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Originally Posted On: https://hookedonbonsai.com/top-25-bonsai-gardens-in-the-usa/
Are you looking for a bonsai garden to visit this week? Well, then, this listicle is for you!
To help our fellow bonsai enthusiasts find new inspirations and creations, we’ve listed the top 25 best bonsai gardens in the USA.
Whether you’re looking for a bonsai garden near you or one that also offers bonsai classes, you’ll surely find one below that fits your needs.
So, without further ado…
List of bonsai gardens in the USA mentioned in this post:
- National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
- Pacific Bonsai Museum
- International Bonsai Arboretum
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum
- Chicago Botanic Garden’s Bonsai Courtyards
- The Huntington’s Bonsai Collection
- The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt
- Shinzen Garden’s Clark Bonsai Collection
- Denver Botanic Gardens’ Bill Hosokawa Bonsai Pavilion
- The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Display
- Heathcote Botanical Gardens’ James J. Smith Gallery
- New England Bonsai Gardens
- Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden’s Bonsai Collection
- Penjing Bonsai Garden
- Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
- The Morton Arboretum
- Smith-Gilbert Gardens’ Bonsai Exhibit
- Frederick Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park’s Bonsai Exhibit
- The Dawes Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibit
- Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden’s Bonsai Collection
- Elandan Gardens
- Krohn Conservatory’s Bonsai Display
- Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum of UMich
- Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
- Hidden Lake Gardens of Michigan State University
Top 25 Bonsai Gardens in the USA Directory:
Here Are 25 Bonsai Gardens in the USA That You Must Visit
The USA is home to many great bonsai gardens across the globe. That’s why garden hunting here has always been fun and exciting.
If you want to explore the bonsai community in the USA from border to border, here are twenty-five sites you must see:
1. National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
Photo courtesy of The National Bonsai Foundation
Location: New York Ave NE, Washington, DC (US National Arboretum)
Operating hours: Daily from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm | Closed for federal holidays
If you want to see some of the best and most notable bonsai trees in the US, the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is the place to go. It’s situated on the grounds of the US National Arboretum and is widely supported by the National Bonsai Foundation.
This museum is home to several important bonsai masterpieces from Japan, China, and North America.
One of its most priced collections is the 53 Japanese bonsai trees from the Nippon Bonsai Association to commemorate the US bicentennial celebration of independence in 1976. Another highlight in the museum is John Y. Naka’s popular “Goshin bonsai,” featured in many bonsai publications.
2. Pacific Bonsai Museum
Photo courtesy of the Pacific Bonsai Museum
Location: Federal Way, Washington
Operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday (10:00 am to 4:00 pm) | Closed on Mondays
There are only two recognized bonsai museums in the US, the other being the Pacific Bonsai Museum in Washington state.
It has a geographically diverse bonsai collection from the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan, cultivated and cared for by different artists—making it a perfect place for those who want to study the different bonsai styles and practices of each culture.
The Pacific Bonsai Museum is home to 150 museum-quality bonsai trees showcased in rotating displays. More so, these trees are exhibited in traditional and contemporary ways.
3. International Bonsai Arboretum
Photo courtesy of International Bonsai Arboretum
Location: West Henrietta, New York
Operating hours: Open by appointment only
The International Bonsai Arboretum is the home for the bonsai collection of William N. Valavanis. He’s one of the acknowledged bonsai artists in the US and also the one who organized the first-ever US National Bonsai Exhibition in 2008.
He built this bonsai garden in New York to showcase his bonsai works and expertise. Here you can find numerous evergreen and deciduous bonsai trees grown from seedlings, cuttings, and young nursery stocks.
Trivia: It was named “The House of Bonsai” until 1978.
4. Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum
Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday (10:00 am to 4:30 pm) | Closed on Mondays
The C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden homes 400 temperate and tropical world-class bonsai trees—making it one of the largest displays outside Japan. More so, some of these masterpieces are over 100 years old, and many are still in their original pots.
Visitors can visit the museum any time of the year since the display changes seasonally to showcase the beauty of each tree at their peak. Granted that each visit would be exciting as the bonsai trees are exhibited on rotating displays, showcasing 30 trees at a time.
5. Chicago Botanic Garden’s Bonsai Courtyards
Photo courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden
Location: Glencoe, Illinois
Operating hours: Daily from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
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.
Aside from those that are from Japanese bonsai master Susumu Nakamura, the most impressive and popular masterpiece in the collections is the limber pine bonsai tree. It was collected in the Rocky Mountains and is estimated to be 600 to 1000 years old.
Trivia: The Annual Mid-America Bonsai Exhibition is held at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
6. The Huntington’s Bonsai Collection
Photo courtesy of The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Location: San Marino, California
Operating hours: Daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm | except Tuesdays
The bonsai trees at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens are one of the collections of the Golden State Bonsai Federation (GSBF).
The collection was first made up of trees cultivated by Bob Watson in 1993. Now, it has hundreds of bonsai trees from local noted artists, with some estimated to be a century old. Hence, it’s one of the US’s largest and finest bonsai collections.
