Bonsai News | Prism Hobbies

Bonsai size guide explains shohin, chuhin and dai by hand count

Hand count turns bonsai size into a care cheat sheet: shohin is one-handed, chuhin two-handed, and dai signals bigger space, water, and budget.

Nina Kowalski•4 min read•08:15 AM

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Nigel Saunders begins first styling work on neglected tropical bonsai material

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Mark Arpag to lead Mohawk Hudson Bonsai workshop and demo

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Nigel Saunders visits Royal Botanical Gardens club, refines Eastern white cedar group

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Pacific Bonsai Museum opens tickets for Branch Out 2025 fundraiser

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Bonsai began in China and was refined into an art in Japan

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Firefly Distillery pairs bonsai and live music in beginner workshop

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Minnesota Bonsai Society offers tropical beginner workshop for new growers

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Baikoen Bonsai Club shares July update after Japan trip and family health issues

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More News

Community

National Bonsai Museum turns to viewing stones in new exhibit

The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is putting viewing stones front and center, tying a June 27-Sept. 7 exhibit to bonsai display culture and its 50-year story.

Sam Ortega2m read

Community

California garden series brings back Saturday bonsai workshop

August’s bonsai workshop returns to the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, giving newcomers a hands-on entry point inside a monthly Japanese arts series.

Nina Kowalski3m read

Community

Mark Arpag to lead Mohawk Hudson Bonsai workshop and demo

Mark Arpag will lead a July 25-26 BYOT workshop at DJH Bonsai, then a Sunday noon demo open to all after Mohawk Hudson Bonsai Society's club meeting.

Nina Kowalski2m read

News

Omiya museum opens summer bonsai and suiseki exhibitions

Omiya’s summer slate pairs July bonsai displays with an incoming suiseki show, turning the museum into a moving target for repeat visits.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Updates

National Bonsai Museum extends weekday hours for summer visits

The Arboretum is keeping the grounds open until 8 p.m. on weeknights through Aug. 28, giving after-work access to the bonsai pavilions.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Community

Prairie State Bonsai Society opens registration for Destination Asia 2026 workshops

Registration is open for eight hands-on bonsai workshops at Morton Arboretum, with Peter Chan headlining Destination Asia 2026 August 1-2.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Community

Beijing bonsai exhibition opens at Jingshan Park with 300 plants

Nearly 300 bonsai and penjing filled Jingshan Park, turning the old imperial garden into a regional style report in miniature.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Community

Firefly Distillery pairs bonsai and live music in beginner workshop

Dwarf Jade, live music and a guided hands-on class meet at Firefly Distillery on July 18, with $80 seats and limited spots making it a quick decision.

Jamie Taylor4m read

Community

Pacific Bonsai Museum opens tickets for Branch Out 2025 fundraiser

Branch Out 2025 sold out after Pacific Bonsai Museum opened reservations for its fundraiser inside the rarely open former Weyerhaeuser HQ in Federal Way.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Analysis

Bonsai began in China and was refined into an art in Japan

Bonsai is not a dwarf species or a genetic trick. It began as a tree-in-a-pot practice in China, then Japan refined it into the discipline you buy and style today.

Sam Ortega5m read

Analysis

Why azalea and rhododendron bonsai are easier than many think

Azalea and rhododendron bonsai reward restraint: build the branch structure first, and the flowers get better instead of getting in the way.

Sam Ortega4m read

Community

Minnesota Bonsai Society offers tropical beginner workshop for new growers

A July 19 tropical beginner workshop gives new growers a practical first bonsai: an indoor-friendly tree, a beginner-focused class, and a clear path into Minnesota Bonsai Society's yearly program.

Jamie Taylor5m read

Analysis

Bonsai deadwood styling turns damage into weathered design language

Deadwood can make a bonsai feel ancient, but only when the species, live vein, and aftercare can carry it. Jin, shari, and uro each tell a different weathering story.

Nina Kowalski4m read

Community

Nigel Saunders visits Royal Botanical Gardens club, refines Eastern white cedar group

Nigel Saunders turned a Royal Botanical Gardens club visit into a cedar lesson, pruning a root-over-rock Eastern white cedar group at Serenity Gardens.

Sam Ortega2m read

Community

New York City bonsai workshop teaches design, planting and care

A two-hour East Village bonsai workshop on July 19 bundles design, planting and care into one compact entry point for busy beginners.

Sam Ortega3m read

Community

Portland Japanese Garden bonsai talk with Shinji Suzuki sells out

Shinji Suzuki’s July 19 bonsai talk at Portland Japanese Garden sold out, and a three-hour slot plus a July 20 follow-up show real demand for live master instruction.

Sam Ortega2m read

Community

Eastern Leaf hosts hands-on bonsai study group for all levels

Beginners and seasoned growers joined Jason Chan at Eastern Leaf Nursery in Chino for a $25, two-hour study group with live material and small-group styling.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Updates

Kaneshin rolls out bonsai tool restocks and new repotting sickle

Kaneshin’s repotting sickle is the standout. June restocks also hit wiring, pruning and cut-sealing basics.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Analysis

Nigel Saunders begins first styling work on neglected tropical bonsai material

Nigel Saunders finally repotted two neglected trees, a possible Pitanga and a Crocodile Plant aloe, after years without work. It marked their first real bonsai step.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Community

Providence workshop teaches bonsai basics, lets beginners take home trees

Providence’s bonsai class bundled pruning, styling and a take-home tree into a two-hour greenhouse session for beginners. Members got a discount, but the real draw was a hands-on first step into the hobby.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Analysis

Why bonsai soil matters, and which mix each tree needs

The quiet killer is ordinary potting soil and a houseplant repotting schedule. Bonsai thrives on coarse, species-specific mixes that keep feeder roots alive.

Jamie Taylor4m read

Analysis

Essential beginner bonsai toolkit and practical usage primer

A compact toolkit explains essential bonsai tools and how to use them. It helps beginners pick, use, and care for tools for shaping, pruning, and repotting.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Community

Toronto Bonsai Society hosts live Mikawa maple demo with Corin Tomlinson

Corin Tomlinson led a live Mikawa Yatsubusa maple demo at the Toronto Botanical Garden, with BYOT critique, refreshments and an auction.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Community

Midwest Bonsai Society to teach wiring at July meeting

Wiring took center stage at the Midwest Bonsai Society’s July 6 meeting, where Phil Maliot showed how raffia and guy wires shape a specimen tree.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Community

Heathcote Botanical Gardens to spotlight 220-year-old bonsai for America 250th

Heathcote Botanical Gardens will pair a 220-plus-year-old bonsai with a July 250th celebration, using heritage displays and a timeline exhibit to teach history through living art.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Community

Midland Bonsai polishes trees and plans ahead for annual show

Midland Bonsai’s final pre-show meeting turned tree refinement into a live rehearsal for the annual exhibition, with sketching, styling, and last-minute decisions all in play.

Nina Kowalski3m read

Community

Triangle Bonsai Society Expo brings live demos and public voting to Duke Gardens

More than 50 bonsai, live demos and a public vote turned Duke Gardens into a rare hands-on entry point to the Triangle’s bonsai scene.

Sam Ortega2m read

Analysis

Bonsai growers focus on winter repotting prep and species timing

July is a timing check, not a styling spree: decide now which deciduous bonsai need repotting and which flowering trees must wait. Rushed cuts can cost spring bloom.

Jamie Taylor3m read

Community

Prairie State Bonsai Society prepares trees for August show

Phil Malhiot showed Prairie State members the last-mile fixes for a show tree as the club counted down to its August 1-2 exhibition.

Sam Ortega2m read