THOUGH the Yarra Valley Bonsai Society likes to cultivate the very small, its members hope a new annual event will create a much bigger interest in the hobby.

Society president Rudi Jerlitschka said this weekend's Bonsai Special Sale Day in Mount Evelyn would attract a broad range of people.

"There will be people who come in from the street to find out about the art of bonsai and there will be members from other clubs," he said. "We have sellers coming from as far as the Mornington Peninsula and buyers from as far as Canberra."

The society, now with nearly 100 members, started from humble beginnings in late 2008 and is the youngest bonsai club in Victoria.

Mr Jerlitschka said he started working with bonsai about 32 years ago.

"It's another form of art in a way and I like nature and trees. It's like a normal tree on the outside except in a pot," he said.

Bonsai are tiny trees or shrubs that are manipulated to produce particular shapes, with their growth stunted through special pruning.

Mr Jerlitschka said he and his wife have cultivated an extensive collection of bonsai over the years.

"It's a fascinating hobby. You can really get hooked on it," he said.

Bonsai can be grown from seedlings or grafted from mature-aged trees and can be Australian natives, European pines or Japanese maple.

Mr Jerlitschka said it took several years of styling for a specimen to take shape, but if cared for properly it could live for a long time.

"There are trees in Japan and China that are several hundreds of years old. They are passed on from generation to generation."

A selection of bonsai and related items will be available for sale on this Sunday at Morrisons, 20 Old Hereford Road, Mt Evelyn.

Details: yarravalleybonsai.org.au or email info@yarravalleybonsai.org.au.