Celebrate bonsai at Sacramento show and sale

Bonsai – little trees in pots – stand tall in Sacramento with a deep-rooted history and tradition.

This weekend, April 12 and 13, the American Bonsai Association, Sacramento, will host its 65th annual Bonsai Show and Sale at Shepard Center in McKinley Park. Show hours are 10 a.m to 4 p.m each day. Admission and parking are free.

Special guest artist Carmen Leskoviansky, curator of the University of Michigan bonsai collection, will fashion a bonsai at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Leskoviansky has earned an international reputation for her advocacy for women in bonsai.

The ABAS show will feature scores of bonsai, some of them representing decades of growth and artistry.

Also find bonsai supplies, pots and trees for sale at the club’s vendor and consignment tables.

Learn how to create your own bonsai, too. A beginner workshop ($20) will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday and includes tree, pot, soil and instruction. Register via email to abasbonsaiclub@gmail.com.

One of the country’s oldest bonsai clubs, ABAS dates back to 1958 – the same year the Shepard Garden and Arts Center was opened to the public. That’s seven years before Sunset published its first book on bonsai.

Since World War II, Sacramento has been at the center of bonsai interest in the United States. The nation’s oldest bonsai club is the Sacramento Bonsai Club, which was formed in 1946 by previously interned Japanese Americans. Its meetings were originally held in Japanese.

ABAS was created to accommodate English-speaking garden enthusiasts who were interested in learning how to grow “little trees in pots.” Its show is a celebration of this gardening art and sharing it with others.

Shepard Center is located at 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, on the north end of McKinley Park.

Details: https://www.abasbonsai.org/.