Chicago Botanic Garden
Bonsai Plan
A single tree in its pot is my companion; the green shades of a thousand years press about me. Who
can tell the vastness of the world here contained? In the space of a few inches is mighty Mt. Zhuyong
Feng.
Ryushu Shutaku
August 2009
(847) 835-8227
Chicago Botanic Garden
Table of Contents
Page
Mission Statement ............................................................................................................... 1
Value Statement .................................................................................................................. 1
Background .......................................................................................................................... 2
Brief History of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Bonsai Collection ............... 2
Collection Maintenance, Display, and Record Keeping .................................. 3
Vision for the Bonsai Collection ...................................................................................... 5
Strategies for Achieving the Vision .................................................................................. 6
Maintaining and Developing the Collection ..................................................... 6
Programming the Collection ............................................................................... 8
Short and Long Term Strategies ......................................................................... 9
Appendices
I. Comparative Data ............................................................................................. 10
II. Chicago Botanic Garden Current Inventory of Bonsai
a) Display Quality Bonsai ................................................................... 12
b) Bonsai in Training/Development ................................................ 20
III. Chicago Botanic Garden Bonsai Management Policy ............................ 25
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Chicago Botanic Garden
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Chicago Botanic Garden is to promote the enjoyment, understanding, and
conservation of plants and the natural world.
VALUE STATEMENT
The Chicago Botanic Garden belongs to the people of Cook County and metropolitan Chicago. As
a living museum, it seeks to express its mission fully – in collections, education, research and
conservation – for all its visitors and throughout its community. To this end, the Garden must be
viewed as a resource as well as place, as a means to an end as well as an end in itself, and as a
repository of knowledge to be disseminated as broadly as possible. The Garden’s collections and
professional expertise are dedicated to serving the needs of its community and to improving the
quality of life for its citizens. It will be an institution relevant to the lives of the increasingly diverse
population of metropolitan Chicago. In expressing the human relationship to the natural world, the
Garden will not forget its service to humans.
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Background
Brief History of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Bonsai Collection
Although the Garden never set out to become a center for bonsai, it has, over the years, amassed
one of the premier collections in North America and is the site of one of this country’s largest
bonsai shows. It maintains a strong and beneficial relationship with the Midwest Bonsai Society as
well as other groups and institutions in the United States and Japan, and attracts considerable public
interest with its bonsai displays in the east and west courtyards of the Regenstein Center.
The original collection consisted predominantly of donated specimens. It was maintained by Bonsai
Society member Jack Wilson and Botanic Garden staff. In 1978, the collection was displayed on a
bench structure in the east courtyard of the Education Center. That display was removed when the
courtyards were redesigned in 1994. In 1995, at the urging of the Midwest Bonsai Society, the
Botanic Garden Committee of the Board of Directors approved the east courtyard as a display area.
Susumu Nakamura, a Japanese bonsai master and longstanding friend of the Garden, donated 19 of
his favorite bonsai to the Garden in 2000. These are masterpieces -- incredibly high quality bonsai
and a priceless addition to the collection. The donation reinforces the Garden’s bonsai collection’s
status as one of the best collections in the country. This gift gave the Garden an opportunity to
move an already excellent collection toward a world-class level.
Display space for the collection was renovated in 2006. Previously, only 10 to 15 bonsai could be
on exhibit for the public. Bonsai have a front and back and should only be viewed from the front.
They are optimally displayed at eye level with a plain backdrop. Bonsai perform best outdoors and
need sunlight and the temperate plants need winter dormancy. Both east and west courtyards at the
Regenstein Center were completely reworked to create a display space for bonsai. Sixteen granite
benches with translucent glass backs were installed in each courtyard. Edge lighting illuminates the
trees at night. Different sizes of backdrops provide flexibility for displaying different sizes of trees.
Up to fifty trees are now on display for the public at one time. The number of subtropical bonsai in
the collection has increased and many flower before bonsai can go on display outside. Bonsai are
currently not on public display during the winter although they could provide an added winter
attraction.
In 2006, funding was provided to hire a part time Bonsai Curator to provide the necessary expertise
and artistic talent to develop and maintain the collection. The Garden’s Bonsai curator is the only
person on staff with advanced knowledge of bonsai development and training such as the volunteers
provide.
With a generous gift from the Regenstein Foundation, the outdoor growing space for bonsai was
completely renovated in 2008. Drainage, new stone for the base and additional benches were
installed to grow bonsai. An over-wintering structure for the collection was installed along the north
wall of the Horticulture Building. This new configuration doubled the amount of summer growing
space to 1,000 square feet of full sun bench space and 540 square feet of shade bench space for
bonsai. The current area is surrounded by a ten-foot fence topped with barbed wire. A motion
detector monitors the space. The collections on display are protected by an alarm system that
sounds whenever the display is touched or moved. Because of the value of this collection, which is
estimated to be $546,399 as of July 2009, the Garden insures the bonsai under the same insurance
policy that covers its Fine Arts Collection. It is not anticipated that the collection will be a focus for
research.
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Today, the collection is regarded by bonsai experts as one of the three best collections in the
country, along with the Pacific Rim (temporarily closed in April 2009) and National Arboretum
collections, in terms of quality of specimens and variety of styles. (See Appendix I for statistics
about this collection compared with other major public garden collections in this country.) In total,
the collection includes 171 display quality bonsai, with 108 in training. (See Appendices IIa and IIb
for a complete listing and description of the current holdings.)
Since 1977, the 200-member Midwest Bonsai Society has staged its annual show at the Garden in
August. This is the most popular plant show on the annual calendar, attracting a weekend audience
of over 17,000. The Midwest Bonsai Society also started holding a spring bonsai show in 2004. A
strong collaboration exists between the Garden and the Society. The Garden provides staff support
for the show, advertises it with banners, notification in Members Magazine, and public relations
expertise. The Midwest Bonsai Society gives the Garden a set portion of space revenue,
approximately $4,000 per year. The Midwest Bonsai Society also holds its regular monthly meetings
at the Garden, and its members have played an indispensable role in developing and maintaining the
Garden’s Bonsai Collection.
