Columbus Bonsai Society

History of the Columbus Bonsai Society

As documented by:
Larry Learn
C Tom Holcomb
Ken Schultz
Sandy Schoenfeld

The Early Years

In February 1972, a small group of individuals got together and informally began the Columbus Bonsai Society. Initially there were no officers. Gwen and Duet Jones, Nancy Green and Leo Bistak planned the first several meetings. In August 1973, Nancy Green became the first President and Leo Bistak was the first Treasurer. Plans were made for a membership drive, dues were set, a Constitution was adopted and the society joined Bonsai Clubs International.

There were no early records of where meetings were held. At some point, Slemmons Nursery hosted meetings until September 1974, when the Upper Arlington Municipal Building facilities were obtained for the club until 1977. Due to problems caused by the gasoline shortage, the membership began looking for a new meeting place. In September 1977 meetings were moved to the Franklin Park Conservatory and remained there until the facility became unavailable due to Franklin Park Conservatory hosting AmeriFlora - billed as the first International Floral and Garden Exhibition in the US (held April through October 1992). Meetings then returned to Franklin Park Conservatory and have remained there ever since.

The first annual show for the Columbus Bonsai Society took place in June 1974, at Slemmons Nursery. In 1975 the show was moved to the Eastland Mall and was held in conjunction with the local Ikebana Societies. Northland Mall was the scene of our first large scale bonsai show in 1976. Beginning June 1978, shows were held at Franklin Park Conservatory (except for the AmeriFlora year, when the show occurred at the Ohio State Fair).

In October 1978, Columbus Bonsai Society President Max Puderbaugh and seven club members met with the Franklin Park Conservatory Director to begin planning for a permanent bonsai collection. Construction began in July 1979 and the new display opened in November 1979. Club meetings in the Summer of 1979 centered on preparing trees for new bonsai display at Franklin Park Conservatory.

The 1990s

In the early Summer of 1990, the Columbus Bonsai Society played host to the American Bonsai Society Symposium, held at the Ohio Union on the campus of The Ohio State University. Max Puderbaugh served as symposium chairman. Guest presenters were Jerry Stowell (New Jersey); Marion Gyllenswan (NY); Kelly Adkins (Illinois); Jerry Meislik (Michigan); Marain Borchers (Florida); and Jose Cueto (Columbus, OH). All tree materials provided for the presenters were obtained from Wild Things Bonsai Nursery (Dale Cochoy and Bob Stevens).

As CBS moved into the 90s our shows had been growing, ever expanding. We sought opportunities to collaborate with other organizations whose art forms shared a similar deep connection with the culture and heritage of Japan. Following AmeriFlora ’92, CBS saw a dramatic increase in bonsai interest. One of the first major visiting guest artist was with Warren Hill, then Curator of the National Bonsai and Penjing collection at the US National Arboretum. His demonstration was ground breaking artistry, with his worked on an Olive tree that was a part of Franklin Park Conservatory collection. Between 1992 and 2006 CBS had a long history of working closely with various Ikebana societies in Central Ohio when we held joint shows at the Franklin Park Conservatory.

As with most bonsai organizations, CBS witnessed ups and downs in the level of interest in bonsai. To pull bonsai back into the local consciousness (during these low periods) CBS routinely developed continuing education curriculum, which includes, “Bonsai Beginner Classes” that CBS conducts with FPC and other locations. CBS even provided bonsai awareness seminars to local school systems (including Olentangy, Westerville and Delaware). In the recent past, CBS has even held demonstrations at various Columbus Metro Parks locations including Inniswoods and with surrounding county garden clubs.

The 2000s

To further enhance our outreach and grow bonsai awareness, CBS joined and actively participated in the Ohio Garden Club Society. In 2007 CBS began planning an All Ohio Bonsai Show inviting Ohio’s then seven bonsai societies to participate. The All Ohio Bonsai Show was held at Franklin Park Conservatory in October 2008. All Ohio based clubs participated in providing trees and creating their own displays.

Present Era

Jumping to the present era, we have had our share of both growth and decline through the years. We experimented with hosting our main annual show a various venues including Dawes Arboretum, Chadwick Arboretum, at The Ohio State University, as well as many other venue sites. While our annual shows may have moved around, our main monthly programming and artisan series has remained steadfast at the Franklin Park Conservatory. It is through this location that our most significant educational and hands-on workshops occur to instruct and inspire the next generation of Bonsai artists.