Bonsai & Blossoms brings early-flowering trees to Sonoma Botanical Garden

Sonoma Botanical Garden has opened Bonsai & Blossoms, an indoor exhibition of early-flowering bonsai that runs through March 22, 2026. Organized with the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society, the display gathers plum, azalea, camellia, cherry, apricot and related species to highlight winter and early-spring bloom on trained specimens.

The exhibition is on view daily during the display period, offering a reliable opportunity to see flowering cues and bud development when many outdoor collections are still quiet. For growers and collectors, that makes Bonsai & Blossoms a practical stop for observing flower placement, branch-to-flower relationships and seasonal timing without weather disruptions.

Public programs tied to the exhibition add hands-on value. The Garden’s Hanami Strolls provide guided viewing that focuses on floral form and seasonal sequence. Docent-led discussions and demonstrations offer context on selection, maintenance and display of flowering material. The Redwood Empire Bonsai Society’s involvement links local practitioners with casual visitors, making the event useful both for community members refining technique and for newcomers assessing species for their own collections.

Sonoma County listeners will find the show listed in local calendars: a KRSH calendar entry dated January 16, 2026 serves as a community announcement and points visitors to the Garden’s program pages for details on Hanami Strolls, the docent schedule and specific demonstration times. Because the exhibition is indoors, blooms are presented in controlled conditions that favor close study of ramification, floral timing and display aesthetics.

Practical takeaways include the chance to compare different species’ bloom windows in one visit and to see how training choices affect flowering display. Bonsai artists can use observations from the exhibit to plan thinning, wiring and display rotation ahead of outdoor spring work. Beginners can use docent conversations and demonstrations to start a shortlist of early-flowering species suited to Sonoma County’s microclimates.

Visit while the blooms last and check the Garden’s program pages for updated schedules and demo times. Bonsai & Blossoms gives local growers a rare midwinter bloom-check and a season-starting reference point for pruning and display decisions.