Bonsai swap meet in Encino offers trees, pots and tools
Woodley Park’s swap meet packed 30 to 40 vendors into one morning of pots, tools and hundreds of trees, with no ticket required and free parking.
Woodley Park became a working bonsai market on Sunday, June 7, with 30 to 40 vendors set up at the south end of the parking lot in Encino. The 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. swap meet put pots, tools and hundreds of trees in one place, giving buyers a chance to compare material side by side instead of waiting for a formal show or lecture.
The appeal was in the pace and the access. No ticket was needed, parking was free and sales started at 9:00 a.m., so the morning was open to anyone who wanted to browse, talk and shop. Vendors were required to register in advance, while attendees were encouraged to preview trees for sale through the LA Bonsai Swap Meet’s social media presence before heading to 6076 Woodley Ave. in Los Angeles.
For bonsai growers, that kind of setup turns a single stop into a real marketplace. A visitor could move from one table to the next, compare container shapes, check trunk lines, look over pre-bonsai and finished stock, and ask questions about species and styling without leaving the lot. The mix of secondhand material and specialty supplies made the event useful for both newcomers looking for starter trees and experienced growers hunting for pots, tools and more refined material.
The June 7 gathering also sat inside a longer local tradition. A 2024 Baikoen Bonsai Club video showed the Los Angeles bonsai swap meet at Woodley Park drawing 30 vendors selling and trading bonsai along with bonsai-related equipment and tools. A 2025 Baikoen Bonsai Club video identified that year’s event as the 13th Annual Bonsai Swap Meet and said it had more than 30 vendors, underscoring how the Encino meet has grown into a recurring fixture for Southern California growers.
Baikoen Bonsai Club said it was started by Frank Nagata, one of the co-founders of the California Bonsai Society, and that its meetings are held in the Bamboo Room at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden. That background helps explain why the Woodley Park swap meet draws such a broad range of sellers and buyers. It is not just a sale date on the calendar. It is the place where the bonsai community does its buying, trading and comparing in a single morning.
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