BONSAI MADE SIMPLE.
FOR EVERYONE.
"Once you understand how
trees tell stories in nature,
bonsai becomes natural to you."
CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE TREES.
BEGINNER OR EXPERT. ADMIRER OR ARTIST.
ANYONE CAN BEGIN HERE.
STEP 1
STEP 2
BONSAI
VISION
BONSAI
SKILLS
SEE BONSAI STORIES
TELL BONSAI STORIES
WELCOME.
WE'VE TRIED TO CREATE
A BONSAI LEARNING EXPERIENCE
UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE.
Many bonsai resources skip or bury the WHY behind the art and leave us struggling with our trees.
We connect the principles of Classical Japanese Bonsai with the RULES OF NATURE—and the trees right in front of you.
Whether you’re simply wanting to read tree stories in nature or refining your bonsai craft, you’ll find a simple path from free learning tools to personal guidance from Boon on YOUR trees.
We built this for you.
...And the trees.
WORK WITH
BOON
ON
YOUR
TREES
Boon Manakitivipart is one of the few
Nippon Certified Bonsai Professionals
working in the United States today.
One of the first foreign apprentices
accepted in Japan, Boon is regarded
as a central figure in American bonsai.
Based on almost 40 years of
study and teaching, Boon has developed
a step-by-step system to make
the stories of trees and the art of bonsai
accessible at every level.
BONSAI
GALLERY
JOIN
BOON'S CLUB
BONSAI BOON'S
BONSAI CLUB
-
$29/month
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2 personal questions answered by Boon each month, answers shared for all members to see.
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Boon's Montly Tips
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Boon's STories, History, recollection,t ravel journal
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coming soon: interactive exercises
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Access to full VIDEO LIBRARY
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details of library
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Monthly live Q&A with seasonal care focus and bonsai stories.
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Tips and reminders to keep you on track
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A welcoming community of fellow growers
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Plus: store discounts, early access, and members-only apparel
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$5/month
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Boon's Montly Tips
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Access to BONSAI 101 VIDEO LIBRARY
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8 Videos
-
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Monthly seasonal care tips
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Tips and reminders to keep you on track
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Plus: store discounts
LEARN DIRECTLY FROM BOON
FOR $29/MONTH
JOIN BOON'S BASIC CARE CLUB
for $5/MONTH
RECEIVED A GIFT BONSAI? BOUGHT A STARTER TREE?
BASIC
CARE
BOON'S JOURNEY BEGAN WITH A BIRTHDAY GIFT. IT BECAME A CALLING.
WHAT MAKES THIS CLUB DIFFERENT
EXPLORE YOUR OWN PATH
READ
THE BIG STORY
SHOULD I GET A BONSAI?
SHOULD I PRACTICE BONSAI?
AM I READY FOR A INTENSIVE?
SEE EXPLORE GALLERY
LEARN
BASIC CARE
BONSAI VISION
BONSAI SKILLS
VIDEO COURSES
DO
SHOP MERCH
EXPLORE GALLERY
SEE BONSAI IN-PERSON
FIND THE TREE FOR YOU
MAKE A CUSTOM PLAN
JOIN CLUB
HOME INTENSIVE
1-ON-1
IN-PERSON INTENSIVE
SERVICES
TREES FOR SALE
CUSTOM PLANS
TREE BUYING CONSULTATION
ONLINE 1-ON-1
IN-PERSON 1-ON-1
INTENSIVES
WHAT IS BONSAI?
A SMALL TREE IN A POT
TELLING A BIG STORY ABOUT NATURE
THE BIG
STORY
of bonsai
YOU'VE LEARNED TO READ TREE STORIES.
NOW YOU WANT TO TELL THEM.
BONSAI
SKILLS
BRING YOUR TREE STORY TO LIFE
MAKE A PLAN
WHEN YOU'RE READY, BOON WILL HELP YOU PLAN.