Collection Maintenance, Display, and Record Keeping
Bonsai horticultural maintenance and development is exacting work. These plants are masterpieces,
shaped by human artistry addressing itself to a living plant. The creation of bonsai specimens
requires sophisticated knowledge of horticultural science in addition to a well-developed aesthetic
sense. Plants must be repotted and roots and branches must be pruned annually, and the whole
must be trained according to a strict regimen and with a clear sense of the aesthetics of the finished
art work. It is the members of the Midwest Bonsai Society who have become volunteers and have
provided and continue to provide time and talent in the maintenance of the collection. These
Garden volunteers have been maintaining and refining the collection for over 35 years. Since 2006,
the group of volunteers has increased from five to twenty-two. Most of the new volunteers are
members of the Midwest Bonsai Society and students of the Bonsai Curator. Some of the
volunteers have skills approaching a professional level. The Garden’s Plant Production staff water
and fertilize the collection while in Plant Production. Staff working in The Greenhouses water and
fertilize the plants when on display in the Regenstein Courtyards.
Currently, bonsai display is seasonal with the plants periodically rotated so that visitors are exposed
to various elements of the collection at the peak of their flowering, fruiting, fall color, or other
interest. The temperate bonsai do best outdoors, but the severity of Chicago winters limits their
display to May through October. The temperate bonsai are beautiful in winter but there is currently
no where to display them during this time period. The Three Friends of Winter Bonsai Silhouette
Exhibit was produced in early 2009 to showcase the winter forms of select bonsai. Because of the
value of the collection, and an active black market in their thefts and sale, the bonsai are displayed
and stored with an alarm system. When temperate plants are not on display, they are housed on the
east side of the Plant Production greenhouses. The subtropical bonsai are stored in the Production
Greenhouses.
The collection is managed according to customary museum practice. A standard plant record is
maintained for every plant in this collection. (See Appendix III for the Chicago Botanic Garden
Bonsai Management Policy.)
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Vision for the Bonsai Collection
The Chicago Botanic Garden’s bonsai collection is a collection of international merit by the nature
of its holding and considered a preeminent example of bonsai in the United States. The Garden will
develop a world class bonsai collection focused on temperate plants by increasing the diversity and
balance of its training styles and taxa with flowering and fruiting time that span the entire display
season by targeted solicitation of private donors for significant bonsai specimens.
The scope of the collection will make it possible to exhibit bonsai at all times of the year. When
plans for the renovation of The Greenhouses move forward, a year-round venue for display of
subtropical bonsai should be included. The master site plan for the Science Center Campus and
Plant Production expansion offer new opportunities to expand the use and display of the bonsai
collection. Temperate bonsai could be displayed in a cool (35° - 38° Fahrenheit) greenhouse during
the dormant season, when the display of winter habit would be a key component. A work area
could be made accessible in the Production area of the new Science Campus for visitors to watch
staff and volunteers train bonsai.
With the Chicago Botanic Garden’s visitors reaching 750,000 per year, the Garden’s bonsai
collection is likely to be the most viewed in the world. Only the Kokufu Exhibit in Tokyo (Japan
National Exhibit) has more attendance than the Midwest Bonsai Society Summer Show held at the
Chicago Botanic Garden. There are few public collections in Japan, with only the Japan National
Collection in Tokyo, exceeding the planned content of the Chicago Botanic Garden bonsai
collection. The Chicago Botanic Garden will make a world class collection of bonsai readily
accessible to inspire and educate the public.
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Strategies for Achieving the Vision
Maintaining and Developing the Collection
The Plant Production staff waters and fertilizes the bonsai in Plant Production, and the Midwest
Bonsai Society volunteers prune, repot, and train them under the direction of the Garden’s part time
Bonsai curator. Bonsai are pruned and trained in the Production head house. The Greenhouses staff
waters and fertilizes the bonsai when on display in the Regenstein Courtyards. The Garden has been
very fortunate to acquire the services of Susumu Nakamura, a Director of the Nippon Bonsai
Society. He is in residence for one week per year to repot, style, and prescribe the direction of the
collection (Appendix III).
The Garden’s Bonsai Management Policy sets quantity limits on the collection to prevent
indiscriminate additions and to preserve the highest quality of plants. As the Plant Production area
expansion is discussed within the science campus master site plan, the bonsai storage space will be
included in the program. To maintain the collection of display-quality bonsai at a maximum of 200,
plants of the lowest quality in the collection, or those of a style or taxon of which there are many,
will be deaccessioned as new higher quality trees are acquired. Currently, the collection has too
many bonsai (of a wide range of quality) or too few taxa and not enough trees such as crabapples
that flower in May and later. The curator of bonsai will make these decisions according to the
Bonsai Management Policy.
Discussions with The Midwest Bonsai Society over many years on an occasional basis regarding the
possibility of the Bonsai Society endowing a Bonsai Curator position and work/storage area have
not yet resulted in any funding. Presently, the Midwest Bonsai Society is not considering an
endowment for the Bonsai curator. A long-term strategy for funding a Bonsai Curator position
needs to be established to assure a high quality collection into the future, optimal display of the
collection, publications, training, demonstrations, and visitor interaction.
There are approximately 75 high quality bonsai in private collections in the Chicago area. Several
owners have expressed interest in or are considering donating trees to the Garden’s collection.
These donations would come when the owners die or no longer are able to care for the trees.
Throughout the United States there are many private collections containing high quality bonsai with
competition for these trees by public institutions being fierce. At present there are at least 12 public
bonsai collections in the United States with another eight in planning or development. Cultivation of
local bonsai owners as well as those in Japan for donations of high quality trees will be a strategy for
developing the collection. Six bonsai from Japan were donated to the Garden in 2008. Four of these
trees are being held for a two-year quarantine period in at Wildwood Gardens in Ohio and will be
shipped to the Garden in spring of 2010. The Bonsai Curator will visit potential tree donors’
nurseries or collections to develop a personal relationship with them and educate them about the
Garden’s bonsai program. When appropriate, the Bonsai Curator will ask for a donation of a tree or
trees to the collection.
