This show will also be open during Member Hours starting at 9:00am

Portland Japanese Garden welcomes the Bonsai Society of Portland (BSOP) for a bonsai exhibition in the both the Yanai Family Classroom, located in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center, and the Lemelson Studio.

Bonsai, which literally translates to “tree-in-a-tray,” is the art and science of miniature trees. Literal translation aside, “bonsai” has evolved to mean an artistically shaped woody plant that is intended to suggest the image of a mature tree in nature. The creation of a miniaturized landscape fulfills the human yearning for a connection to nature in the smallest of spaces.

This exhibition will include dozens of bonsai from BSOP members’ private collections, including several world-class examples of this ancient Japanese art form. Guests will see coniferous, deciduous, fruiting, and flowering species, ranging in size from three-foot-tall specimens to tiny shohin trees small enough to hold in the palm of your hand. Shohin will be on display in the Lemelson Studio.

The Bonsai Society of Portland Exhibition coincides with the return of bonsai displayed on Portland Japanese Garden’s Ellie M. Hill Bonsai Terrace in our Cultural Village and the Jubitz Oregon Terrace, on the second floor of Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center. Both displays rotate frequently, giving returning visitors a chance to see many different bonsai species, styles and seasonally resplendent specimens.

Join us for a bonsai presentation by Andrew Robson at the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center from 10:30 – 11:30pm. Bonsai, literal translation tree-in-a-tray, is the art and science of miniature trees.

Learn more about the creation of the tray, or pots, used in bonsai in this special demonstration by potter Nao Tokutake at the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center.

The Bonsai Society of Portland has been an active group in the Portland area since 1966. It was founded to promote the art of bonsai through education, exhibits and social activities. The Society welcomes everyone interested in this unique and beautiful art form to share in the bonsai experience and develop both basic and advanced skills. Exhibits and related art forms are used to share bonsai with the public. The trees, stands, pots, stones, accents, and arrangements in the exhibits are the result of many years of training and dedication by members of the Society.