National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

Over the last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington D.C. on the grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum.

Website: https://www.bonsai-nbf.org/visitor-information-map/

The collection began in 1976 with a donation of plants from the Nippon Bonsai Association to the United States, with the collection growing to 150 plants. 

 

Some of these plants date back several decades and some several centuries. 

Yes, the tree above was started in 1625. At almost 400 years old it was an amazing site to see.

I was expecting to see some wonderful bonsai when I first decided to visit, but I was surprised at the degree to which the museum offered so much more. I also was not well informed about the Chinese art of Penjing and was able to expand my own understanding of this art as a result of my visit.

The Chinese pavilion was very nice and had some great specimens.

 

 

I also loved the way they incorporated flower imagery into the window screens.

 

There was also a large collection of North American plants.

 

 

I also admired a potted Japanese Dwarf Male that was near the entry way. It gave me hope that I might be able to do something interesting with the Maple I recently located near my Moon Window.

The Museum, which is open daily from 10:00 - 4:00 is free, and well worth the visit.

Montreal Botanic Garden - Japanese Garden

The Japanese garden was built in 1988 and is very large. There are sweeping vistas that are populated with many elements of a traditional Japanese garden - stone lanterns, bridges, a peace bell, and structures of various design and size intended to give visitors a restful place for contemplation. There is also a large pavilion which includes a tea room and several small gardens within.

The first time I visited in April of 2015, it was still cold and covered with snow.

I also liked the small pavilion that overlooked the main lake of the garden. The dimensions were very close to the dimensions of my gazebo in my own garden. I know that at some point I will want to replace my temporary gazebo with a more permanent structure, and this Japanes pavilion seemed to fit the style and size of what I would like to build.

The next time I visited, in August 2016, there was not a covering of snow and ice.

The garden is worthy of its reputation as one of the best in North America. The only drawback I could see was that the pond was created by using a large waterproof tarp as its base. Its unfortunate, but in many places along the edge and throughout its clear water, the tarp is visible. 

There is also a Tea Garden along the side of the Japanese Pavilion as seen in the summer of 2018: