Join Steve Schneider, the Director of Operations and Public Programs at the Arnold Arboretum and curator of the Bonsai & Penjing Collection, for the first installment in a series of behind-the-scenes videos focused on the Arnold Arboretum’s Bonsai & Penjing Collection. In this video, learn about the cold storage facilities, where the dwarfed plants spend their quiet winter months. Then watch as one of the largest specimens, a compact hinoki cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Chabo-hiba’ is welcomed into the pavilion for the growing season.
Check back for additional videos focusing on repotting and highlights of our beautiful accessions.
Among the oldest surviving bonsai in America, the Bonsai & Penjing Collection is a beloved treasure of the Arnold Arboretum and Boston. While the plants that currently make up the collection are not the oldest dwarfed plants in the United States, they have been under cultivation longer than any other examples currently growing in North America—with the exception of three plants at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden that were imported in 1911. Learn more about the Arnold Arboretum’s Bonsai & Penjing Collection from your home.
In order to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines the Bonsai & Penjing Pavilion is closed to the public. Check back for updates on the reopening of the pavilion. If you would like to visit other parts of the Arboretum, please review our guidelines for safe visitation, including social distancing, wearing a facial covering, and avoiding crowded areas or peak visiting times.
Video and narration: Steve Schneider
Post production: Adi Shafir