GSBF Collection North
The Golden State Bonsai Federation Collection North (GSBF-CN) is a permanent bonsai display in a Japanese garden setting. It has been made possible through the generosity of the member clubs of the GSBF and is entirely staffed and run by volunteers.
Bonsai Society of San Francisco encourages its members to become involved in the collection by volunteering for docent duty or helping with maintenance of the garden. Occasional group work days are also scheduled, and the club fills the second shift on the third saturday of each month. See the bottom of this page for this years schedule.
If you would like to participate in the Collection-North docent program, contact Kay and Hollis Hardy (925-933-9543) for information. The docent schedule is available online and signups for the club’s spot are taken at general meetings.
The collection houses hundreds of precious trees and stones by outstanding artists and collectors from around California and the United States. It is also a center for education and ongoing programming for the greater bay area bonsai community. Workshops and seminars are held on an occasional basis.
One of the trees at the CN is the logo tree of BSSF. This tree has a long history and has been in training for almost 70 years. After decades in the care of various club members it was donated to the collection in 2004. This, among many others, is one reason why BSSF remains committed to keeping the CN thriving.
As an incentive to participate as a docent the club holds a special raffle at our December meeting/holiday party for all members who have spent at least one docent shift at the collection during the year. Each docent will get one raffle ticket for each shift they do during the year.
Several club members already spend time at the Collection on other days of the month and their time and service also entitle them to participate in this special raffle. Below is the current schedule. We need two people for each shift.
Take a tour of the garden in our image gallery:
Hours of operation:
The Collection is closed during rainy weather. Otherwise:
Wed. Thurs. Fri. 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Sat. 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sun. 12:00 - 4:00 PM
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Further Contact information:
Docent house telephone: 510-763-8409
Facilities Director John Castle: 510-521-4595
Bob Gould: 925-935-1914