Bonsai Show

October 12, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
October 13, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Please join us at Reiman Gardens for the annual Bonsai Show in conjunction with the Iowa Bonsai Association. Bonsai is an Asian art form, which incorporates artistic and horticultural skills and techniques to produce small trees in containers that mimic the spirit, shape, and proportions of full size trees in nature.

The Iowa Bonsai Association (IBA) and its sister club from Eastern Iowa (EIBA will have a formal display of some of the finest bonsai in Iowa. New this year, the Nebraska Bonsai Society will show the best bonsai in Nebraska. IBA docents will be available to walk you through the show and answer your bonsai related questions. Bonsai styling and design demonstrations will run concurrent with the show. You are invited to sit, relax and ask questions as bonsai artists work their magic.

The theme this year is “Bonsai on a Budget, Style and Design”. On Saturday, October 12, at 1:00 p.m., join us while 3 bonsai artists simultaneously style and design trees from different sources. Three bonsai artists will use collected mountain material, Iowa urban yamadori, and traditional garden center stock for demonstrations. Ask questions as a moderator walks you through the history, styling and design process of bonsai.

On Sunday, October 13 at 1:00 p.m., a special demonstration and lecture on the Kusamono/ Shitakusa, which is a potted collection of inexpensive plants, typically grasses and mosses, designed to be viewed either in accompaniment with bonsai alone.

An area bonsai vendor and an expanded version of the IBA sales table with all bonsai related materials, tools, pots and trees will be available to the public. This sale is a must for any artist wanting to get a start in bonsai.

No preregistration is required to attend the Bonsai Show. Free for members and Iowa State University students. Cost of admission for the general public.