or how many tables you wish to reserve if you consider vending at the exhibit. You may also email prairiestatebonsai@gmail.com with ‘Winter Silhouette‘ in the subject line.

General Meeting - March 2023
2023-03-01 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Our March Meeting will be a ZOOM presentation by Chris Consenza on Tanuki or Phoenix grafting.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b. The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Board Meeting
2023-03-07 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
March 7, 2023 – Meeting of the Board
To join log in to your account and navigate to Board Meetings under the Members Section

Yamadori Dig with MBS
2023-04-01 12:00 - 15:00 | Boerner Botanical Gardens, 9400 Boerner Drive, Hales Corners, WI, 53130, United States
Bryan Lorentzen, a member of the Milwaukee Bonsai Society, is hosting a Yamadori dig on April 1st, 2023, and has invited our club to attend.
He was walking in the woods near the Boerner Botanical garden three years ago. The Milwaukee Public Schools own the woods. He came across a large group of burning bushes. In many places, they are considered an invasive species. When I contacted and met the caretaker of these woods, he permitted me to dig up as many of these trees as I would like.
We have been there for two springs and are not making a dent. We dug maybe 50 last spring. They make great bonsai. Some were 4″ in diameter. You can dig up trees for an upright, slant style or other. My plan for next spring is to make forests. The trees flower in the spring, get red berries, bud back, and ramify easily, and of course, the leaves turn red in fall. This last fall, when the leaves were changing color, we were there. They stood out in the woods, and there were more than a thousand of them. I will make some oval pots that you can buy for the forest at a reasonable price, and I have some other pots for sale.
You will need branch cutters, shovels, bags, a saw if you choose a large tree, and maybe a cart because the woods are a couple of hundred yards from the parking lot. Be prepared with soil and pots for when you get home.
The event starts after their Saturday meeting on April 1st, 2023. The meeting goes from 9-12 noon at the Boerner Botanical Visitor building on the lower level. Come to the meeting if you want. Or you can wait in the parking lot for us to come out. There will likely be a good spring educational program.
https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Parks/Explore/Boerner-Botanical-Gardens
Here is a story that he wrote a few years ago about Yamadori.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRHD5WvDjZr4Y5AsJVDkBuGExlFLEKRLnq4x1wXpOKopQv7MsFvhrHDbzvfxx9F-A/pub

General Meeting - April 2023
2023-04-05 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Forest Planting Hands-on Workshop

Jim Beck and Linda Camp are leading a forest planting hands-on workshop for our March 2023 General Meeting.
The cost of the workshop is $60 for a five-tree planting and $80 for a seven-tree planting. Additional trees will be available for $10 each.
Species available are Dawn Redwood, Trident Maples, Japanese Maples, Black Pines, Larch
Pot, soil, and wire are included
Observers are welcome at no charge.

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Board Meeting
2023-04-11 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
April 11, 2023 – Meeting of the Board
To join, log into your account and navigate to Board Meetings under the Members Section.

General Meeting - May 2023
2023-05-03 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Air Layering and Grafting
Presentation by Mark Fields

The information below was taken from Mark Fields’ website.
My passion for bonsai began at about age 9. I was born in 1959 and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. My dad was a landscape contractor, as I am today.
My dad used to purchase and dig nursery stock from a nursery, Line’s Nursery, down the street from where we lived. Occasionally, I would go with him and wandered around the nursery one day and found some little mugho pines that the nursery owner had lined out and was training in the ground. I asked the owner, Mr. Line, what he was doing with them, and he said he was training them as bonsai. I began asking him more about them and visited him more often. A few days later, he loaned me two books he owned from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, “Handbook on Bonsai: Special Techniques” and “Handbook on Dwarfed Potted Trees, The Bonsai of Japan” and told me that I would learn more if I read them. He showed me how to start and grow plants from cuttings, prune properly, and practice other skills as I grew older. He passed away in the early 1970s.
My dad used to bring home shrubs in the back of his truck which was removed from a job and discarded. When I saw an interesting-looking trunk or shape, I would remove it and pot it up from the truck. Most would die within days. Some would survive for at least that year’s growing season. It was great practice, and I learned a lot.
When I married and moved out of my parent’s house into a double in 1979, I moved my bonsai there. The neighbor next door noticed that I was growing bonsai and told me his father-in-law used to do bonsai. He went back to his house and got his wife and introduced me. I told her the story about how her father got me started in bonsai and that he had loaned me his two Brooklyn Botanic Garden handbooks more than a decade before. She told me to wait a minute and went back into the house. A few minutes later, she brought out those very same books and told me to keep them. I was stunned. They are now a part of my book collection, and I still use them as a reference to this day.
I discovered a bonsai nursery on the southeast side of Indy called Mendel Gardens about that same time. There I began a relationship with the owner, Max Mendel. He sold starter trees, supplies, offered free advice, and critiqued my trees when I asked him to. He became my second mentor and taught me much of what I know about bonsai today. I called him the father of bonsai in Indiana. I spent many weekends wandering around his nursery. He introduced me to the Indianapolis Bonsai Club, which I joined. I have been a member of that organization since 1979 and was president from 2009 – 2012. Max passed away in the mid-1990s, and I bought a few of his trees and his personal set of Masakuni tools I treasure.
In October of 2004, I traveled to Europe, where I met and befriended Danny Use and his wife Ingrid at their Ginkgo Bonsai Center in Laarne, Belgium. I went back there in October 2005 and worked for Danny for a couple of days. I talked them into traveling to the US in June of 2008 to headline the Mid-America Bonsai Alliance in Indianapolis, their first time here in the US. They invited me to their nursery in April of 2009, where I spent 2 weeks straight working side by side with Danny on many of his world-class bonsai specimens. It was truly an amazing experience, and I learned so much. I am a much better bonsai artist because of his teachings.
I worked for a major pharmaceutical company here in Indy from 1980 – 2010. I also owned and operated my own landscape business, Fields Landscape Concepts, LLC, founded in 1983 and closed in 2006. As part of the landscape business, I have sold bonsai, pre-bonsai, and supplies to club members and fellow enthusiasts since the early 1980s. In 2011, with a gentle push from friends such as bonsai artist and author Craig Coussins, and bonsai artist Warren Hill, I founded my own School of Bonsai.
For the second time, I am married with 2 grown children from my first marriage and a granddaughter and a grandson. My wife Allison delivered twins, a boy, and a girl, in November 2007. So I am experiencing sort of a second life, so to speak.
With the twins coming along, I looked for something to do at home rather than being gone every evening landscaping. In 2006, with some prompting from my wife and IBC club members, I decided to start a website and open a new business, Bonsai by Fields, LLC. I perform demonstrations, lectures, and workshops using a wide variety of trees. I also vend at a few major exhibitions throughout the US.
I recently updated a list of bonsai artists I have either seen in demonstrations, lectures, and workshops. They total more than 60 at this point. Names such as the great John Naka, Mas Ishi, Yuji Yoshimura, Danny Use, Ryan Neil, Masahiko Kimura, and Bjorn Bjorholm.
In 2013, I finally realized a dream I have always had of traveling to Japan to visit some of the bonsai nurseries there. I was also able to see one of the major exhibitions there, the Taikan-ten, held in November in Kyoto.
In early January 2015, I traveled to Osaka, Japan, to study at Kouka-en. A third-generation bonsai nursery owned by Keichi Fujikawa. It is the nursery where Bjorn apprenticed and is now a resident artist. I had secured a spot to study for a month there. What an amazing experience! It was 7 days a week, 8 – 9 hours a day of nothing but bonsai. I was also able to attend the 2015 Kokufu-ten Bonsai Exhibition and the famous Green Club Sale. While there, I met Italian bonsai artist Mauro Stemberger. He visited here in the fall of 2015, and I am now his Midwest agent.
Mark Fields

