Santa Anita Bonsai Society to spotlight viburnum at June 13 meeting

Wanda Danesi will bring viburnum to center stage when Santa Anita Bonsai Society meets June 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the Los Angeles County Arboretum’s Palm Room, a choice that gives the club a species-specific lesson with real design range. The June update, posted June 3, says Danesi will focus on best practices for selection, cultivation and styling, turning a familiar landscape shrub into a bonsai subject worth a closer look.

The meeting lands in a steady run of Santa Anita’s 2026 calendar. The club’s April update already listed Danesi for a June 13 viburnum demonstration, and the May update repeated the same pairing, showing that the topic has been building through the spring rather than appearing as a one-off. That cadence fits a club that has kept members oriented with monthly updates, while also coming off its 59th Annual Memorial Weekend Show and Members Sale, held May 23-25 at the Arboretum’s Ayres Hall.

Viburnum is a smart subject for a club audience because it opens up material beyond the usual evergreen lineup. The U.S. Forest Service says the genus includes about 135 species and describes viburnums as deciduous shrubs or small trees. Bonsai references also point to deciduous and evergreen forms, small often fragrant flowers and colorful fruit, traits that give a grower more to work with than simple foliage alone. That mix makes the genus especially useful for members who want to think about flowering and landscape-adjacent material as serious bonsai candidates.

The setting matters as much as the plant. The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden describes itself as a 127-acre botanical garden and historical site in Arcadia, at 301 North Baldwin Avenue, just east of Pasadena and across the street from Santa Anita Park. Its club directory lists Santa Anita Bonsai Society among the plant societies and garden clubs that meet there, reinforcing the Arboretum’s role as a regular gathering place for Southern California bonsai education. With Danesi on deck and viburnum as the focus, the June meeting is set to offer members a practical lesson in how to turn an underused species into composed, flowering bonsai material.