Bonsai Club of South Carolina

Category: Clubs Also called: BCOSC; Bonsai Club of SC; bonsaiclubofsc.com (Florence, South Carolina)

What it is

The Bonsai Club of South Carolina is a member-run bonsai club for growers across South Carolina. Its About page says the club is “dedicated to promoting the art of bonsai through education, community engagement, and the sharing of knowledge between enthusiasts of all skill levels,” and that it was founded in 1985. The same page says the club is “now centered in the Florence, SC area,” with additional chapters listed on the Chapters page. It is a club, not a nursery or a school.

Official URL

Home: https://bonsaiclubofsc.com/

About: https://bonsaiclubofsc.com/about
Membership: https://bonsaiclubofsc.com/membership
Chapters: https://bonsaiclubofsc.com/chapters
Events: https://bonsaiclubofsc.com/events
Workshops: https://bonsaiclubofsc.com/workshops
Contact: https://bonsaiclubofsc.com/contact
Florence chapter: https://florence.bonsaiclubofsc.com/
Charleston chapter: https://charleston.bonsaiclubofsc.com/
Charleston chapter events (November 14, 2026 meeting): https://charleston.bonsaiclubofsc.com/events

Last checked

2026-11-11.

Who it’s for

Beginners and experienced growers in Florence, the Charleston / Summerville area, and elsewhere in South Carolina who want monthly chapter meetings, workshops and a statewide membership. Visitors are welcome at a meeting before joining.

Why it’s listed

It is a long-running bonsai club with printed dues, named chapter venues and a dated November 2026 program on its own site. Checked on 2026-11-11:

History (About): founded in 1985 “by 12 enthusiasts in Columbia”; first annual show at Riverbanks Botanical Garden in 1992; “Celebrating nearly 40 years of bonsai community, now centered in the Florence, SC area” (2024 milestone on the same timeline). Footer and About: “since 1985.”
Chapters (Chapters page): Florence and Charleston are listed as active chapters. Columbia, Greenville and Myrtle Beach are listed as “Now forming,” with no meeting venue yet.
Florence meetings (Florence chapter home / Chapters): first Sunday of each month at Growing Hobby at the Pee Dee State Farmers Market, 2513 W Lucas St, Florence, SC 29501. Visitors are always welcome. The statewide Events page still showed a November 1, 2026 Florence monthly meeting (2:00–4:00 p.m.), which was already past on the check date.
Next dated gathering (Events / Charleston events): Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m., Charleston November monthly meeting: “Build a bonsai - taking a field grown trident maple trunk and setting it upon a path to becoming a bonsai,” at Ashley River Branch Library, 2824 Bacons Bridge Rd, Summerville, SC 29485. The Charleston chapter home says meetings are on the second Saturday of each month at that library.
Later dated event (Events / Workshops): March 7, 2027, 2:00–4:00 p.m., “Bonsai Builder Studio sessions 1,” at the Florence Growing Hobby venue. The listing says the series is included for members; non-members may observe, with a guest tree-evaluation fee printed as both $35 and $40 on the same pages (see Notes).
Dues (Membership): Couple $35/year (two adults in the same household); Family $50/year (up to four family members); Student $20/year (full-time students under 25). Memberships run January–December; new members joining after October receive the rest of the current year plus the following year. Visitors “are always welcome to attend one or two meetings before deciding to join.” Dues may be paid at a monthly meeting (cash or check), via the club Venmo, or through the treasurer; no individual (single-person) dues tier is printed on the Membership page.
Officers (About): President Kyle Purvis; Vice President Jay Jordan; Treasurer Holly Beaumier; Secretary Stasi Witt.

Location

Florence chapter meetings: Growing Hobby at the Pee Dee State Farmers Market, 2513 W Lucas St, Florence, South Carolina 29501 (Chapters page and Florence chapter site). The club’s About page says it is now centered in the Florence, SC area. The next dated meeting on the check date is at the Charleston chapter venue: Ashley River Branch Library, 2824 Bacons Bridge Rd, Summerville, South Carolina 29485. Contact is a web form on Contact Us; no club office phone is printed on the pages opened for this listing.

Notes

Finn flags: Membership prints Couple / Family / Student rates only — no individual or single-person dues amount. The March 7, 2027 Builder Studio listing gives a non-member tree-evaluation fee as both $35 (“payable on the day of the event”) and $40 (“Guest appraisal will be $40”) on the Events and Workshops pages. The Workshops page describes a materials-included, make-and-take beginner format, but the only dated upcoming workshop on that page is the bring-your-own-tree Builder Studio session. Chapter geography wording conflicts: About (2024) says the club is “now centered in the Florence, SC area”; the Florence chapter home says it is “based in the Florence, SC region”; the Charleston chapter home says, “in its latest iteration, we are based in the Charleston, SC area.” Columbia, Greenville and Myrtle Beach chapters are still “now forming,” with no venue. President Kyle Purvis’s About bio says “Checkout Honey Hill Bonsai Growers”; that nursery is not this listing. Contact is a form only.
Geography: first South Carolina club listing. South Carolina already has Lowcountry Bonsai under Nurseries (Mt. Pleasant / Charleston). The November 14 meeting is in Summerville, at the Charleston chapter’s library venue, not in Florence.
Listing image: the club’s official tree-in-pot mark from its first-party site (bonsai-club-tree-icon.webp), saved as bonsai-club-of-south-carolina-logo.png (593×593) on a white field.
Not affiliated with Bonsai Plaza. No form, membership payment or contact was made.

FAQ

Q: Where does the Bonsai Club of South Carolina meet? A: The Florence chapter meets at Growing Hobby at the Pee Dee State Farmers Market, 2513 W Lucas St, Florence, SC 29501. The Charleston chapter meets at Ashley River Branch Library, 2824 Bacons Bridge Rd, Summerville, SC 29485. Confirm the live chapter or events page before traveling.

Q: When does it meet? A: Florence: first Sunday of each month. Charleston: second Saturday of each month. The next dated first-party gathering on the check date is Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m., in Summerville.

Q: How much is membership? A: The Membership page prints $35/year for a couple, $50/year for a family of up to four, and $20/year for a full-time student under 25. An individual/single rate is not printed. Visitors may attend one or two meetings before joining.

Q: How old is the club? A: Founded in 1985, per the About page.

Q: What is the next program? A: November 14, 2026, Charleston chapter: build a bonsai from a field-grown trident maple trunk, 10:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m., at Ashley River Branch Library in Summerville (Charleston events page).