Bonsai Workshops & Classes in South Carolina

Spend a morning with a tree, a pair of shears and someone who will show you exactly what to do. You go home with the bonsai you styled.

What you will actually do

This is not a lecture. You are handed a tree in the first twenty minutes and you work on it for the rest of the session, with someone at your shoulder. By the end you will have styled, wired and potted a bonsai, and — more usefully — you will understand why each cut was made.

Choosing and reading a tree

What makes a plant worth training — trunk taper, nebari, movement — and how to see the finished tree inside the raw material in front of you.

Your first styling cuts

Which branches go and why. We work through the decisions out loud, so you leave understanding the reasoning rather than copying a shape.

Wiring and shaping

Gauge selection, anchoring, wrapping angle, and how to bend a branch without tearing it. Hands-on the whole time.

Soil, potting and roots

Why bonsai soil looks nothing like potting compost, how to rake out a rootball, and how to seat a tree so it stays put.

Aftercare that actually keeps it alive

Watering by observation instead of by schedule, where to put the tree when you get home, and the first-90-days mistakes that kill most beginner bonsai.

Included

Your tree, tools for the session, soil and a pot, and written species-specific aftercare notes to take home. You need to bring nothing at all. Beginners are the point of these sessions — if you have never kept a bonsai alive, you are exactly who this is for.

Upcoming workshops

7
Mar
WorkshopFlorence

Guided Bonsai Development Workshop

What should you do next with your tree? Join the BCOSC Bonsai Builder Studio Series. Bring one bonsai or pre-bonsai and explore thoughtful next steps for its development. Free for BCOSC members. No tree? Come learn, ask questions, and enjoy the discussion. Guided bonsai development workshop on a quarterly schedule. Members and guests are welcome (Guest appraisal will be $40).

12:00pm - 4:00pmPee Dee State Farmers Market

Our free monthly club meetings run whether or not a workshop is scheduled — those are on the events page.

Get told when the next workshop opens

Questions people ask before booking

Do I need any experience?
No. Our beginner workshops assume you have never touched a bonsai. Experienced growers are welcome too — tell us when you sign up and we will pitch the session accordingly.
Do I need to bring anything?
No. Tools and material are provided for workshops. Club meetings are different — those are bring-your-own-tree, and you can find them on our events page.
Do I take the tree home?
Yes. You work on your own tree and it goes home with you, along with written aftercare notes for that species.
Where are the workshops held?
Florence, our founding chapter, hosts most sessions. Charleston and our forming chapters run them as demand builds — join the list and tell us your city so we know where to schedule next.
How long does a workshop run?
Plan on a half day. That is long enough to style and pot a tree properly without rushing the parts that matter.
Is this the same as joining the club?
No — a workshop is a one-off and you do not need to be a member to attend. If you enjoy it, membership gets you our regular meetings and the wider community.

After the workshop

Every attendee goes home with aftercare notes, but the full species library — watering, light, soil, hardiness and the usual causes of death for 169 species — is free at Bonsai Wonderland, along with trees, tools and soil if you want to keep going. If you would rather learn alongside other people month to month, club membership is how most of our regulars started.