Bonsai Museum - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
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Bonsai Museum
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Bonsai Museum

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Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s world-class bonsai collection is displayed in the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum. Some of the trees are well over a century old, with many still cultivated in their original containers.

The display changes with the seasons, and as many as 30 specimens are on exhibit at any given time. More than 400 temperate and tropical bonsai trained in classic modes such as the windswept, slanted trunk, rock clinging, and forest styles are included in the collection, one of the largest on display outside Japan.

2025 is the 100th anniversary of this special collection and the Garden is celebrating with an expanded display of specimens along with new interpretive signage, plus special tours and exhibits. Learn more at bbg.org/bonsai100.

Highlights

pink blossoms of an apricot bonsai
Japanese apricot (Prunus mume ‘Bonita’) in February. Photo by Rebecca Bullene.
the trunk of a bonsai Chinese elem
Trunk of Ulmus parvifolia (Chinese elm). Photo by Blanca Begert.
a bonsai tree with orange leaves
Fall foliage. Photo by Rebecca Bullene.
a bonsai white pine specimen
Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora), slant style. Around 110 years old. Photo by Rebecca Bullene.
a cascading lilac bonsai
Syringa (lilac) species in May. Photo by Blanca Begert.

Plant Collection

View an interactive list of plants in this collection.

Currently on Display Full Bonsai Collection

Plants in this collection are frequently moved between back-of-house nurseries and public display.

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Bonsai Collection Centennial

Bonsai 100th Anniversary Badge

Brooklyn Botanic Garden is celebrating 100 years of its incredible Bonsai Collection with an expanded display of bonsai specimens along with new interpretive signage plus special tours, exhibits, and workshops. Celebrate a century of tiny trees with us!