There is really no rhyme or reason to these pics...to a fashion. They are all from, near, or around the gardens.
Snapple fact: I did not know what the difference between Bonsai and Peijing were, or what the main difference was. A nice gentlemen that was working here informed me that Bonsai loosely translates into "plant in a pot" in Japanese, and that Peijing translates loosely into the same thing in Chinese. He also informed me that some Bonsai Masters, or Peijing Masters say the Chinese way of creating "plants in a pot" is a lot older, and less refined than the Japanese way. To my highly unobservant eye, they all seemed very alike to me...They were all beautifully crafted, cared for, and maintained. There are several specimens that are hundreds of years old, and there are some specimens that my jaw hit the ground staring at them...the 80+ year old Bonsai version of a Wisteria for instance!
There is a pic I will be posting that has Paul in it...for scale and momento...lol. It is/was the oldest Bonsai on display while we were there. It is a Black Pine, and was started in the beginning of the 1600's! Passed down through a family, then given to the National Arboretum to watch over and display. Truly Amazing things here!
Washington, D.C. pics (Nat. ArbBonsai-Peijing Pics)
Entrance to the Bonsai and Peijing collection...
A series of Bonsai...
More Bonsai for your pleasure...
This is the entrance to the Peijing entrance...
More of "plants in a pot"...
This is the first Bonsai that one gets to see, after walking through a small path, through the opening of the Japanese exhibit...
More "plants in a pot" and some path...
More...
More path, and vista...
I thought that this was neat...someone trained a Gingko to grow like an espalier(sp?)...it's about 25-30' tall! This was on a wall right before we headed into the museum display. Not sure what the art form is called...it's when someone finds stone that directly mimics something in nature or of the natural world...some of these pieces were huge, the ones in the cabinets (behind the glass) were all under a foot...
More "plants in a pot."
Next pic...A rain chain, a mini garden, really cool bark (could not find the exact Genus/sp...no tag) A rock that looks like rolling hills...
More "plants in a pot..."
Another mini garden, some of the plantings under this tree (could not decipher the tree tag) The bark on this tree was just amazing...
Another mini garden, some more "plants in a pot," and a winding path that connected the Chinese and Japanese gardens...really cool!
More vistas, more of the winding path, and some neat stone placement...
Here is the pic of Paul and the old bonsai...lol. White Pine, not Black Pine...getting my Pines all mixed up...
Here is the decades old Wisteria. It was probably about 6-7' high, the trunk was almost a full foot in diameter, maybe a little more!
OMG these are incredible things. Love all the stone, the paths ,the sculptures, the natural formations. I would be terrified to inherit one of the heirloom "plants in a pot". I think I would go with the donate to some place that knows how to keep it alive thing too. Amazing that they can live so long. Wow. :)
Thanks for taking the time to put all that together .... they're great
Beautiful, Thom! Thanks for posting. I always wonder if the ants do a double-take when they see a Bonsai tree.
Oh Thom, simply amazing....I felt like I was there! Thanks you so much for sharing your trip with us!
great photos.... I enjoyed them all
I have to go and see these.
I have been to the Jardin Botanique in Montreal which houses an outstanding collection of Penjing and also some bonsai.
Here's the link:
http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/en/menu.htm
Also, for you folks in the Boston area, The Arnold Arboretum houses the Larz Andersen Bonsai Collection which has bonsai old {200+ years} and new {created in the 20th century}
Here's the link for that:
http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/plants/bonsai/intro.html
Every other year or so, the Arboretum would send some of these bonsai on a trip to the Boston Flower Show so that you could get a really close look at them. They come out of their winter storage in the early spring and you can see them any time you visit the Arboretum until they are stored away for the winter. I go to see them every year at Lilac Sunday in May.
Martha
Fantastic pics and tour! Thanks Thom!