Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt Announces Mammoth Auction and Sale March 7-8

Donors, vendors and volunteers are lining up for the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt’s Mammoth Auction & Sale, set for Saturday, March 7, 2026 (live auction) and Sunday, March 8, 2026 (vendor and consignment sales) at the Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave, Oakland. Sunday’s vendor and consignment hours are listed as 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM; the live auction is scheduled for Saturday, March 7, with the event billed as the garden’s largest fundraiser of the year.

The Golden State Bonsai Federation is presenting the two-day fundraiser on behalf of the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt; GSBF is identified as a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization in event listings. The Mammoth’s proceeds fund the maintenance and programming of the all-volunteer museum at Lake Merritt, and event copy on the GSBF calendar states, “The Mammoth Fundraiser is the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt’s largest fundraiser of the year!”

Organizers asked consignors to prepare show-ready material. Suzanne Muller posted that “This month ends the call for auction and sale consignments and donations. Quality bonsai trees, pots, stands, and related bonsai items are needed for the auction. Sale items can be suitable pre-bonsai trees, bonsai trees, pots, stands, tools, and bonsai art.” Auction items were instructed to be presented in show condition and documented for the catalog.

Deadline and catalog photography logistics were explicit: “All auction items must be delivered to BGLM now or by Saturday, January 10, 2026, 9:00 a.m., so that the items are photographed for the auction catalog. Prepare your items as if show ready!” Midori Bonsai’s newsletter and volunteer notices reinforced that final submissions for trees closed through January 9, 2026, and that trees and other auction items were photographed on January 10 for the catalog and website.

Volunteers were asked to help with the photography and itemization push on January 10, 2026 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the BGLM Reserve Site, and a SignUp Genius form was circulated for staffing the March 7-8 weekend. Midori’s notices list specific tasks: moving auction items, photographing and itemizing for the catalog, and staffing the live auction and vendor/consignment sales.

For delivery appointments and additional instructions, organizers directed consignors to contact Director Suzanne Muller at queueinteriors@comcast.net. Midori’s posting also notes that paperwork and consignor forms are available on the BGLM website and in the garden workshop. Organizers asked the community to “Please help support our unique all volunteers run bonsai museum by participating anyway you can!” For questions about forms, drop-off procedures or Saturday auction start times not listed in event postings, contact Suzanne Muller at queueinteriors@comcast.net.