7. The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt
Photo courtesy of The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt
Location: Oakland, California
Operating hours: Tuesday to Friday (11:00 am to 2:30 pm) | Saturday (10:00 am to 3:30 pm) | Sunday (12:00 pm to 3:30 pm)
The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt is also part of the GSBF collection. This open-air cultural museum has been open to the public since 1999, showcasing about 200 exhibit-quality bonsai trees.
One of the iconic trees in the collection is the historic Daimyo oak tree that the Japanese government gifted to the US Ambassador to China in the 1860s. It also displays the pine bonsai featured at the 1915 Pan Pacific Exhibition in San Francisco.
This bonsai garden is run by volunteers and is supported entirely by donations.
8. Shinzen Garden’s Clark Bonsai Collection
Photo courtesy of Clark Bonsai Collection
Location: Fresno, California
Operating hours: Wednesday to Friday (10:00 am to 12:30 pm) | Weekends & Holidays (10:00 am to 4:00 pm)
The Clark Bonsai Collection at the Shinzen Garden in Woodward Park is the most recent addition to the GSBF collection. It aims to preserve and advance the bonsai culture in the Central Valley.
It has over 100 museum-quality bonsai trees exhibited on rotating displays year-round. Many of these bonsai masterpieces are from the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture, which has ceased operation.
Note: Visitors can only enter the garden when a docent is present.
9. Denver Botanic Gardens’ Bill Hosokawa Bonsai Pavilion
Photo courtesy of Denver Botanic Gardens. © Scott Dressel-Martin
Location: Denver, Colorado
Operating hours: Daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Established in June 2012, the Bill Hosokawa Bonsai Pavilion at the Denver Botanic Garden showcases over 100 bonsai trees, displayed seasonally.
Tender bonsai species, such as bougainvillea, are in the small pavilion houses during the growing season to keep them from harsh external conditions.
If you want to see tree species native to the region, this garden is the best place to go, as it prioritizes bonsai tree species from Colorado and the West.
10. The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Display
Photo courtesy of The North Carolina Arboretum
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Operating hours: Daily from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm (April to October) | until 7:00 pm only (November to March)
The bonsai display at the North Carolina Arboretum was established in October 2005 and has since been recognized as one of the most renowned bonsai collections in the US.
It displays traditional Asian subjects like Japanese maple and American species like limber pine. Of course, it also features bonsai 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.
11. Heathcote Botanical Gardens’ James J. Smith Gallery
Photo courtesy of Heathcote Botanical Gardens
Location: Fort Pierce, Florida
Operating hours: Tuesday to Saturday (10:00 am to 4:00 pm) | Closed on Mondays on Sundays (May to October)
This walk-through bonsai exhibit with elements of a traditional Japanese garden displays 100 fine bonsai trees. These consist of 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.
Since each tree is on a single stand, visitors can look at the full beauty of the bonsai from every angle, making it a more pleasurable and worthy experience.
12. New England Bonsai Gardens
Photo courtesy of New England Bonsai Gardens
Location: Bellingham, Massachusetts
Operating hours: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
If you’re looking for a place where you can also buy some bonsai materials, head over to the New England Bonsai Gardens. It’s the largest bonsai nursery on the East Coast, with over 1000 bonsai trees for sale.
Its store consists of pre-bonsai and young tree materials grown from seed and cuttings, which are from Asia, the West Coast, and Florida.
Aside from that, New England Bonsai Gardens is also the exclusive site for the Kaikou School of Bonsai. An intensive bonsai workshop headed by John Romano that people from any background can attend.
13. Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden’s Bonsai Collection
Photo courtesy of Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday (10:00 am to 5:00 pm) | Closed on Mondays
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. He, together with his wife, was one of the first active bonsai artists in the Midwest and was recognized by the locals as one of the influential persons in their local bonsai community.
Although there are several astonishing bonsai trees in the collection, one of the most prized and oldest masterpieces is the ginkgo biloba bonsai, cultivated since 1865.
14. Penjing Bonsai Garden
Photo courtesy of Penjing Bonsai Garden
Location: Malabar, Florida
Operating hours: Tuesday to Saturday (9:00 am to 5:30 pm) | Closed Sundays & Mondays
Another place where you can buy bonsai materials is the Penjing Bonsai Garden in Florida. It was founded in 1988 by Feng “Gary” Gu and his wife, Nina.
This garden offers a wide variety of young bonsai trees for training and mature specimens for display. They also hold bonsai workshops in the garden to provide more knowledge to beginner enthusiasts.
15. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
Photo courtesy of Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
Location: Delray Beach, Florida
Operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday (10:00 am to 5:00 pm) | Closed on Mondays & during major holidays
You can find another bonsai garden in Florida inside the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. It has a premier bonsai collection at Dr. Ron & Arlene Kessler Bonsai Walk, which is under the care of volunteer bonsai enthusiasts from the region.
On January 7, 2013, their bonsai collection was officially designated as the 3rd World Bonsai Friendship Federation Cooperation Center in the US.
