The Milwaukee Bonsai Society has about 180 members and some of them, like club president Jack Douthitt, own more than 100 of the tiny trees.

Douthitt describes the art of bonsai as "the illusion of creating an old tree growing in nature in miniature." The affect is achieved by using wire to train branches to grow in certain directions and by trimming the tree regularly.

Bonsai are available at The City Gardener (1814 N. Farwell Ave.) and Nino's Landscape Company in New Berlin. They range in price, starting at about $30.

Bonsai (pronounced bone-sigh, not bon-zai) is a Japanese word for "tree in a pot." Almost any kind of tree can be groomed as a bonsai, including pine, maple, juniper, birch and dogwood, and the correct type of soil must be used accordingly.

Bonsai should also live outside as much as possible. Ideally, they should live outside for the summer months and be moved to the garage for the winter. Bonsai, when living outdoors, need to receive water every day and as much as every other day when living indoors.

"Bonsai are not coffee table decorations," reads the MBS Web site, and Douthitt says most people lose their bonsai because they think of them as houseplants, rather than trees.

Nobody knows for sure where the art of bonsai began, but it's believed to have originated in 800 or 900 A.D. in China. India and Egypt also have grown trees in pots for centuries -- India for medicinal purposes and Egypt because of the desert environment.

Today, bonsai is popular around the world with people of all ages. The Milwaukee group has had members ranging in age from 13 to 94. In 1990, the eldest member sold all of his plants, pots and tools because he thought he was too old for the hobby. "But the very next Saturday he called up his good buddy and asked him to drive him to the nursery," says Douthitt.

Douthitt fell in love with the art form in the early '70s. He later joined a bonsai club in Chicago where he was working at the time and drove from his home in Madison to club meetings in the Windy City, often getting home at 2 or 3 a.m. "Sometimes I was so excited when I got home I couldn't sleep," he says.

For many years, Douthitt was more involved in what he calls "bonsai politics" and was a key player in multiple local and national bonsai organizations. He also helped to start a Madison club and is still a member of the Mid-America Bonsai Alliance, the North American Bonsai Federation and was the chairman of the national bonsai convention that was held in Milwaukee.

Douthitt, a semi-retired architect, spends approximately 15 hours a week on his trees. He also authored a book, conducts public bonsai workshops and represents the club at Asian Moon Festival, State Fair and other garden events.

The Milwaukee Bonsai Society meets the first Tuesday of every month (except December and January) at Grace Lutheran Church, 3030 W. Oklahoma Ave. Although the meetings are open to the public, formal club memberships to the Bonsai Society are also available.

Bonsai workshops are also offered and teach the basics of bonsai. Workshop fees include a one-year membership to the society so participants can easily access a network of bonsai experts if they have questions or problems with their tree.

For more information about the Milwaukee Bonsai Society or bonsai workshops, call (414) 299-9229 or visit the Web site, www.asapnet.net/milwaukee-bonsai/