Hidden Potential: A Bonsai Nursery Crawl at Phelan Gardens

Learn how to select promising nursery plants for bonsai, then watch a live styling demonstration with bonsai artist David Kuntz.
About this Event

What if your next incredible bonsai is sitting in a local nursery, just waiting to be discovered?

Join the Pikes Peak Bonsai Society at Phelan Gardens for a free, hands-on Nursery Crawl led by local bonsai artist David Kuntz. You’ll explore the nursery while learning how experienced bonsai artists look beyond an ordinary landscape plant and recognize the hidden potential within.

During the nursery crawl, you’ll learn:

• Which plant species make good bonsai—and why
• How to recognize strong trunks, movement, taper, and nebari
• What characteristics to avoid when choosing nursery stock
• How to spot hidden potential in ordinary landscape plants
• How thoughtful plant selection can save years of frustration and expense
• How an artist approaches initial design, branch selection, and pruning

David will explain which species make strong bonsai candidates, what to look for when evaluating trunks and roots, and which characteristics you may want to avoid. After participants have had an opportunity to select plants, he’ll perform a live styling demonstration and share the first steps involved in transforming nursery stock into a bonsai.

Whether you’re completely new to bonsai or want to sharpen your eye for quality material, this is a great opportunity to ask questions, learn from an experienced artist, and spend the morning with fellow bonsai enthusiasts.

This event is free and open to both PPBS members and nonmembers. Advance registration is encouraged.

Challenge

Pikes Peak Bonsai Society members are invited to purchase a plant during the nursery crawl and transform it into a bonsai over the following month.

Bring your finished tree to the October PPBS meeting, where the entries will be judged.

Grand Prize: A $100 Phelan Gardens gift card!

The challenge isn’t about purchasing the most expensive tree. It’s about recognizing potential and making thoughtful design decisions using nursery-grown material.

Everyone is welcome to attend the Nursery Crawl, but only current PPBS members are eligible to enter the challenge and compete for the gift card. Plants are not included with registration and must be purchased separately.