Currently, all bonsai imported from Japan must be quarantined in a special facility with permits to
avoid introducing foreign pests and disease. The Garden will continue to explore alternate means to
quarantine trees as Wildwood Gardens, the current quarantine facility, does not meet all of the
Garden’s expectation. These options include working with a quarantine station in Japan and
securing a permit for the Garden to import trees and quarantine on site.
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Programming the Collection
The art, history, and methods of bonsai have been incorporated into the Garden’s on-site
interpretive signage for the Regenstein Center Courtyards bonsai display. The School now offers
four levels of bonsai classes, beginner, beginner-novice, intermediate and advanced intermediate.
The long term goals are to recruit skilled teachers from the bonsai volunteer pool and add on a
novice-intermediate level for a total of 5 levels of instruction. These new teachers will cover the
three entry levels of instruction, allowing the curator to focus on the advanced levels. Additional
instructors also add the capacity to teach multiple classes at each level simultaneously. No other
institution in the United States offers a full program of training like the Garden’s.
The Bonsai Curator will solicit donations of bonsai-related books, periodicals, DVDs and photos
that can be used in support of the Garden’s collection for training and teaching. A collection of
these items currently exists and could be donated to the Garden.
Once the Botanic Garden has a full time Bonsai Curator on staff, a program of daily, on-site
informal demonstrations of bonsai pruning and training techniques in the display areas could attract
an interested audience. The courtyards work best as a display space versus a demonstration area
though. Plans for the renovation of Plant Production include an area where demonstrations can be
done on training bonsai. The Garden will offer a lecture series or master classes.
Current teaching materials in English for bonsai are primarily at the basic level with very little
existing for those wanting more advanced levels of information. The Garden could fill this
educational void by producing more advanced instructional materials.
The bonsai, both subtropical and temperate, could be part of a strategy to increase winter visitation.
They have the potential to form an interesting exhibit with other trained plants such as the topiary in
the east Greenhouse. When the long-term plan is developed for The Greenhouses, an area to
display of bonsai year round should be addressed. If temperate bonsai are displayed in winter, they
would need a cold house.
Short and Long Term Strategies
Current 2009/2010
Donations of specimen bonsai trees from bonsai artists and collections in Japan to the collection are
being solicited. Three trees have been donated to date.
Develop and implement a bonsai loan program in which trees from other public and private
collections are displayed on a temporary basis at the Regenstein Center to complement the Garden’s
collection.
Create an archival database consisting of photos and records of training of all bonsai in the
collection.
Hire a full time Bonsai curator to develop the preeminent teaching collection of bonsai in the
United States. Hire a bonsai technician to provide consistent care for the collection. Annual
consultations with a bonsai master cease. This would allow the collection to expand enough to
encompass a wide enough range of styles and sizes to exhibit the breadth of the world of bonsai.
This would also allow the Garden to conduct daily demonstrations of plant training in the bonsai
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display area, and would allow the Curator to teach offsite and represent the Garden in bonsai circles
throughout the world. Continue using skilled volunteers to perform the bulk of the training of the
collection. Goal is to have one volunteer for each 10 trees in the collection. The full time bonsai
curator will have a capacity to manage 25 volunteers. The consistent detail of maintenance on a
collection, including bonsai as small as 6 inches in height and a wide range of styles, requires the
constant time and attention of someone knowledgeable about the art and science of bonsai.
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APPENDIX I
COMPARATIVE DATA
(2000)
Characteristics
I. Collection Size
A. # Bonsai
B. # Display Quality
C. # Recovering
D. # in Development
E. # Others
II. Collection
Characteristics
A. # Hardy
B. # Tropical/Subtropical
C. Principle Styles & #'s
1. Informal Upright
2. Formal Upright
3. Cascading
4. Slanting
5. Semi-Cascade
D. Addition Styles & #'s
1. Windswept
2. Grove
3. Multiple Trunk
4. Forest
5. Root over Rock
6. Driftwood
7. Hachi-no-ki
8. Broom Style
9. Bunjin
10. Upright Weeping
CBG***
USNA**
Collections
Longwood
278
171
4
103
0
156 (256)*
150 (250)*
6
none
none
47
39
2
6
0
350
210
4
140
Sales area
473
100
4
23
No
37
29
0
2
No
40-45
25-30
10
15
None
100
60
15
28
200 for demo
243
35
140 (208)
16 (32)
All styles
38
9
175
175
336
87
85%
27
2
40
None
88
12
Have 5 basic
Most
Yes
0
Yes
Yes
Yes
17
3
2
1
0
Yes
98
12
18
16
6
(+59/other styles)
7
7
22
12
5
4
0
2
10
0
Phipps
Brooklyn
NYBG
Arnold
Pacific Rim
Few
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
15%
Few
0
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Everything but 1
0
10
0
0
3
1
Several
Several
A couple
* Number in parenthesis equal collection goal for National Arboretum
** US National Arboretum
*** Data updated in 2009
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No
APPENDIX I -- COMPARATIVE DATA (continued)
Characteristics
Collections
Longwood
Phipps
Brooklyn
NYBG
Arnold
Pacific Rim
700
Each
Pavilion has
its own
covering in
winter
100
N/A
No Response
No Response
3348
960
350
340
None
None
65,340
1680
57
Included in Sq.
Ft. Hardy
700
none
N/A
N/A
No Response
No Response
420
96
10
0
None
None
720
21,780
(1 FTE)
3 FTE (4)
1 Partial FTE
1 FTE
1 FTE
0.1 FTE
B. # Volunteers
22,
Mon., Wed.,
Sat.
28
2 for 1
day/week
2
2
2
None
15 Docents +
10 Tech.
Assts.
C. Training level
Moderate - High
Varies
Extensive
Novice
Varies
Former owner
maintains
Good
Extensive
D. Responsibility level
All maintenance
Task fits
experience
level
No response
Pruning,
Weeding
Watering, weeding,
repotting, wiring
Everything
Everything
Everything
V. Display Space
A. # Sq. Ft. Display
Regenstein Ctr
50,848 sq. ft.
