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:June is officially Winter, and it certainly got off to a wet, cold start this year. After a few wonderful weeks of showing us their “radiant reds” and “glorious golds”, most deciduous trees have now shed their Autumn coats.Bonsai enthusiasts must be sure their “little trees” are Winter Ready. With the increase in natural rain we are getting now, the amount of hand watering may be cut back. Trees that had been placed to protect them from the summer sun can now be pushed back into the open. The winter sun will promote bud development and lighten spring growth. The surface of pots should be kept clear of moss and fallen leaf debris that may prevent good drainage. Soil that is constantly wet can encourage root rot.It is also a good time to review thebranch structure on your deciduous trees. With the limbs bare, wiring and shaping can be done more easily, and as the tree is not actively growing during this time, the wire is less likely to cut in and scar them. May and June are also the best times to do heavy pruning and shaping to most conifers.
There are always plenty of tasks to be carried out on your trees even though it appears on the surface that there is not much to be done during Winter.

At last month’s Meeting we were delighted to have Tien from Bonsai Sensation Nursery as our Guest Presenter. He demonstrated how to take a starter cedar tree and create a bonsai in the raft style from it in one evening. A number of our members were not familiar with this style, so foundhis presentation particularly interesting. Even the more experienced among us gained plenty of additional information from him. Tien is a great supporter of our Club and it is always a pleasure to have him at our meetings.

Our Monthly Meeting on Tuesday June 11th, will again feature a Guest Presenter. This time we will have Scott Martin, the founder of Bonsai Matsu. Scott has studied with many Australian and International artists, and has travelled to Japan on numerous occasions to further his knowledge of bonsai. He will be bringing along a Japanese Black Pine to work on. Scott will chat as he works and answer questions as they arise. It is a little while since we had him as a presenter at our Club, so we are looking forward to this evening and to take in the knowledge and skills he will share with us.

The next Monthly Workshop is on June 30th at 1:00pm at our usual Venue, the Chirnside Park Community Hub

A number of our members found the Saturday Workshop’s a great way to be introduced to bonsai and to our club.If you are interested in “checking us out” for yourself, why not pop along. Please contact us beforehand for further details on where to find us. You’ll be made most welcome.