Collections
Several bonsai collections are open to the public. Check their web sites for open days and hours.
Asheville Arboretum
Address: Asheville, NC
Established in October 2005, this collection of more than 100 trees has become one of the most renowned bonsai collections in the US. Traditional Asian subjects like Japanese maple share space with American species like limber pine and trees native to the Blue Ridge region such as American hornbeam and Eastern white pine. Their indoor tropical bonsai display runs from November through April, while their outdoor exhibition garden can be visited from mid-May through November.
National Bonsai and Penjing Museum
Address: 3501 New York Avenue N.E., Washington D.C. 20002.
The Museum is located on the grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum, ~30 minutes’ drive from the National Mall in Washington, DC. One of the premiere collections outside of Japan, it includes the Yamata pine, which was >350 years old when it survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The national collection includes trees from artists around the world.
Smith-Gilbert Gardens’ Bonsai Exhibit
Address: Kennesaw, GA
Photo by Randy Thrash (copyright), 2021. Link to original
The Gardens display their bonsai collection outdoors from April to October. The collection includes several species from different regions styled by several bonsai artists.
James J. Smith Gallery, Heathcote Botanical Gardens
Address: Fort Pierce, FL
Photo courtesy of Heathcote Botanical Gardens
This walk-through bonsai exhibit with elements of a traditional Japanese garden displays 100 fine tropical species and species native to Florida. James J. Smith, a world-class bonsai master, donated these bonsai trees to Heathcote in October 2009 to further help spread the art form of bonsai to the US, particularly to Florida.
Penjing Bonsai Garden
Address: Malabar, FL
Photo courtesy of Penjing Bonsai Garden
This combined garden/nursery outlet has mature specimens on display as well as a wide variety of young bonsai trees for training. They also hold bonsai workshops in the garden to provide more knowledge to beginner enthusiasts.
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
Address: Delray Beach, FL
Photo courtesy of Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens house the bonsai collection of Dr. Ron & Arlene Kessler. In 2013, their collection was officially designated as the 3rd World Bonsai Friendship Federation Cooperation Center in the US.
C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Address: Brooklyn, NY
The C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has 400 temperate and tropical world-class bonsai trees, making it one of the largest displays outside Japan. Several masterpieces are over 100 years old, and many are still in their original pots.
Arnold Arboretum Bonsai and Penjing Pavilion
Address: Harvard University, Boston MA
Thirty-six world-class bonsai trees imported to the US from Japan by Larz Anderson in 1913 after serving as an ambassador to Japan. Upon his death, his wife, Isabel Anderson, donated most of his bonsai collection to the arboretum in 1937 to maintain and preserve the trees. A highlight of the collection is a nearly 300 years old compact hinoki cypress bonsai.
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden’s Bonsai Collection
Address: Des Moines, IA
Photo by Kelly Norris (copyright), 2015. Link to original
One of the most historically important collections of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden is the Ladany Bonsai Collection, which is permanently displayed at the Katherine C. Meredith courtyard terrace.
Ruth Ladany donated this collection in 1979 in memory of her late husband, Jules Ladany. The Ladanys were among the first active bonsai artists in the Midwest.
Among several astonishing trees is a ginkgo biloba bonsai, cultivated since 1865.
Chicago Botanic Garden’s Bonsai Collection
Address: Chicago/Glencoe, IL
With nearly 285 bonsai trees in their collection, the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Regenstein Center is also one of the largest bonsai gardens in the US.
Thirty to forty bonsai trees at a time are displayed at their Regenstein Center’s courtyards from around May through October. Many of these are North American tree species potted in locally-made containers.
The Garden also hosts the Annual Mid-America Bonsai Exhibition.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum Bonsai and Penjing Garden
Address: Ann Arbor, MI
Photo courtesy of Nichols Arboretum Bonsai and Penjing Garden
The University of Michigan has a permanent display of world-class bonsai trees at their Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum.
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