·         October 4, 2014 – Continuing Education “Broadleaf Trees” Sponsored by Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation  Eastside Volunteer Fire Department, 15094 Old Hammond Hwy, Baton Rouge, La

·         Saturday, October 11th, Houston Bonsai Society Fall Show and Activities at Mercer Botanic Gardens, 9am – 3pm. There will be a free exhibit, bonsai sale with out of town vendors and perhaps a Swap Meet. Two famous guest artists Pedro Morales and Boon Manakitivipart will be conducting lectures/demos and workshops.

·         October 11, 2014 -  MSGCBS Workshop at Diamondhead, MS, 10:00am – 3:00pm

·         October 11 & 12, 2014 – Carolina Bonsai Expo, North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Ashville, NC, David DeGroot will be the featured artist.

·         Friday, October 17, 2014 Program: 7:00pm Adam Lavigne Presentation and Demo on Neea Buxifolia FREE and open to all members. Bonus: Adam will be bringing bonsai material for sale For anyone unfamiliar with Adam, check out his website http://adamaskwhy.wordpress.com Adam is a very talented and irreverent bonsai artist and you can expect not only an informative demo but also an entertaining one.

·         Saturday, October 18, 2014 Workshop: 9:00am - 1:00pm Adam Lavigne–Neea Buxifolia Tropicals are one of Adam’s specialties. A few spots are still open ($130 includes nice collected tree). Neeas are easy trees with tiny leaves that can produce beautiful bonsai. Contact Gerald Nolan to sign up. Preference will be given to those who had previously signed up for the postponed workshop.

·         Sunday, October, 19, from 1-4 pm: Adam Lavigne of Orlando will be in Lake Charles for a lecture/demonstration. Details TBA.

·         October 25, 2014 – MSGCBS 9^th Annual Bonsai Show, Biloxi Public Library, 580 Howard Ave, Biloxi, MS

·      25-26 October 2014: Simply Suiseki: Masters Training Conference hosted by Sean Smith and featuring Seiji Morimae along with Peter Warren and Peter Aradi. Limited spaces available. For more details contact Bonsaisean@comcast.com.

·      Saturday, November 1, 2014 Workshop: Bring Your Own Tree Workshop with Guy Guidry Guy Guidry, a GNOBS member, and for those new to the club – a nationally renowned bonsai artist, will conduct a “Bring your own tree workshop” at a specially discounted rate of $50. Sign up now. You won’t find a better deal for a workshop with an artist of Guy’s caliber anywhere. If enough members sign up, we will do two workshops.

·         November 8, 2014 –  ACBS Fall Auction, St Lukes Episcopal School, 3975 Japonica Ln at Azalea Rd, Mobile, AL 36693

·         November 22 a & 23, 2014 - The Bonsai Society of Southwest Florida Presents the 33rd Annual Bonsai Show & Sale, 13180 S. Cleveland Ave. (Rte. 41), Fort Myers, FL 33907  Featuring Ed Trout

·         December 6, Japanese Black Pine Continuing Bonsai Class sponsored by the Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation and conducted by Lawrence LeClaire in Baton Rouge more details to come, contact Lowell Tilley.

·         January 17, LBS Mid-winter bonsai workshop.

·         Friday & Saturday, 27-28 March 2015 from 9-5: LCBS Annual Exhibit will be held in conjunction with the SWLA Garden Conference & Expo at Burton Coliseum. Setup will be on Thursday, 26 March from 9-5:30 with a preview party that evening. Details and updates are available at http://www.gardenfest.com

·         April 18 and 19, 2015, LBS Spring Bonsai Show

·         July, 2015, Louisiana Bonsai Societies (LABS) Day of Bonsai hosted by LBS, Baton Rouge

·         September 2015: American Bonsai: Reforged & Refined hosted by Ryan Neil at the Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR. Details at ttp://www.artisanscupofportland.com.