3 bldgs
784 linear
feet
Display
benches
1026
No Response
2000
Seasonal
400
43,560
300 sq. ft on
benches
No Response
Tokonoma +
Teakwood
benches
Varies
Locked
lathe
house
Greenhouse +
outdoor
rooms
31
No Response
No Response No Response
100
No Response
0
No Response
30
5,000.00
100
No Response
III. Production Space
A. # Sq. Ft. Total
B. # Sq. Ft. Hardy
C. # Sq. Ft. Tropical
D. # Sq. Ft. Development
IV. Staffing
A. # Staff
B. Description
C. # Plugs for trees
VI. Budgets
CBG
USNA
1328
1271
Display benches
w/backboards of
1” x 1” stock
534 sq. ft.
14
197
0.125 FTE 3 FTE+ 2 PTE
Numbers in parenthesis refer to planned (funded) additions to staff and collections.
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Appendix IIa --Display Quality Bonsai
July 2009
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
2008 value
1 Lesser Flowering Quince
Chaenomeles japonica 'Zoge'
Clump
$750.00
2 Japanese Yew
Taxus cuspidata
Informal Upright
3 Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
Formal Upright
6 Japanese Mulberry
Morus australis
Informal Upright
$3,000.00
7 Twisted Pomegranate
Punica granatum 'Nejikan'
Informal Upright
$1,500.00
8 San Jose Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'San Jose'
Driftwood
$5,000.00
9 Dwarf Hinoki False Cypress
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana'
Twin Trunk
$5,000.00
10 Chinese Elm
Ulmus parvifolia
Clump
$2,000.00
12 Japanese Elm 'Yatsubusa'
Ulmus davidiana 'Nana'
Informal Upright
$1,500.00
13 Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica
Formal Upright
$2,500.00
14 Japanese Zelkova
Zelkova serrata
Informal Upright
15 Satsuki Azalea
Rhododendron indicum
Slanting
$1,500.00
17 Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum 'Sharp's Pygmy'
Slanting
$1,000.00
19 Dwarf Hinoki False Cypress
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana'
Informal Upright
$1,500.00
20 Japanese Boxwood
Buxus microphylla
Informal Upright
$1,800.00
21 Chinese Elm
Ulmus parvifolia
Formal Upright
22 Chinese Hackberry
Celtis sinensis
Twin Trunk
$2,000.00
23 Willow-leaf Fig
Ficus salicaria
Clump
$4,500.00
24 Boulevard Sawara Cypress
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard'
Forest
$7,500.00
25 Japanese White Pine
Pinus parviflora
Informal Upright
$2,000.00
26 Dwarf Alberta Spruce
Picea glauca 'Conica'
Forest
$4,250.00
27 Dawn Redwood
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
3 Tree Group
$2,500.00
28 Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris
Bunjin
$2,000.00
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$1,600.00
$900.00
$400.00
$500.00
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Appendix IIa -- Display Quality Bonsai (continued)
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
29 Taiwan Fig
Ficus microcarpa
Informal Upright
$3,000.00
30 Chinese Elm
Ulmus parvifolia
Group Planting
$2,500.00
32 Cedar Elm
Ulmus crassifolia
Informal Upright
$3,500.00
33 Boulevard Sawara Cypress
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard'
Forest with Shari
$5,000.00
35 Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
Driftwood
38 Cork-barked Japanese Black Pine
Pinus thunbergii 'Corticosa'
Informal Upright
$4,000.00
39 Japanese Garden Juniper
Juniperus procumbens
Slanting
$2,450.00
41 Japanese Garden Juniper
Juniperus procumbens
Cascade
$3,500.00
42 Taiwan Fig
Ficus microcarpa var. nitida
Informal Upright
$1,500.00
43 American Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
Informal Upright
$300.00
44 Japanese Garden Juniper
Juniperus procumbens
Informal Upright
$3,500.00
46 Willow-leaf Fig
Ficus salicaria
Formal Upright
$6,000.00
47 Common Privet
Ligustrum vulgare
Clump
$3,500.00
48 Japanese Black Pine
Pinus thunbergii
Root-over-rock
$3,000.00
49 Blaauw's Chinese Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'Blaauw'
Clump
$1,200.00
50 Chinese Elm
Ulmus parvifolia
Informal Upright
$900.00
51 Japanese Maple 'Kiyohime'
Acer palmatum 'Kiyohime'
Informal Upright
$500.00
52 Japanese Apricot
Prunus mume
Formal Upright
$1,000.00
53 Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa
Informal Upright
$3,500.00
54 Satsuki Azalea
Rhododendron indicum
Informal Upright
$600.00
55 Japanese Yew
Taxus cuspidata
Windswept
$750.00
56 Pyracomeles
xPyracomeles vilmorinii
Informal Upright
$250.00
57 American Arborvitae
Thuja occidentalis
Informal Upright
$750.00
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2008 value
$750.00
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Appendix IIa -- Display Quality Bonsai (continued)
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
60 Anglojap Yew
Taxus x media
Windswept
$1,500.00
61 Boulevard Sawara Cypress
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard'
Windswept
$5,000.00
62 Columnar Atlantic White Cedar
Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Andelyensis Conica'
Saikei Forest
$1,500.00
64 American Arborvitae
Thuja occidentalis
Windswept
65 Full-Moon Maple
Acer japonicum f. aureum
Informal Upright
$2,500.00
66 Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
Informal Upright
$7,000.00
68 Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
Raft
$1,500.00
69 Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
Informal Upright
70 Boulevard Sawara Cypress
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard'
Sinuous Root
$4,000.00
71 Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
