Midwest Bonsai Society Spring Show Brings Regional Collectors to Chicago Botanic Garden

The Midwest Bonsai Society's Spring Show & Sale returns to Burnstein Hall of the Regenstein Center at the Chicago Botanic Garden on May 16 and 17, 2026, running 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Celebrating what the Garden's event page calls 20 years of sharing the hobby with the Midwest community, the show draws club members, vendors, demonstrators, and the public together for a weekend built explicitly around one priority: education.

The theme of education shapes every element of the programming. Members are invited to bring trees in various stages of training, accompanied by explanations of what processes are being used, turning the hall into a living classroom where work-in-progress material is as central as finished display pieces. The Garden's bonsai trees are displayed separately in the two courtyards of the Regenstein Center, giving visitors a clear contrast between polished collection trees and the kind of hands-on training material that most hobbyists are actually working with at home.

Vendors will offer trees, accent plants, pots, stands, tools, and bonsai books and literature. Demonstrations run throughout both days, and the weekend includes workshops specifically designed for children, with hands-on programming intended to make the art accessible to families. Attendees who bring their own trees-in-training can share their process with fellow members in a non-judged format that keeps the focus on exchange rather than competition.

The May show sits in a distinct position within the Midwest Bonsai Society calendar. It is smaller than the society's August Bonsai Exhibition, but the Burnstein Hall venue and courtyard displays make the most of that more intimate scale. For anyone building a regional bonsai practice, the vendor floor alone, stocked with accent plants, quality pots, and books that rarely turn up at local nurseries, justifies the trip to Glencoe.

Attending the bonsai show carries no separate admission charge once inside the Garden, but standard Chicago Botanic Garden parking rates and per-person entry tickets apply. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe; customer service can be reached at (847) 835-6801. The Garden's dedicated ticketing page has current admission and parking pricing for the May dates.