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Exquisite examples of bonsai from Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas will be on display during the 11th Annual Carolina Bonsai Expo, Saturday, October 14, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 15, from noon to 4:00 p.m. at The North Carolina Arboretum. In addition, the Arboretum will be celebrating the 1st anniversary of the opening of the $1.8 million Bonsai Exhibition Garden. This garden is the new home for the Arboretum's distinctive bonsai collection, which has garnered national attention. Recognized as one of the premier annual bonsai shows in America and the top show in the Southeast, the Carolina Bonsai Expo has grown to include juried exhibits from a six-state region. There will be a beginner's Ikebana workshop offered by Terri Ellis Todd, a master in the Ichiyo School of Ikebana and president of the Asheville Chapter of Ikebana International, and an introduction to Bonsai workshop with internationally recognized bonsai artist Jim Doyle. Internationally acclaimed bonsai expert and 2006 Carolina Bonsai Expo guest artist, William N. Valavanis will host the feature presentation on Saturday evening, providing an in-depth examination of the literati form of bonsai. Valvanis is the proprietor of the International Bonsai Arboretum in Rochester, New York, and the publisher of International BONSAI magazine. With 40 plus years of dedicated study, experiences and discoveries, Valvanis has dedicated himself to promoting and teaching Classical bonsai art around the world. The Bonsai Expo will also include expanded bonsai and ikebana exhibits, demonstrations and workshops, a bonsai marketplace, and a lively auction of bonsai plants and related materials. Visitors can purchase lunch items from the Arboretum's Savory Thyme Caf�, open during Expo hours. A special feature of the weekend is the 1st year anniversary of the Arboretum's new, permanent Bonsai Exhibition Garden. Under the leadership of North Carolina Arboretum Bonsai Curator Arthur Joura, a 1,000 year-old horticultural tradition has been brought home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. The Arboretum's diverse collection of more than 100 display-quality trees and over a hundred plants in training is distinctive because it features native Appalachian plants such as American hornbeam, red maple and eastern white pine. Joura is widely acclaimed for both his use of Southern Appalachian native plants and for his commitment to making the art form accessible. "The experience of nature is key to the relevance of bonsai," observes Joura, echoing the Arboretum's simply stated mission of "connecting people to plants."
The 2006 Carolina Bonsai Expo marks the 14-year anniversary of the Arboretum's own bonsai collection. In 1992, the Arboretum accepted a gift of dozens of fragile bonsai from a North Carolina family. From this modest beginning, the collection is now considered one of the finest in the country. In 2003, the Buncombe Country Tourism Development Authority awarded a $750,000 grant to the Arboretum to be used toward the construction of a Bonsai Exhibition Garden. This generous support, along with that of the Janirve Foundation and individual donors, has allowed the Arboretum to publicly display the extensive bonsai collection year round. There is no charge for visitors to attend the Carolina Bonsai Expo although usual parking fees will apply. The program fee for Saturday evening's feature presentation by William Valavanis is $15 for Arboretum members, $20 for non-members. Parking is included in the program fee and paid, pre-registration is required. For more information about the expo or the auction, workshops and presentations, call 828-665-2492 or visit www.ncarboretum.org. The mission of The North Carolina Arboretum is to cultivate connections between people and plants. The North Carolina Arboretum is located next to the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance ramp at Milepost 393. From I-26, take Exit 33 (previously Exit 2) and follow Blue Ridge Parkway signs for two miles to the entrance ramp. Arboretum grounds are open 7 days a week. Property hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., November-March and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., April-October. The Visitor Education Center and Bonsai Exhibition Garden are open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from Noon to 5 p.m. Parking Fees: $6 per personal motor vehicle, $25 commercial vans and $45 tour buses. No parking fee applies for NC Arboretum Society members. All day Tuesday, parking is free for all visitors. For more information, please call 828-665-2492, or visit their web site at www.ncarboretum.org. (Images provided by the NC Arboretum.)
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By including native plants and several miniature representations of regional landscapes, the Arboretum's collection offers a unique interpretation of the Southern Appalachian experience through the medium of bonsai. 