Michigan State University Extension offers beginner bonsai workshop in Britton

A $15 bonsai workshop at Prielipp Farms & Greenhouse in Britton handed beginners a tree, a container and one hour of instruction from Kurt and Lita Smith. Michigan State University Extension’s Lenawee County office set the class up as a beginner-friendly entry point, open to ages 13 through adult and built around learning how to care for a bonsai tree.

The workshop was posted for Friday, June 26, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Prielipp Farms & Greenhouse, 4567 Downing Hwy., Britton, MI 49229. Registration closed June 21 at 11:45 p.m., and cancellations after that date, along with no-shows, remained responsible for the fee. One posted 4-H Online version listed June 25, but the MSU Extension event calendar showed June 26.

MSU Extension public programming brings university research, resources and real-world solutions straight to the public. The workshop stripped away two of the biggest barriers for bonsai newcomers, the cost of sourcing material and the uncertainty of where to begin, by bundling the tree and container into the $15 price.

It appeared alongside a June 19 terrarium workshop and June 24-26 4-H Exploration Days in East Lansing. MSU Extension posted a similar bonsai workshop at the same Britton greenhouse on June 1, 2025, with the same instructors and the same included tree-and-container format.

Kurt Smith owns The Flower Market in Monroe and cultivates a bonsai garden with more than 900 bonsai plants and trees, according to the Monroe County Master Gardener Association. The business started 36 years ago with Kurt and Lita Smith.