Yarra Valley Bonsai Society Home Page

The Yarra Valley Bonsai Society, based in the 'far east' of Melbourne, caters for bonsai enthusiasts of all skill levels, from the simply curious and absolute beginner to the advanced practitioners.

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at Chirnside Park Community Hib at 33 Kimberley Drive in Chirnside Park (Melway Ref 37 F3 or see map here). Monthly meetings usually begin with a Review/Overview session at 7.30pm, followed by a short business section and then a feature event: usually a demonstrator or speaker on a topic of interest. In addition to our monthly meetings, we hold informal workshops on the last Saturday of each month from 1-4:00 pm also at Chirnside Park Community Hub.

For membership enquiries contact info@yarravalleybonsai.org.au or download an application form and send it to the PO Box listed above. Better yet, bring it along to the next meeting or workshop. Membership has its benefits, such as substantial discounts at selected nurseries and other businesses of interest, but visitors are always welcome.

LATEST NEWS: Due to the Victorian Government Covid Lockdown, the May End of Month Workshop and the June Tuesday Meeting on 8th June have been cancelled.

Hopefully, restrictions will have eased prior to the scheduled June Workshop on Saturday 26th June, 1:00pm to 4:00pm so that this session may proceed.
The YVBS Bonsai Show for 2021 has been and gone, and was a great success with a record number of visitors and sales. This was a much-anticipated event after the forced cancellations of the 2020 Show due to Covid restrictions and the 2019 Show due to venue constraints – and we were fortunate to get it completed immediately prior to the new Covid lockdown. We hope to welcome a number of new members resulting from the enquiry levels from interested visitors once lockdown is over.
The May Club meeting featured a review of tree preparation techniques for showing trees by Vice President Steve M, followed by a mini-workshop on members’ trees intended for Show submission.
The next meeting planned for Tuesday 8th June was to have been a presentation/demonstration on “Grafting” by Club Committee member Nick R. Originally scheduled for 2020 and shown to a limited audience via Zoom online, this year’s session has also had to be cancelled. Perhaps next year Nick!
It is June already and now officially Winter. We have recently been admiring the colorful shows of “radiant reds” and “glorious golds”, that the deciduous trees have given us. But now, most have shed their Autumn coats and are bare branched. Fortunately, we still have evergreens and conifers to provide some attractive foliage for our viewing pleasure.
With the increase in natural rain we expect from now on, the amount of hand watering of trees may be cut back. Overwatering is to be avoided as potted trees are extremely susceptible to root rot. If possible, watering should be done during the warmest part of the day. This gives excess water a chance to drain away before the cold night air settles down. Keeping deciduous trees on the dry side will promote autumn colour in those still holding onto their leaves.
Trees that had been placed in covered locations to protect them from the Summer sun can now be put back into the open. The winter sun will promote bud development and tighten spring growth. Bonsai is an interesting and rewarding hobby that we love to share with everyone. YVBS welcomes general questions or more specific enquiries about our operation or the art of bonsai. Please email or call us on the numbers provided above.And remember we look forward to catching up with you somewhere in the “world of bonsai” in 2021.