A Century of Bonsai: Brooklyn Botanic Garden Marks 100 Years of Tiny Trees

Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s bonsai collection is turning 100 this year, and the garden is taking a thoughtful look back at its roots. The collection got its start in 1925, when landscape designer Ernest F. Coe donated a group of Japanese trees and shrubs. Since then, it’s grown into a collection of nearly 400 bonsai, including a few original trees that have quietly weathered a century in Brooklyn—among them a Japanese maple, a daimyo oak, and a Japanese red pine.

The collection’s story has its share of ups and downs. After World War II, Frank Okamura, a Japanese-American horticulturist, became the garden’s first bonsai curator. When he started in 1947, only 11 bonsai had survived. Okamura spent the next 30 years rebuilding and expanding the collection, introducing bonsai to a wider American audience and even experimenting with tropical species for indoor growing.

To mark the centennial, the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum is rotating its displays, showing off highlights like a 500-year-old Rocky Mountain juniper and a trident maple with roots wrapped around stone. There’s also a manga-inspired installation by Misako Rocks! that shares Okamura’s story from the perspective of a bonsai, along with a restored documentary about his life.

The garden is offering guided tours and some Japanese-inspired snacks at the café, with special events planned throughout the summer. The centennial observance starts June 14th with music and tours, all included with regular admission. For anyone interested in history, horticulture, or just a quiet stroll among miniature trees, it’s a chance to see how much can grow from a century of care.