Greater Louisville Bonsai Society

Category: Clubs Also called: GLBS; Louisville Bonsai; Greater Louisville Bonsai Society (Louisville, KY); louisvillebonsai.org Last checked: 2026-10-08

What it is

The Greater Louisville Bonsai Society (GLBS) is a not-for-profit bonsai club for the Louisville, Kentucky area. Its About page says it was established in 1971 and that it “conducts monthly meetings and activities throughout the year,” using hands-on workshops, professional demonstrations, lectures and video presentations, with a regular raffle and a monthly newsletter for members. Membership is open to all, from complete novices to experts, and dues are $35 per year. Its dated fall 2026 meetings are Tuesday evenings, 6:00–8:00 PM, at Waterfront Botanical Gardens, 1435 Frankfort Ave, Louisville. It is not a commercial nursery and not a botanic-garden tuition class series.

Who it’s for

Louisville and greater Kentuckiana bonsai growers at every level. That includes beginners who want short “Bonsai 101” lessons and help from experienced members, intermediate growers who want bring-your-own-tree work nights, and experienced members who want visiting-artist programs, silent auctions and trips to bonsai nurseries. People who want only a one-off ticketed class with no membership should look at Learning listings instead.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party club site. It prints a founding year, a public join page with a dollar dues amount and a mailing address for checks, and a dated fall 2026 event calendar with venues, times, program topics and a workshop fee. It is not a Facebook-only club and not a scraped directory card.

Club identity (About us page, checked 2026-10-08): established 1971; a not-for-profit club whose purpose is to “advance appreciation, knowledge, and understanding” of bonsai; members get regular meetings, a raffle of bonsai items and plant material, and a monthly newsletter. Club email [email protected] (Contact page).
Membership / fees (Join GLBS page, checked today): “Membership dues are $35.00 per year.” Join with the online form and card payment, mail a check payable to the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society (GLBS) to 2102 Woodbourne Ave, Louisville KY 40205, or bring cash or a check to the next meeting. The home page says membership brings chances to acquire trees from visiting experts, trips to bonsai nurseries, workshops and access to local professional bonsai sellers.
Fall 2026 program (Events page and event pages, checked today):
- Tuesday, September 15, 2026 (past), 6:00–8:00 PM, Waterfront Botanical Gardens: Bonsai 101 on fertilizing; raffia and thick-branch bending for pines and junipers; silent auction of a Shimpaku styled by GLBS Vice President Jim Keith (starting bid $350).
- Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 6:00–8:00 PM, Waterfront Botanical Gardens: Bonsai 101 wiring fundamentals in small groups, then bring-your-own-tree wiring; raffle; silent auction of the Shimpaku juniper styled by Jim Doiron at the 2025 Iron Bonsai Competition.
- Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:00 AM–3:00 PM, Waterfront Botanical Gardens: visiting artist Julian Adams. Pine presentation 10 AM–12 PM, free for all GLBS members; lunch 12–1 PM for workshop participants; hands-on beginner pine workshop 1–3 PM, $80 (starter pines and lunch provided).
- Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 6:00–8:00 PM, Waterfront Botanical Gardens: Bonsai 101 on overwintering; bring-your-own-tree night (conifer or deciduous); raffle.
- Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 6:00–9:00 PM: GLBS Christmas Party at 3rd Turn Brewing, 10408 Watterson Trail, Louisville (BBQ and soft drinks provided, white elephant exchange, free door-prize raffle).
Recent activity: a past event page shows the club’s December 16, 2025 Christmas party at the same brewery, and the September 15, 2026 meeting page shows registration closed after the event.

Meeting times, fees and event dates above are what the official pages showed on the check date. They can change. Confirm on the live Events page before joining or traveling.

Official URL

https://www.louisvillebonsai.org/

About us (1971, not-for-profit, monthly meetings, newsletter): https://www.louisvillebonsai.org/about-us
Join GLBS ($35 per year): https://www.louisvillebonsai.org/join-us
Events calendar: https://www.louisvillebonsai.org/glbs-events
Oct 20, 2026 meeting (wiring fundamentals + BYOT): https://www.louisvillebonsai.org/event-details-registration/wiring-fundamentals-and-byot-bring-your-own-tree-wiring
Nov 14, 2026 Julian Adams program ($80 workshop): https://www.louisvillebonsai.org/event-details-registration/glbs-will-welcome-julian-adams-for-a-pines-presentation-and-beginner-pine-workshop
Nov 17, 2026 meeting (overwintering + BYOT): https://www.louisvillebonsai.org/event-details-registration/bring-your-own-tree-to-work-on-or-get-advice-on
Dec 2, 2026 Christmas party: https://www.louisvillebonsai.org/event-details-registration/glbs-christmas-party-1
Sep 15, 2026 meeting (past): https://www.louisvillebonsai.org/event-details-registration/raffia-and-thick-branch-bending-techniques-for-pines-and-junipers
Contact: https://www.louisvillebonsai.org/contact-8