16. The Morton Arboretum
Location: Lisle, Illinois
Operating hours: Annually
To celebrate Asian culture, the arboretum annually holds the Destination Asia Festival, which includes bonsai exhibitions and workshops headed by local bonsai artists.
The Prairie State Bonsai Society organizes this exclusive bonsai event. Their club members from all over Chicago gather to showcase their bonsai masterpieces to the public. To introduce to attendees how bonsai trees are cultivated, they also dedicate a section displaying young trees in training.
17. Smith-Gilbert Gardens’ Bonsai Exhibit
Photo courtesy of Lisa Bartlett/Smith-Gilbert Gardens
Location: Kennesaw, Georgia
Operating hours: Tuesday to Saturday (9:00 am to 4:00 pm) | Closed Sundays & Mondays
One of the Smith-Gilbert Gardens’ highlights from April to October is their fantastic bonsai collection displayed outdoors.
Here you can find various bonsai tree species from different regions cultivated by several bonsai artists. However, the bonsai garden is closed from November to May for winterization.
18. Frederick Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park’s Bonsai Exhibit
Photo courtesy of Frederick Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Operating hours: Daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm | from 11:00 am on Sundays | until 9:00 pm on Tuesdays
The Frederick Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park also hold several seasonal bonsai shows to showcase and celebrate the art form of bonsai in the state of Michigan.
The Michigan All-State Bonsai Show happens every May, and the Fall Bonsai Show is held every October. In these events, you can find various bonsai tree species cultivated and cared for by bonsai growers in the region.
19. The Dawes Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibit
Photo courtesy of The Dawes Arboretum
Location: Newark, Ohio
Operating hours: Daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (November to February) | Daily from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm (March to October)
The Dawes Arboretum also hold annual bonsai shows at their garden, hosted by different regional bonsai organizations.
During the event, attendees can view various displayed bonsai trees by several artists. Depending on the organizer, the event runs for a day or two. Demonstrations, workshops, and sales areas are also often part of such events.
20. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden’s Bonsai Collection
Photo courtesy of Paul g. Wiegman/Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Operating hours: Daily from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm | until 10:00 pm on Fridays
If you’re looking for a bonsai show in Pennsylvania, visit the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden during the year’s first quarter.
They hold bonsai shows, specifically the Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show, from January to March annually—which is perfect for those who want to learn more or specialize in tropical bonsai species.
21. Elandan Gardens
Photo courtesy of Elandan Gardens
Location: Bremerton, Washington
Operating hours: Friday to Sunday (10:00 am to 4:00 pm)
Unlike the others, the bonsai trees at the Elandan Gardens are displayed close to ponds, waterfalls, and lush gardens, which allows viewers to appreciate the beauty of the collection “in nature.”
This bonsai collection is the work of Dan Robinson—recognized as the father of the American school of bonsai with 50+ years of professional experience in bonsai growing.
Most trees in the collection are yamadoris (collected in the wild) more than a hundred years old. One of the oldest bonsai is the Rocky Mountain juniper, which is nearly 1500 years old.
22. Krohn Conservatory’s Bonsai Display
Photo courtesy of Krohn Conservatory
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Operating hours: Daily from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Another place in Ohio where you can attend seasonal bonsai shows is the Krohn Conservatory, managed by the Cincinnati local government.
Different bonsai trees cultivated by different artists are displayed at every show to introduce the art and beauty of bonsai to the local public.
23. Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum of UMich
Photo courtesy of Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum of the University of Michigan
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday (10:00 am to 4:30 pm) | until 8:00 pm on Wednesdays | Closed on Mondays
The University of Michigan also has a permanent display of world-class bonsai trees at their Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum.
Several bonsai tree species, such as azaleas, pines, and maples, are showcased in the outdoor garden. Each tree is placed in individual stands to allow viewers to witness the tree’s beauty from every angle.
24. Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Photo courtesy of Jon Hetman/Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Operating hours: Daily from sunrise to sunset
Thirty-six world-class bonsai trees from Japan can be found at the Arnold Arboretum located at Harvard University.
These bonsai trees were imported to the US 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.
Although each tree has good features, one of the main highlights in the collection is the nearly 300 years old compact hinoki cypress bonsai that Anderson bought in Japan.
25. Hidden Lake Gardens of Michigan State University
Photo courtesy of Hidden Lake Gardens of Michigan State University
Location: Tipton, Michigan
Operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday (9:00 am to 5:00 pm) | Closed on Mondays
Michigan State University also has a permanent bonsai display called the MacCready Bonsai Collection. It’s showcased in an outdoor bonsai courtyard at their very-owned Hidden Lake Gardens.
This bonsai display, consisting of several evergreen and deciduous bonsai tree species, is open to the public from May through October.
Conclusion
Cultivating a new bonsai tree and finding new ideas and inspirations can sometimes be difficult. Fortunately, several places across the US have permanent bonsai displays that can help artists get inspired.
If you want to visit a bonsai garden, ask among your local bonsai peers or check out our list above!
Read next: Top 25 Bonsai Gardens in the World
