Inland Bays Garden Center — Bonsai Club Learning Sessions

Category: Learning Also called: Inland Bays Garden Center Bonsai Club; Rooted in Creativity, Discover the Bonsai Club; IBGC bonsai (Frankford, DE) Last checked: 2026-10-14

What it is

The Bonsai Club at Inland Bays Garden Center is a free, hands-on monthly bonsai session held at a garden center in Frankford, Delaware, near Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island. Its page says, “The club meets the first Wednesday of the month from 10am-12pm at the Garden Center. There is no cost to join. You may bring a tree to work on or start with one of the small trees available at the Garden Center.” Two local experts, Tom Hargreaves and Jim Bastiani, “guide club members as they individually create” a tree. The garden center lists each session on its own Events & Classes calendar as “Rooted in Creativity – Discover the BONSAI CLUB.”

Who it’s for

Beginners on the Delaware coast who want guided, hands-on practice without paying for a class. The page says, “The club members have all levels of expertise, most of us started as beginners interested in the Art of Bonsai.” Experienced growers can bring their own trees.

Why it’s listed

It is a recurring, teacher-guided learning session run by the business itself, published on its own site with day, time, place, cost and instructors. It is listed under Learning, not Clubs, because it is a garden-center program on a class calendar rather than an independent membership society with dues and officers.

Next date (Events & Classes page, checked 2026-10-14): Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 10:00 AM, “Rooted in Creativity – Discover the BONSAI CLUB… All are welcome!”
Schedule (Bonsai Club page): every first Wednesday of the month, 10 AM–12 PM. By that rule the session after Nov 4 falls on Dec 2, but the calendar did not list December’s yet.
Cost: “There is no cost to join.” Trees and materials bought at the garden center are extra.
Instructors: Tom Hargreaves (the page says he has been creating bonsai for over 20 years and estimates his oldest tree at about 40 years) and Jim Bastiani.
Origin (Bonsai Club page): co-owner Cheryl Rehig started the club after touring Hargreaves’s Japanese gardens and bonsai collection with staff members Darlene Boerlage and Sandy Daniels.

Official URL

Official program page: https://inlandbaysgardencenter.com/bonsai-club/

Events & Classes calendar (Nov 4 session): https://inlandbaysgardencenter.com/events-classes/
Garden center home (address, hours, phone): https://inlandbaysgardencenter.com/

Location

Inland Bays Garden Center, 38320 Muddy Neck Rd, Frankford, DE 19945. Phone 302-539-1839, [email protected]. Store hours are Mon–Sat 9 AM–5 PM and Sun 10 AM–4 PM; bonsai sessions are 10 AM–noon on first Wednesdays.

Notes

Category is Learning: a free, guided monthly bonsai session run by a garden center. It shares the word “club” with its name only.
Registration: the calendar’s Register link goes to a third-party ticketing page (Eventbrite), which this card does not cite. The Bonsai Club page itself does not say that sign-up is required.
Not a bonsai nursery: Inland Bays is a general and native-plant garden center. It sells small starter trees for the sessions but is not listed under Nurseries.
Geography: first Delaware listing. Not in VA, AL, IL, WA, ID or OH.
Listing image: the header logo is not a separate image file and the og:image is a stock flower photo, so the card uses the garden center’s own site icon logo (cropped-favicon.jpg, the full-size WordPress site icon behind its 32/180/192 px favicons), 512×512, converted to PNG and saved as inland-bays-garden-center-bonsai-club.png.
Not affiliated with Bonsai Plaza. No registration, contact or purchase was made.

FAQ

Q: When is the next bonsai session at Inland Bays Garden Center?
A: Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 10 AM. Sessions run 10 AM to noon on the first Wednesday of each month.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: Joining is free. You can bring your own tree or buy one of the small trees at the garden center.

Q: Do I need experience?
A: No. The page says most members started as beginners, and two experienced growers guide each person.

Q: Where is it?
A: 38320 Muddy Neck Rd, Frankford, DE 19945. Call 302-539-1839 with questions.