Master Gardeners of Washington County to hold program on Bonsai Jan. 28

The Washington County Master Gardeners will open their 2020 calendar year with a program on the bonsai. 'The Beautiful Bonsai” will be presented on Tuesday, January 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Washington County Extension office. The public is invited to attend this free program.

'The bonsai is once again trending as a popular houseplant,” said Vivian Rothe, the 2020 Washington County Master Gardeners president.

Cat Nelson, a long-time bonsai aficionado, will share information on growing and caring for bonsai trees, an ancient technique of growing small trees in containers to mimic the shape and scale of full-size trees. 'I currently have a mulberry, a Russian elm, and an Eastern red cedar, all dug out of the wild, that I'm cultivating as bonsai,” said Nelson.

Nelson has been interested in bonsai since her youth and has been actively growing them for over 15 years. Before moving to Iowa she was active in numerous bonsai clubs, including a stint as president of the Midwest Bonsai Society of Chicago. She was a volunteer working on the Chicago Botanic Garden's Bonsai Collection, a past secretary of the American Bonsai Society, an author of one ABS booklet and several articles for the ABS Journal. She has exhibited trees in numerous bonsai shows around the country and does presentations for both bonsai and non-bonsai groups.

In addition to tending to her bonsai collection and related activities, Nelson is the facility manager for the Washington Community Center.

For more information on the program or the Washington County Master Gardner group, contact the Extension Office at 319-653-4811. The Master Gardeners will hold a short business meeting, prior to the program, which will begin at 6:10 p.m., with the program to follow at 6:30 p.m.