Forest
$2,000.00
72 Nanking Cherry
Prunus tomentosa
Clump
$500.00
73 Dwarf Alberta Spruce
Picea glauca 'Conica'
Grove
$3,000.00
75 Taiwan Fig
Ficus microcarpa
Twin Trunk
$5,000.00
77 European Olive
Olea europaea
Sabamiki (Ancient Heartwood)
$3,000.00
78 Chinese Elm
Ulmus parvifolia
Informal Upright
$500.00
79 Snowrose
Serissa foetida
Exposed Roots
$350.00
80 Japanese Black Pine
Pinus thunbergii
Informal Upright
$2,500.00
82 Japanese Elm
Ulmus davidiana 'Nire'
Grove
$1,250.00
83 Japanese Elm
Ulmus davidiana 'Nire'
Forest
$2,500.00
85 Taiwan Fig
Ficus microcarpa
Informal Upright
$6,000.00
88 Satsuki Azalea
Rhododendron indicum
Cascade
89 Hinoki False Cypress
Chamaecyparis obtusa
Formal Upright
90 Dwarf Black Olive
Bucida spinosa
Informal Upright
3/9/2016
(847) 835-8227
2008 value
$400.00
$450.00
$200.00
$12,000.0090
$100.00
page 12 of 27
Appendix IIa -- Display Quality Bonsai (continued)
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
91 Dwarf Weeping Fig
Ficus benjamina 'Nana'
Clinging-to-a-rock
$1,000.00
92 Japanese Black Pine
Pinus thunbergii
Informal Upright
$1,000.00
93 Cork-barked Japanese Black Pine
Pinus thunbergii 'Corticosa'
Formal Upright
$1,500.00
94 Prostrate Common Juniper
Juniperus communis 'Prostrata'
Cascade
$1,000.00
99 Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica
Turtleback Informal Upright
$1,000.00
100 Oriental Bittersweet
Celastrus orbiculatus
Slanting
$6,000.00
102 Japanese Beech
Fagus crenata
Informal Upright
103 Gardenia
Gardenia jasminoides
Semi-cascade
105 Japanese Witch Hazel
Hamamelis japonica
Informal Upright
$12,500.00
108 Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica
Informal Upright
$20,000.00
110 Magnolia
Magnolia x wiesneri
Informal Upright
$3,000.00
111 Japanese White Pine
Pinus parviflora
Formal Upright
$20,000.00
112 Japanese White Pine
Pinus parviflora
Semi-cascade
$25,000.00
117 Asian Star Jasmine
Trachelospermum asiaticum
Bunjin
$3,500.00
120 Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper
Juniperus procumbens 'Nana'
Cascade with Ancient Wood
$1,000.00
121 Cork-bark Japanese White Pine
Pinus parviflora 'Corticosa'
Shohin Semi-cascade
$500.00
124 Japanese Apricot
Prunus mume
Informal Upright
$200.00
125 Dwarf Fothergilla
Fothergilla gardenii
Informal Upright
$500.00
126 Chinese Juniper
Juniperus chinensis
Windswept
127 Korean Littleleaf Boxwood
Buxus sinica var. insularis
Informal Upright Mame
$500.00
128 Prairie Crabapple
Malus ioensis
Twin Trunk
$300.00
130 Sargent Cherry
Prunus sargentii
Informal Upright
$350.00
3/9/2016
(847) 835-8227
2008 value
$30,000.00
$3,000.00
$1,500.00
page 13 of 27
Appendix IIa -- Display Quality Bonsai (continued)
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
132 Bald Cypress
Taxodium distichum
Triple Trunk
$1,000.00
135 Japanese Wisteria
Wisteria floribunda 'Kyushaku'
Informal Upright
$5,000.00
137 Japanese Maple 'Ever Red'
Acer palmatum 'Ever Red'
Weeping Informal Upright
$1,500.00
139 Paper Flower
Bougainvillea glabra
Slanting
140 Little Leaf Boxwood
Buxus microphylla 'Morris Midget'
Forest
$1,250.00
141 San Jose Juniper
Juniperus chinensis 'San Jose'
Windswept
$5,000.00
142 Japanese Yew
Taxus cuspidata
Semi-cascade
$5,000.00
143 Natal Plum
Carissa grandiflora
Informal Upright
$3,000.00
146 Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis
Slanting
147 Japanese Yew
Taxus cuspidata
Informal Upright
$5,000.00
148 Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
Informal Upright
$6,500.00
154 Japanese Black Pine
Pinus thunbergii
Informal Upright
$2,500.00
155 Blue Rug Juniper
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii'
Casade
$2,000.00
161 Japanese Privet
Ligustrum japonicum
Semi-cascade
$2,500.00
163 Black Hill Spruce
Picea glauca var. densata
Bunjin
$1,000.00
164 Narrowleaf Firethorn
Pyracantha angustifolia
Raft
$1,000.00
166 unknown
unknown - Jap.Murasaki shibiku
Informal Upright
$1,000.00
168 Dwarf Gardenia
Gardenia jasminoides
Slanting
$5,000.00
169 Needle Juniper
Juniperus rigida
Bunjin
$3,500.00
171 Japanese Dwarf Maple
Acer palmatum
Informal Upright
$1,000.00
172 Willow Leaf Fig
Ficus salicaria
Clump
$1,500.00
174 Satsuki Azalea
Rhododendron indicum 'tensho'
Slanting
$1,000.00
3/9/2016
(847) 835-8227
2008 value
$400.00
$15,000.00
page 14 of 27
Appendix IIa -- Display Quality Bonsai (continued)
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
Chaenomeles japonica
'Chojubai'Semi-cascade
Deutzia gracilis 'Nikko'
Cascade
$1,000.00
4001 Dwarf Barbados Cherry
Malphigia glabra
Cascade
$200.00
4008 Fig Ficus
macrocarpa
TBD
$100.00
4012 Variegated Chinese Elm
Ulmus parvifolia var. variegata
Forest
4013 Jack PinePinus
banksiana
Twin Trunk
$750.00
4015 CherryPrunus
unknown species
Informal Upright
$200.00
4016 Japanese Apricot
Prunus mume
TBD
4017 Paper Flower
Bougainvillea glabra
Informal Upright
$150.00
4018 Paper Flower
Bougainvillea glabra
Informal Upright
$350.00
4021 Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
Slanting
$750.00
4022 Japanese Maple Kiyohime
Acer palmatum 'Kiyohime'
Slanting
$500.00
4024 Satsuki Azalea
Rhododendron indicum
TBD $50.00
4025 Cork-bark Japanese White
Pine
4027 Japanese Maple
Pinus parviflora
Formal Upright
$300.00
Acer palmatum
Informal Upright
$400.00
4028 Scots PinePinus
sylvertris
Informal Upright
$500.00
4029 Japanese Boxwood
Buxus microphylla
TBD
$750.00
4030 Maidenhair Tree
Gingko biloba
