Virginia Bonsai Society

Category: Clubs Also called: VBS; VABonsai; virginiabonsaisociety.com (Chesapeake, Virginia)

What it is

The Virginia Bonsai Society is a member-run bonsai club based in Chesapeake, Virginia. Its About page says the society “started in May, 1975” and that its focus is “to advance the appreciation of, inspire interest in, and educate about the art of bonsai.” It is a club, not a nursery or a school.

Official URL

Home: https://virginiabonsaisociety.com/

• About: https://virginiabonsaisociety.com/about/
• Calendar: https://virginiabonsaisociety.com/calendar/
• Contact: https://virginiabonsaisociety.com/contact/

(First-party site checked 2026-11-12. Every cited URL returned HTTP 200 to curl -sL -m 25 with a Chrome User-Agent and browser Accept headers, spaced about 1–2 seconds apart. No membership was purchased and no contact form was submitted.)

Location

Monthly meetings are printed as being held at Russel Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, VA 23321 (spelling of the library name as printed on the Calendar and Contact pages; the public library’s usual spelling is Russell). “Most months, we meet on the first SATURDAYS at 9:30:am, but please refer to our Calendar.” Calendar email: [email protected]. The Contact page also prints [email protected]; the address used on the meeting/calendar block is the gmail address.

This is a club. It is not a nursery or a Learning card.

Why it’s listed

• About Us (checked 2026-11-12): “The Virginia Bonsai Society started in May, 1975.” “We are an inclusive community of bonsai practitioners representing every skill level.” “Anyone is welcome to visit.” Benefits of membership named: monthly meetings “Open to the public”; seminars and workshops; bonsai shows; and “Monthly classes, where experienced local practitioners work with members on special projects. Members only.”
• Calendar: “At each meeting we have information and training on general tree care, profile one species of tree, and our Beginners Corner where members new to the hobby can get their questions answered.” The 2026 calendar lists first-Saturday meeting themes through the year (the November 7, 2026 meeting is already past on this check). The next dated gathering is 05 December 2026 Annual Christmas Brunch. Other 2026 items printed on the same page include an Annual Show on May 15–17 (already past) and an August picnic with “Date to be determined.”
• Dues, printed on the Calendar page: “Membership dues are $36.00 per year for individuals or $54.00 for families.” “Anyone interested in Bonsai is welcome to join.”
• Contact: “Most of our meetings are on the 1st Saturday of the month at 9:30AM, but there are exceptions. Please check out our Calendar page.” Same Russel Memorial Library address as the Calendar page.

Notes

• Category is Clubs: a membership society with printed annual dues, a public meeting venue, and a dated 2026 calendar. It is not a nursery cart and not a single-class Learning card (member classes are described as a membership benefit).
• First Virginia club card checked against local files, GitHub main and live thebonsaiplaza.com on 2026-11-12; not listed.
• The site prints the meeting library as “Russel Memorial Library.” Do not silently “correct” the listing’s citation; the usual public-library spelling is Russell.
• Two emails appear: [email protected] on the Calendar meeting block, and [email protected] on Contact. Prefer the gmail address printed with the meeting venue; flag the Contact address rather than inventing which one is current.
• Not affiliated with The Bonsai Plaza. No contact, membership, form or purchase action was taken.
• Image: first-party Virginia Bonsai Society wordmark (Bonsai-logo3-1.png) from the club’s website, saved as virginia-bonsai-society-logo.png, PNG 1600 × 356, transparent ground (contain panel #ffffff).

FAQ

Q: Where does the Virginia Bonsai Society meet?
A: Most months, on the first Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Russel Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, VA 23321 (library name as printed on the club site). Check the Calendar for exceptions. Email [email protected].

Q: How much is membership?
A: $36 per year for an individual, or $54 per year for a family, as printed on the Calendar page. Visitors are welcome; the About page says anyone is welcome to visit.

Q: When is the next dated gathering?
A: The Annual Christmas Brunch is December 5, 2026, as printed on the Calendar. The November 7, 2026 meeting was already past on this check date.