Knoxville Bonsai Society invites members to spring tree workshop, pruning help

Repotting, pruning and wiring took center stage for Knoxville bonsai growers as the Knoxville Bonsai Society opened its spring workshop on April 11, a full-day bench session that ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and could stretch an extra hour for anyone still sorting out spring tree work. The club opened the meeting to both members and prospective members, signaling a practical workday built around real tree decisions rather than a closed club gathering.

The timing fit East Tennessee’s season. As trees pushed into active growth, the society steered the session toward the jobs that matter most now: repotting, pruning, wiring and follow-up care. The club has used spring for this kind of hands-on work before, with recent seasonal sessions centered on deciduous trees, repotting and conifers, all part of a recurring calendar that keeps the bench moving as temperatures rise.

Knoxville Bonsai Society traces its roots to 2001, when a handful of East Tennessee enthusiasts formed the club. Since then, the group says it has grown into one of the leading bonsai organizations in the Southeastern United States. Members regularly show trees, attend meetings and workshops, and trade bonsai knowledge and styling techniques, which helps explain why the society keeps drawing both longtime hobbyists and people just getting started.

The club’s contact page lists Dat Tran as president, Gary Teeter as vice president, and Brian Weston and Jacob Weston as secretary and treasurer. That leadership now sits behind a club that is doing more than classroom-style instruction. The society also said it will feature members’ trees at the Knoxville Asian Festival, where members will be on hand to answer questions and offer a free midday demonstration of pruning and shaping.

Recent club posts say 25 to 30 styled trees will be on display at the festival, giving local material a public stage and putting East Tennessee bonsai in front of a much larger crowd. The festival itself is held at World’s Fair Park, adding another layer of visibility to the club’s spring workload. For Knoxville growers, the message is clear: April bench work is not just about getting trees through the season, but about preparing them for the exhibitions and public demonstrations that define the rest of the year.