Informal Upright
$250.00
4031 Satsuki Azalea
Rhododendron indicum
Informal Upright
$200.00
4032 Water Jasmine
Wrightia religiosa
Informal Upright
$300.00
4033 Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis
Casacade
$250.00
4034 Taiwan Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum subsp. Formosanum
Informal Upright
$500.00
179 Japanese Quince
180
Slender Deutzia
3/9/2016
(847) 835-8227
2008 value
$30.00
$1,000.00
$75.00
page 15 of 27
Appendix IIa -- Display Quality Bonsai (continued)
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
4035 Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
Stock
$1,000.00
4038 Fig
Ficus macrocarpa
Stock
$100.00
4039 Fig
Ficus marcrocarpa
Stock
$25.00
4044 Japanese Maple 'Sharp's Pygmy
Acer palmatum 'Sharp's Pygmy'
Informal Upright
4045 Snowrose
Serissa foetida
Clump
$300.00
4046 Horse Chestnut
Aesculus species
Informal Upright
$400.00
4047 Japanese Holly
Ilex crenata
Stock
4048 Japanese Larch
Larix kaempferi
Informal Upright
$200.00
4049 Japanese Larch
Larix kaempferi
Informal Upright
$200.00
4050 Cutleaf Elderberry
Sambucus nigra var. laciniata
Stock
$100.00
4052 Silverberry
Eleagnus Unknown Species
Stock
$400.00
4053 Dwarf Schefflera
Schefflera arboricola
Octopus
$400.00
4054 River Birch
Betula nigra
Informal Upright
$750.00
4055 Cork Bark Maple
Acer palmatum 'Arakawa'
Informal Upright
$400.00
4056 Willow
Salix alba F. Argentea
TBD
$50.00
4057 Limeberry
Triphasia trifolia
TBD
$350.00
4058 Limeberry
Triphasia trifolia
TBD
$50.00
4059 Pomegranate
Punica granatum
TBD
$100.00
4060 Dwarf Pomegranate
Punica granatum
TBD
$50.00
4062 Dwarf Firethorn
Pyracantha 'teton'
TBD
$50.00
4063 Dwarf Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia 'Chickasaw'
TBD
$50.00
4064 Dwarf Buckthon
Rhamnus pumila
TBD
$50.00
4065 Itea
Virginica 'Shirley's compact'
TBD
$100.00
4066 Pomegranate
Punica granatum
TBD
$50.00
3/9/2016
(847) 835-8227
2008 value
$1,000.00
$50.00
page 16 of 27
Appendix IIa -- Display Quality Bonsai (continued)
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
4068 Red Pearlbush
Exochrda giradii 'Wilsonii'
TBD
$25.00
4069 Pear
Pyrus purifolia
TBD
$50.00
4070 Dwarf Pomegranate
Punica granatum
TBD
$50.00
4072 Paperflower
Bougainvillea glabra 'baby elena'
TBD
$25.00
4073 Italian Stone Pine
Pinus pinea
TBD
$50.00
4074 Dwarf Kumquat
Fortunella hindsii
Informal Upright
$75.00
4075 Murasaki Shibiku
TBD
TBD
4076 Common Juniper
Juniperus communis
Cascade
4077 Boxthorn
Severinia buxifolia
TBD
$150.00
4078 Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
TBD
$750.00
4079 Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
TBD
$4,000.00
4080 Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
TBD
$5,500.00
Number of Bonsai
3/9/2016
2008 value
$750.00
$1,000.00
Total =
171
(847) 835-8227
$401,155
page 17 of 27
Appendix IIb--Bonsai in Training/Development
July 2009
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
4 Paper Flower
Bougainvillea glabra 'Sanderiana'
Informal Upright
$5,000.00
5 Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
Informal Upright
$3,000.00
11 Sitka Spruce
Picea sitchensis
Forest
18 Japanese Winterberry
Ilex serrata
Informal Upright
31 Common Privet
Ligustrum vulgare
Slanting
$550.00
34 Red-veined Enkianthus
Enkianthus campanulatus
Informal Upright
$400.00
37 Narrowleaf Firethorn
Pyracantha angustifolia
Root-over-rock
$1,500.00
40 Too-Little Fig
Ficus benjamina 'Too-little'
Broom
$1,500.00
63 Satsuki Azalea
Rhododendron indicum
Cascade
67 Austrian Pine
Pinus nigra
Informal Upright
$3,000.00
74 Paper Flower
Bougainvillea glabra
Informal Upright
$750.00
76 Paper Flower
Bougainvillea glabra
Slanting
$400.00
81 Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
Root-over-rock
$750.00
84 Satsuki Azalea
Rhododendron indicum
Bunjin
$100.00
86 Paper Flower
Bougainvillea glabra 'Sanderiana'
Twin Trunk Slanting
$3,500.00
87 Colorado Spruce
Picea pungens
Windswept
$7,500.00
97 Deshojo Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum 'Deshojo'
Slanting
$400.00
101 Japanese Cornelian Cherry
Cornus officinalis
Triple Trunk
$750.00
104 Maidenhair Tree
Ginkgo biloba
Candle Flame
106 Perfume Jasmine
Jasminum odoratissimum
Informal Upright
$3,500.00
109 Chinese Fringe Tree
Loropetalum chinense
Informal Upright
$15,000.00
113 Japanese White Pine 'Zuisho'
Pinus parviflora 'Zuisho'
Slanting
3/9/2016
(847) 835-8227
2008 value
$500.00
$1,000.00
$500.00
$15,000.00
$5,000.00
page 18 of 27
Appendix IIb -- Bonsai in Training/Development (continued)
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
2008 value
114
Satsuki Azalea 'Kaho'
Rhododendron indicum 'Kaho'
Informal Upright
115
Tall Stewartia
Stewartia monadelpha
Formal Upright, Broom
116
Japanese Snowbell
Styrax japonicus
Informal Upright
$5,000.00
118
Variegated Asian Star Jasmine
Trachelospermum asiaticum 'Variegata'
Cascade
$3,000.00
119
Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper
Juniperus procumbens 'Nana'
Cascade
$1,000.00
122
Sargent Juniper
Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii
Informal Upright
$250.00
129
Japanese Holly
Ilex crenata
Informal Upright, Male
$400.00
133
Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
Cascade
$500.00
134
Winged Euonymus 'October Glory’
Euyonymous alatus 'October Glory'
Informal Upright
$400.00
136
Dwarf Sargent Juniper
Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii 'Compacta'