Broadleaf Bonsai Continuing Education Bonsai Classes

Bonsai Education is the key to achieve our vision, so we have started a continued bonsai workshop classes.  See information below:

The Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation is sponsoring broadleaf bonsai continuing education bonsai classes three times a year.  The plan is for you work on the same bonsai each class until you get it refined to your liking.  Joe Day who has been developing bonsai for years will be the instructor.  He can instruct us on what needs to be done at the right time.  Many experts have their own technique and time table that works for them and by mixing these techniques can be confusing.   By using the same instructor and working on the same bonsai throughout its development should speed up our learning.

We will start the classes with a “bring your own bonsai” workshop conducted by Joe Day.  Your bonsai can be at any stage of development from beginning to fine refinement.  You may bring more than one bonsai to the workshop and to get advice for, but time limitations may limit your work to one. 

Joe Day is a bonsai expert that has been teaching bonsai and art for about 30 years.  He has many years’ experience conducting bonsai workshops and developed many innovative bonsai techniques. It would be almost impossible to find someone that knows more about developing and caring for bonsai in our climate.

The cost is $35 to participate and $10 to observe with lunch included.  We will also raffle some bonsai material, so bring money.  The proceeds will go to Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation to help maintain a bonsai collection and develop a bonsai exhibit garden.

The workshop will be at the Eastside Volunteer Fire Department, 15094 Old Hammond Hwy, Baton Rouge, on Saturday, Oct. 4.  Registration will start at 8:00 and the workshop will start at 9:00.

Please see the attached Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundation flyer.  Please RSVP so we can plan for the food and reserve you a spot in the workshop.  Workshop space is limited.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me. 

Lowell Tilley – lowelltilley@gmail.com

225-272-6744 (home)

225-241-2396 (cell)

Gulf Coast Bonsai Foundaiton

Mission Statement

Establish a permanent repository for the preserving, studying, and improving the finest bonsai and to pass them from one generation to the next.  

Vision Statement 

Develop a world renowned bonsai exhibit and garden with a collection of bonsai to attract visitors from all over the world and have educational events to develop the commercial value of bonsai art and hobby.  Provide visitors with a better awareness, understanding, and appreciation of natural and improved environments.  Insure that bonsai specimen can be passed on from one generation to the next. 

Bonsai Exhibit Garden Objectives

Ÿ  A repository for bonsai that individuals would like to donate or lend to the collection.  This will provide a way to pass bonsai from one generation to the next.  The next generation must be trained to develop and care for bonsai.  The next generation must be educated to maintain bonsai as the bonsai is pasted on to them.

Ÿ  Educational and research structured to advance the science and art of bonsai.  A quality bonsai collection and educational programs that will attach visitors from all over the world.  The whole world is experimenting using different plant verities and techniques.  As understanding of bonsai is increased, more commercial opportunities will be developed.  This can increase tourism throughout the Gulf Coast Region. 

Ÿ  Public education to expand the hobby of bonsai.  Any art is good to expand culture.  Many arts are not fully understood.  But bonsai is unique in that you must have a minimum amount of skill to own it and enjoy it.  Many people buy a bonsai and it dies because they didn’t know how or have the time to take care of it.

Ÿ  Build the collection to 50 to 100 display quality specimens, with emphasis on quality.  This will enable many people to enjoy the art without taking the time they need to maintain their own bonsai.  This will require a full time curator, an assistant, bonsai volunteers, and many other gardening volunteers to maintain the collection and gardens.

Ÿ  Facilities, plant material, and organization to attract world renown bonsai teachers and artist.  Art is a good vehicle to communicate with other cultures.  Bonsai is an ancient world wide art which helps bridge cultures and generations.

Ÿ  Establish a relationship with other bonsai collections in the world to promote the art.  Bonsai specimen can be exchange to provide more diversity.  This would make the garden always changing.  Other public bonsai collection are found in many major metropolitan areas, such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angles, and Washington DC., and there is enough bonsai talent in Baton Rouge and the Gulf Coast Region to develop a find bonsai collection.