Location

Region: Louisville, Kentucky, and the surrounding area.
Meeting venue (fall 2026): Waterfront Botanical Gardens, 1435 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY 40206, for the Sep 15, Oct 20, Nov 14 and Nov 17 events. The Dec 2 party is at 3rd Turn Brewing, 10408 Watterson Trail, Louisville, KY 40299 (Jeffersontown).
Mailing address for dues checks: 2102 Woodbourne Ave, Louisville KY 40205 (Join page).

This is a club meeting identity. It is not a retail nursery showroom and not a botanic-garden tuition desk.

Notes

Category is Clubs. GLBS is a member-run not-for-profit with public dues, monthly meetings and a dated fall 2026 calendar. Its Bonsai 101 segments and the $80 Julian Adams workshop are club programming and do not move this card into Learning.
Cadence is inferred, not stated: the About page says only “monthly meetings.” The dated fall 2026 meetings (Sep 15, Oct 20, Nov 17) all fall on the third Tuesday, 6–8 PM, but the site does not print a standing rule. Check the Events page for the next date.
Two Nov 14 pages: an older event page (“GLBS will host Julian Adams…”) still loads, shows “Registration is closed,” lists 9 AM–4 PM and says the workshop cost was “to come.” The current page (“GLBS will welcome Julian Adams…”, linked from the home page and Events page) gives 10 AM–3 PM and the $80 fee. This card follows the current page. No ticket widget was visible on the current page in the static HTML, so how to pay for the workshop is not confirmed.
Template leftovers: the site footer reads “© 2035 by ITG. Powered and secured by Wix,” which is a template artifact, not a real date. Officer names other than Vice President Jim Keith are not listed on the pages checked.
Contact is a Gmail address ([email protected]).
Held earlier as a Clubs alternate (Mon Oct 5, Tue Oct 6 and Wed Oct 7 ships) because the Nov 14 workshop cost was “to come.” The current event page now prints $80, so the hold is cleared.
Geographic spread: Louisville KY is the plaza’s first Kentucky listing and a new metro. It is away from Wed Atlanta GA, Tue Hales Corners WI, Mon Indianapolis IN, Fri Sarasota FL, Thu Cleveland OH, Wed Sep 30 Ann Arbor MI, Tue Sep 29 Nashville TN and Mon Sep 28 St. Louis MO club geos.
Listing image: first-party GLBS logo saved beside this file as greater-louisville-bonsai-society-logo.png (the site header image, static.wixstatic.com/media/6b9569_0e070e06b1774865b1fe493de45226a7~mv2.png, 562×430).
Not affiliated with Bonsai Plaza.
No Bonsai Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When and where does the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society meet?
A: The About page (checked 2026-10-08) says GLBS holds monthly meetings. The Events page lists fall 2026 meetings on Tuesday, October 20 and Tuesday, November 17, 6:00–8:00 PM, at Waterfront Botanical Gardens, 1435 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, plus a Saturday, November 14 program and a December 2 Christmas party at 3rd Turn Brewing.

Q: How much does membership cost, and how do I join?
A: The Join page says dues are $35.00 per year. You can fill in the online form and pay by card, mail a check payable to the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society (GLBS) to 2102 Woodbourne Ave, Louisville KY 40205, or bring cash or a check to the next meeting.

Q: Is GLBS good for beginners?
A: Yes. The About page says membership is open to all, with experience ranging from complete novice to expert. Fall 2026 meetings open with short Bonsai 101 segments (wiring fundamentals on Oct 20, overwintering on Nov 17), and the home page links a “Beginner Bonsai in 30 Minutes” PDF.

Q: What is the November 14 Julian Adams program, and what does it cost?
A: The current event page lists a pine presentation from 10 AM to 12 PM that is free for all GLBS members, then lunch and a hands-on beginner pine workshop from 1 to 3 PM for $80, with starter pines and lunch provided. It is at Waterfront Botanical Gardens.