Roots-on-rock
138
Paper Flower
Bougainvillea glabra 'Sanderiana'
Cascade
144
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris
Three Tree
$2,000.00
145
Hornbeam
Carpinus coreana
Grove
$3,000.00
149
Rock Hornbeam
Carpinus turczaninovii
Informal Upright
$3,000.00
150
Japanese Beech
Fagus crenata
Formal Upright
$1,500.00
151
Sargent Juniper
Juniperus chinesis var. sargentii
Clump
$2,000.00
152
Maidenhair Tree Multi-Trunk
Gingko biloba
Multi-trunk
$1,000.00
156
Japanese Red Pine
Pinus densiflora
Bunjin
$1,500.00
157
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa
Literati
$3,000.00
159
Pitch Pine
Pinus rigida
Literati
$750.00
160
Trident maple
Acer buergerianum
Root-over-rock
$2,500.00
165
Chinese Quince
Pseudocydonia sinensis
clump
$1,500.00
167
Japanese Black Pine
Pinus thunbergii
Bunjin
$3,000.00
170
Sargent Juniper
Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii
Slanting Driftwood
$3,500.00
3/9/2016
(847) 835-8227
$2,000.00
$10,000.00
$1,000.00
$200.00
page 19 of 27
Appendix IIb -- Bonsai in Training/Development (continued)
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
2008 value
173
Dwarf Schefflera
Scheffera arboricola
Group Planting
175
Red Pine
Pinus densiflora
Bunjin
$4,000.00
176
Narrowleaf Firethorn
Pyracantha angustifolia
Informal Upright
$4,500.00
178
California Juniper
Juniperus californica
Driftwood
$3,000.00
181
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvetsrus
Cascade
$2,011.00
4001
Dwarf Barbados Cherry
Malphigia glabra
Cascade
$200.00
4008
Fig
Ficus macrocarpa
TBD
$100.00
4012
Variegated Chinese Elm
Ulmus parvifolia var. variegata
Forest
4013
Jack Pine
Pinus banksiana
Twin Trunk
$750.00
4015
Cherry
Prunus unknown species
Informal Upright
$200.00
4016
Japanese Apricot
Prunus mume
TBD
4017
Paper Flower
Bougainvillea glabra
Informal Upright
$150.00
4018
Paper Flower
Bougainvillea glabra
Informal Upright
$350.00
4021
Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
Slanting
$750.00
4022
Japanese Maple Kiyohime
Acer palmatum 'Kiyohime'
Slanting
$500.00
4024
Satsuki Azalea
Rhododendron indicum
TBD
4025
Cork-bark Japanese White Pine
Pinus parviflora
Formal Upright
$300.00
4027
Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
Informal Upright
$400.00
4028
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvertris
Informal Upright
$500.00
4029
Japanese Boxwood
Buxus microphylla
TBD
$750.00
4030
Maidenhair Tree
Gingko biloba
Informal Upright
$250.00
4031
Satsuki Azalea
Rhododendron indicum
Informal Upright
$200.00
4032
Water Jasmine
Wrightia religiosa
Informal Upright
$300.00
4033
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis
Casacade
$250.00
3/9/2016
(847) 835-8227
$500.00
$1,000.00
$75.00
$50.00
page 20 of 27
Appendix IIb -- Bonsai in Training/Development (continued)
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
4034
Taiwan Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum subsp. Formosanum
Informal Upright
4035
Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
Stock
$1,000.00
4038
Fig
Ficus macrocarpa
Stock
$100.00
4039
Fig
Ficus marcrocarpa
Stock
$25.00
4044
Japanese Maple 'Sharp's Pygmy
Acer palmatum 'Sharp's Pygmy'
Informal Upright
4045
Snowrose
Serissa foetida
Clump
$300.00
4046
Horse Chestnut
Aesculus species
Informal Upright
$400.00
4047
Japanese Holly
Ilex crenata
Stock
4048
Japanese Larch
Larix kaempferi
Informal Upright
$200.00
4049
Japanese Larch
Larix kaempferi
Informal Upright
$200.00
4050
Cutleaf Elderberry
Sambucus nigra var. laciniata
Stock
$100.00
4052
Silverberry
Eleagnus Unknown Species
Stock
$400.00
4053
Dwarf Schefflera
Schefflera arboricola
Octopus
$400.00
4054
River Birch
Betula nigra
Informal Upright
$750.00
4055
Cork Bark Maple
Acer palmatum 'Arakawa'
Informal Upright
$400.00
4056
Willow
Salix alba F. Argentea
TBD
$50.00
4057
Limeberry
Triphasia trifolia
TBD
$350.00
4058
Limeberry
Triphasia trifolia
TBD
$50.00
4059
Pomegranate
Punica granatum
TBD
$100.00
4060
Dwarf Pomegranate
Punica granatum
TBD
$50.00
4062
Dwarf Firethorn
Pyracantha 'teton'
TBD
$50.00
4063
Dwarf Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia 'Chickasaw'
TBD
$50.00
4064
Dwarf Buckthon
Rhamnus pumila
TBD
$50.00
4065
Itea
Virginica 'Shirley's compact'
TBD
$100.00
3/9/2016
(847) 835-8227
2008 value
$500.00
$1,000.00
$50.00
page 21 of 27
Appendix IIb -- Bonsai in Training/Development (continued)
Tag Common Name
Scientific Name
Style
4066
Pomegranate
Punica granatum
TBD
$50.00
4068
Red Pearlbush
Exochrda giradii 'Wilsonii'
TBD
$25.00
4069
Pear
Pyrus purifolia
TBD
$50.00
4070
Dwarf Pomegranate
Punica granatum
TBD
$50.00
4072
Paperflower
Bougainvillea glabra 'baby elena'
TBD
$25.00
4073
Italian Stone Pine
Pinus pinea
TBD
$50.00
4074
Dwarf Kumquat
Fortunella hindsii
Informal Upright
$75.00
4075
Murasaki Shibiku
TBD
TBD
4076
Common Juniper
Juniperus communis
Cascade
4077
Boxthorn
Severinia buxifolia
TBD
$150.00
4078
Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
TBD
$750.00
4079
Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
TBD
$4,000.00
4080
Trident Maple
Acer buergerianum
TBD
$5,500.00
Number of Bonsai
3/9/2016
2008 value
$750.00
$1,000.00
Total =
107
(847) 835-8227
$161,836
page 22 of 27
APPENDIX III
CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN
BONSAI MANAGEMENT POLICY
PURPOSE
To collect and display a broad diversity of both bonsai styles and plants which provide seasonal
interest.