1 TREE PLAN
SEND BOON PHOTOS OF YOUR TREE
+
RECIEVE CUSTOM 3-YEAR ROADMAP
YOU CAN FOLLOW WITH CONFIDENCE
$99
HOME INTENSIVE PLANS
CUSTOM 3-YEAR PLANS
FOR UP TO 3 TREES
+
SEASONAL CHECK-INS WITH BOON
$350
TALK TO BOON
TALK TO BOON DIRECTLY WHEN YOU NEED TO
1-on-1 CONSULT
SEND BOON PHOTOS OF YOUR TREE
+
RECIEVE CUSTOM 3-YEAR ROADMAP
YOU CAN FOLLOW WITH CONFIDENCE
TREE BUYING CONSULT
CUSTOM 3-YEAR PLANS
FOR UP TO 3 TREES
+
SEASONAL CHECK-INS WITH BOON
$99/hr
$99
BOON COMES TO YOU
CONTACT US
IN - PERSON LEARNING
INTENSIVES
ALL SKILL LEVELS
![DSCF6664[1]_edited_edited_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/afef3f_ccaa0abaaf634fb79fbf13f2cd5bc039~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_87,w_3000,h_1826/fill/w_459,h_272,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/DSCF6664%5B1%5D_edited_edited_edited.jpg)
3 days
3 x a year (SEASONAL)
FULL EXPERIENCE 4 years
COMING UP
NOVEMBER 6-8
NOVEMBER 13-15
LIMITED TO 6 STUDENTS
SACRAMENTO AREA
VIDEO COURSES
Beginner Level
Bonsai 101
12-episode series covering all the basics.
$40.00
Beginner Level
Wiring Essentials
Learn all you need to know about wiring coniferous, evergreen, and deciduous trees.
$20.00
MERCH
Beginner Level
Bonsai 101
12-episode series covering all the basics.
$40.00
Beginner Level
Wiring Essentials
Learn all you need to know about wiring coniferous, evergreen, and deciduous trees.
$20.00
![DSCF6664[1]_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/afef3f_a2bdb67b47ef47f1a14ad85bf437bf22~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_394,h_293,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/DSCF6664%5B1%5D_edited.jpg)
Boon's passion has always been bonsai education—both learning and teaching. His innovative yet systematic teaching method emphasizes learning bonsai through a clear, structured approach based on fundamental principles found in nature. His goal is to enable students to fully understand and master every stage of bonsai development across a wide variety of species.
Inspired by a small juniper in 1989, Boon's journey led him from local clubs in California to Japan, where he trained under legendary masters such as Akio Kondo, Kihachiro Kamiya, and Yasuo Mitsuya.
His apprenticeship included preparing prize-winning trees at world-class bonsai exhibits and achieving significant international recognition on his own, including the first Grand Prize awarded to a non-Japanese professional at the prestigious Kindai Bonsai Styling Contest in Japan.
His work is featured in many bonsai publications, including Bonsai Today's Juniper Master's Series, where his collected juniper (yamadori) are featured alongside the trees of Masahiko Kimura and John Naka.
Boon genuinely cares about his students' progress and takes great pride in their achievements — many have themselves become acclaimed bonsai artists and teachers, including Jonas Dupuich, Michael Hagedorn, Kaya Mooney, Tyler Sherrod, Peter Tea, and Matt Walker.
Boon received his professional certification from the Nippon Bonsai Association in 2010.
SERVICES
1 hr
100 US dollars
8 hr
800 US dollars
SEE THE TREE YOU WANT TO MAKE.
MAKE THE TREE YOU SEE.
It’s that simple.
I’ve spent almost forty years in bonsai. Before I went to Japan to earn my certification, I learned everywhere I could—books, magazines, videos, clubs, demos, classes. I thought I knew everything. I was wrong. When I arrived, I had to unlearn it all and start from zero.
When I returned, I built a simple, student‑first, system based on the rules of nature to prepare people for serious study. It’s sent students to Japan, helped some earn certification, and supported others to become accomplished professionals or prize-winning hobbyists.
Now I’m sharing that approach with you: clear principles, essential techniques, precise timing, and a new way of seeing your trees. Whether you’re brand‑new or have been practicing for years, I want to offer a simple, proven path to good bonsai.
BONSAI IS A SMALL TREE IN A POT
TELLING THE STORY OF A BIG TREE IN NATURE
I want to teach you to tell good stories by developing your BONSAI VISION and your BONSAI SKILLS.
That means understanding what's possible with each tree you work on, being able to clearly see the story you want to tell, and knowing how to tell it.
We start with simple fundamentals rooted in nature—the rules trees actually live by. Everything else comes from there. When you understand how trees tell their stories in nature, bonsai becomes natural to you.
You’ll choose projects you understand and genuinely want to do. You’ll do good work at the right moment. And you’ll create incredible feelings in yourself and others who experience your trees. If you follow this system, your only real limit is time.
Guard it. The biggest tragedy in bonsai isn’t just a bad, boring, or even dead tree—it’s lost years. Bonsai is a long‑term art. You’ll need patience even with good understanding and technique. Don’t stretch the timeline with poor material, bad technique, or mountains of messy information.
My goal is straightforward: maximize your enjoyment of bonsai and help you and your trees grow together for many years. Now, let’s begin.
