Phipps to showcase ancient art of bonsai during workshops
PITTSBURGH – Visitors can learn about the elegant art of bonsai during Bonsai Weekend at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Phipps will spotlight its premier bonsai collection during it annual Bonsai Weekend, which will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 30-31.
Visitors will get a first-hand introduction to bonsai (pronounced “bone-sight”) at Phipps. Kevin Haughey, Phipps’ bonsai manager, is planning various workshops and activities throughout the weekend to introduce Phipps’ visitors to this horticultural art form.
Plan to attend an introductory workshop, examine Phipps’ 300-specimen bonsai collection and check out tools and accessories needed to create bonsai.
The events are as follows:
Bonsai Studio Workshop
– Saturday, Aug. 30, 1 to 3 p.m., beginner and intermediate at Botany Hall, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Schenley Park.
Because bonsai is a living art, the creative process is never complete. Caring for a bonsai requires regular pruning, styling, wiring, repotting and feeding. This studio workshop is designed for those with an existing plant that need guidance to create a living sculpture. Tools will be provided. Please bring a bonsai to class.
Beginning Bonsai Workshop
– Session I, Saturday, Aug. 30, 10 a.m. to noon.
– Session II, Sunday, Aug. 31, 1 to 3 p.m.
The classes will be at Botany Hall, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Schenley Park.
This offers am opportunity to learn the timeless and ancient art of bonsai in a hands-on workshop with Phipps’ bonsai manager. Using Scotch pine, one of the best beginner plants, learn the horticultural techniques of styling, wiring, potting and root pruning. All materials will be provided and each participant will take home a completed bonsai.
During the weekend, guests are invited to see the outdoor Japanese Courtyard Garden, where Phipps’ entire bonsai collection will be on display.
The following are facts about the collection.
– More than 300 bonsai are in the collection.
– Forty bonsai are always on display during the summer, while the rest reside in outdoor growing areas.
The collection includes both hardy and tropical varieties. Sizes of bonsai range from several inches to several feet. Most of the basic bonsai styles, informal upright, slanting, semi-cascade and cascading, are represented along with several of the miscellaneous styles, forest, root over rock and driftwood.
Phipps serves the community in two locations. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the 13-room Victorian glasshouse and gardens in Schenley Park, is open year-round, Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday until 9 p.m., closed Monday. Phipps charges small admission rates and fees for the bonsai workshops. Children under 2 and Phipps members are free. Phipps Garden Center, located at 1059 Shady Avenue in Mellon Park, is a horticultural education center offering classes, workshops and the gift boutique, “Shop in the Park.”
For more information, call the Conservatory at (412) 622-6914 or contact the Garden Center at (412) 441-4442. To learn more about either location, visit Phipps online at www.phipps.conservatory.org.