CONTENT
Two hundred display-quality bonsai and seventy-five bonsai in training or recovery will comprise the
collection demonstrating a broad range of taxa, styles, size, and seasonal interest. This number is
ideal from a staffing and space perspective and also allows a rotation process for the maintenance of
the bonsai which allows the plants recovery time when not on display, as well as providing displays
with more variety. There are currently fifty formal display plants in the Regenstein Courtyards and
one displayed at special times in the Nolan Garden at the Rice Plant Resource Center. For each new
donated specimen to be accessioned, a current specimen will be deaccessioned to maintain the
desired number of 200 displayable bonsai once this level is attained. Because there are over one
hundred styles that exist in bonsai, the collection will strive to show a range of twenty major styles
that have the most popular appeal.
An equal balance of bonsai styles primarily focused around the five basic styles, based on trunk
movement: formal upright, slanting, informal upright, cascade, semi-cascade, and the two styles that
have different criteria for classification – bunjin (abstract), and broom, will be maintained.
However, plants will naturally drift between different bonsai styles as they age and mature, and
should be allowed to do so. An emphasis will be made to display plants that show seasonal color
including both evergreen and deciduous plants, plants which have fruit, flowers, or display foliar
color changes during different seasons, as well as plants with varied foliar shapes, heights, and pot
sizes. Consideration will also be given to choosing taxa that will flourish in the high heat conditions
of the Regenstein Courtyards.
Immature bonsai and non-displayable plants, (approximately 89 – see Appendix IIc) are works in
progress and will be kept for future display. These plants include the in-ground plants in the
nursery, unfinished/immature bonsai, propagation plants for new bonsai, and plants used for sales.
PLANT RECORDS
Display labels for the bonsai provide the scientific name, common name, age, and plant style.
The bonsai are also to be labeled with a number to index and inventory the collection. These
number tags provide the means to track the plants and keep records of the individual bonsai. The
number labels are to be attached to an inconspicuous place on the bonsai. A record is kept on every
plant regarding: a) the donor; b) name of plant (common and scientific); c) style; d) repotting dates;
and e) style changes. In 2009, an expanded record will be completed for each plant. These records
will include estimated age and years in training, seasonal care, history, detailed plans for
development, drawings, photographs, and videos of special training techniques used.
3/9/2016
(847) 835-8227
page 23 of 27
The Plant Records Department will be notified by the Bonsai Curator regarding new plants needing
accessioning and also the plants to be taken out of production (deaccessioning). This information
will be transmitted by the Bonsai Curator.
The Bonsai Curator is responsible for all record keeping from an institutional standpoint and is
responsible for transmitting this information to the Living Plant Documentation Department.
SALES
The sale of bonsai starter plants, bonsai cuttings, pots, deaccessioned bonsai and miscellaneous
donated items at various bonsai functions throughout the Chicagoland area is permissible and with
proper notification to the Manager of Plant Production. The money raised from these sales
provides the funding for professional and bonsai master’s critique of the Chicago Botanic Garden
bonsai collection and money for small, specialized purchases (i.e., soil, containers, wire, tools, etc.).
These funds are held in a Production Department account set aside for maintaining the bonsai
collection.
DONATIONS/PURCHASES
Donations/purchases (as noted in the Plant Management Policy) will be accepted if they improve
the quality of the collection and meet with the bonsai policy as established. The plant(s) must be
donated without condition, as some of these plants could be sold. The appraisal costs must be done
by the donor. The Bonsai Curator will decide which plants are accepted from donors or purchased.
The Bonsai Society will be advisors to that process.
LOANS
Bonsai plants may not be loaned to other departments or organizations unless permission has been
granted by the Executive Vice President and Director of the Garden as stated in the Plant
Management Policy.
ACCESS
The Plant Production Department will provide access to the collection by request.
EVALUATION
The care of the bonsai collection will be evaluated by the Bonsai Curator during the growing season.
Once a year, the Garden will bring in the Garden’s Bonsai Master to make evaluations and
recommendations regarding the collection.
CURATION
The Bonsai Curator is responsible for the content and curation of the collection, in conjunction with
and consulted by the Garden’s Bonsai Master and the Midwest Bonsai Society.
PROCEDURES
Daily maintenance of the bonsai in Plant Production is to be performed by the Manager of Plant
Production, with the outdoor floriculturist as a back up when absent. These duties consist of
watering and fertilizing. The Bonsai Curator and Bonsai Society volunteers perform the actual
pruning, training, and repotting duties along with record keeping and proper placement for display
in the courtyards. The Greenhouses Senior Horticulturist is responsible for watering the bonsai in
Regenstein Courtyards.
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The display schedule for the temperate bonsai:
a. Move out of winter storage when nighttime temperatures no longer fall below 35º
Fahrenheit – April.
b. Move to the display areas in the Regenstein Courtyards – early May.
c. Move to Production from the display areas for overwintering – late October.
The tropical bonsai display schedule:
a. Move outdoors when nighttime temperatures no longer fall below 50º Fahrenheit – June.
b. Move to the display areas in the east courtyard – late June.
c. Move to Production from the display areas for overwintering when the temperatures begin
to fall below 50º Fahrenheit – late September.
Bonsai should be rotated off display at the Regenstein Center at least three times during the display
season to keep them healthy.
With the exception of the tropical bonsai plants, other bonsai are to be kept in a poly greenhouse set
at approximately 35º Fahrenheit through the winter.
The tropical bonsai are to be placed in a greenhouse kept between 55º - 65º Fahrenheit in the day
and no lower than 50º Fahrenheit at night in full sun with supplemental HID lights. Soil temperature
is maintained at 70º - 75º Fahrenheit with supplemental bottom heat.
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