Some of Mark Fields’s Bonsai trees

Acer Buergerianum

Pinus

Pyracantha
Contact information
Location: Greenwood, Indiana, USA
Email: maf71459(at)gmail.com
Website: www.bonsaibyfields.com

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Board Meeting - May 9, 2023
2023-05-09 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
May 9, 2023 – Meeting of the Board
To join, log into your account and navigate to Board Meetings under the Members Section.

Midwest Bonsai Society 17th Annual May Bonsai Exhibit
2023-05-13 10:00 - 2023-05-14 16:00 | IL
Midwest Bonsai Society 17th Annual May Bonsai Exhibit
May 13th and 14th, 2023
A newer tradition for the Midwest Bonsai Society is the May Bonsai Exhibit. Starting in 2004, the show is smaller than the August Bonsai Exhibition but is well worth the trip to view the displays of trees. The Garden Bonsai trees are displayed in the two courtyards. Vendors offer an amazing selection of trees, accent plants, pots, stands, tools, and Bonsai books and literature. There are also workshops, including a children’s workshop, and bonsai demonstrations.
The May Exhibit is held in the Burnstein Hall of the Regenstein Center at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The theme of the show is education. Members are invited to bring trees in various stages of training, accompanied by explanations of what processes are being used.
There is no cost to attend the bonsai show once inside the Garden, but regular parking rates and per-person admission ticket prices apply for entry into the Chicago Botanic Garden. Please see the Garden’s dedicated webpage for pricing details.

Please see the Midwest Bonsai webpage for additional information

Spring Bonsai Weekend
2023-05-20 10:00 - 2023-05-21 16:00 | IL
The Greater Louisville Bonsai Society is hosting a special bonsai exhibit at the Waterfront Botanical Gardens, 1435 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY on Saturday, May 20, from 10 am to 4 pm, and Sunday, May 21, from 12 pm to 4 pm.

FREE ENTRY
Dozens of bonsai on display
Non-juried show
People’s Choice Award
Bonsai demonstrations
Japanese cultural demonstrations

General Meeting - June 2023
2023-06-07 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Rock Planting demonstration by Larry Magee
and
Bonsai 101 to be determined

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at The College of Dupage campus in the TEC 1038b.
The college address is 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Members who are unable to attend in person may join via ZOOM.

Meeting of the Board - June 2023
2023-06-14 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
June 14, 2023 – Meeting of the Board
To join, log into your account and navigate to Board Meetings under the Members Section.

Annual Club Picnic 2023
2023-06-25 11:00 - 15:00 | IL
This year’s summer picnic is Sunday, June 25, from 11 to 3, at Cantigny Park, 1s151 Winfield Rd. in Wheaton, IL 60189.
Cantigny is a beautiful park with gardens, the Robert R. McCormick House, and the First Division Museum.
Our club picnic is the perfect time to come together and enjoy bonsai. We should take this opportunity to bring a tree to show others and bring trees that we would like advice on. It is a great time to hang out together and work on trees. Nothing beats a summer day talking bonsai and wiring trees.
Our picnic will take place under the shelter just on the left as you enter the park. Lunch will take place around noon. The club will provide burgers, hot dogs, and drinks; members are asked to bring their sides and share.
Members, please plan on bringing a dish to pass and a tree or two to work on. The club will have our wire box available if people need wire for their trees.
So we hope to see you on June 25th!

Please be aware that while there is no entry fee to Cantigny, there is a $10 parking fee per car.
Please feel free to call me (Nick DiBattista 630-479-2112) should you have any questions.
