Bonsai Club hosts open house

THE VILLAGES — She was ready to find out whether nurturing a forever-tiny tree would be a good hobby, so Jeri Balisteri visited with the Bonsai Club.

“I always found it fascinating to see it in books and magazines,” said Balisteri, a Calumet Grove resident. “It sounds like it’s work, but the finished product would be beautiful.”

Beautiful indeed. The forest-style Ficus nerifolia, owned collectively by club members and shown off during the open house, had flourished since it was started two years ago from a sideways-planted tree branch.

Balisteri was one of a number of Villagers who attended the annual open house conducted by the club Friday at Laurel Manor Center. For the session, members brought in their favorite bonsais for brief discussion. People curious about the club, such as Balisteri, also were welcome to ask questions and learn more about the group of tiny-tree enthusiasts.

“If they have a neighbor or friend who has asked them about bonsai,” said Bud Stout, president and Belle Aire resident, “this is the time to bring them in.”

Nanci Strickland of Belvedere proudly talked about her golden bean kumquat tree, whose exposed roots were twisted around a rock.



The charm in bonsais is sometimes found beneath the soil in which they are planted. Strickland said she found the gnarled root mass when she pulled the plant from its pot. She re-planted the tree with its mass above the soil and inserted a rock in a gap.

Village of Alhambra resident Ted Lennan sought advice from Stout regarding his unknown species bonsai tree.

“When I bought it,” Lennan said, “it was a weed.”

The tree needed some pruning, and Stout suggested the appropriate areas to cut. Since it seemed fairly young, the tree had many possibilities for its grooming and shaping.

“Have fun with it,” Stout said.

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