Continuing with our tour of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.....here we are in the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum, which is the oldest collection of dwarfed, potted trees in the United States.
These miniature trees and shrubs are amazing.
Some of the trees in the collection are well over a century old.
Text panels introduce the history of bonsai and explain culture and care. It's a little too labor intensive for me to want to try, but it would certainly be a fascinating hobby.
Now we've left the Conservatory behind and are strolling around the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. These Higan and Weeping Higan cherry trees are in full bloom now, but we were a couple of weeks too early to see them casting the reflections of their beautiful blooms in the pond.
This link shows a map of which cherries are now in bloom. And
Here's a link to a site on Flickr where people are collectively posting photos of the cherry blossoms at BBG. It's well worth a look. 
On the hill above the bridge, hidden behind the trees to the left of the photo, is a Shinto Shrine which I neglected to take a photo of (hard to believe, I know), but if you'd like to see it you can take a peek at Flatbush Gardener's photos of it here.
Several turtles were enjoying a bask in the warm sunshine. The morning's brisk wind calmed half way through the day, and gave us a lovely, mild afternoon. This lovely shrub is Japanese Pieris. 'White Cascade'.....
......and 'Dorothy Wyckoff'
The Yoshino Cherry was one of the few that were in bloom.
It has a slight fragrance.
The bright vermilion Torii signifies the presence of the shrine tucked away in the pine grove up on the hill. We enjoyed watching the mallard ducks having a grand time on the pond.....
......and the colorful koi,
.........which were as big as the ducks!
.....and such vibrant colors! All in all it was a wonderful day, spent in a glorious setting, with delightful company. Who could ask for anything more? Thanks to all who helped name plants in the other 2 BBG posts. It's amazing what one can find out in Blogland, where there are so many willing helpers :)
27 comments:
Wow you're seeing New York City at its best! Enjoy your travels!
What a gorgeous place!
Ive never much liked bonsai - it always seems so brutal, haha. Ive had it explained to me in Japan, and can understand how the Japanese appreciate the mastery of growing things, in scale, in complete miniature...but it leaves me cold!
But the lake and torii seem so tranquil.
I just love bonsai. I don't think I could be patient enough with it either. I will just have to admire it from afar. Just as I admire the fish from afar. I think they are such beauties.
I've spent some time in Japan and love Japanese gardens. I've never been quite so sure about bonsai though. Seems a bit too much like footbinding ...
i just love koi, my sister keeps them too. great pictures. how did you take the koi shots and not get reflections from the water?
I'm fascinated at how far behind Scotland you are at the moment - our snowdrops and crocuses have been over for weeks. But presumably once the warmer weather comes, everything with you will romp ahead.
Bonsai has always fascinated me. Like you, the time for their care is beyond what I could do right now. They are so very interesting looking.
The other flowers in your photos are also gorgeous. It is such fun to see all the species that you have shown us through your blog.
The trutles look very happy to be sunning themselves. I could almost feel their heat.
Hi Kerri,
What beautiful and serene gardens. No wonder it was such a relaxing place to visit with your favorite guy!
I loved seeing those koi!
Your photos are always such a delight!
love and ((hugs))
Hey mum,
I'm off to the BBG tomorrow again to take pics of the cherry trees for you. Wish me luck with the subways!
xo
Thank you for this lovely tour. I once visited an exhibition of bonsai tree, very interesting though I am not so fond of this way of trimming trees. It is an art, I know, but for me it is like footbinding nature. Have a nice Sunday!
Barbara
Dear Kerri ~~ Lovely to hear from you
and I am sorry I don't get here often,it is only time that prevents
me, as your blog is such a delight.
Thank you for your kind words about my niece, Vicki. I just hope the meds work as they hope they will. I love the Bonsai trees, and can hardly believe some of those were 100 years old. The Pierris are just beautiful
and your own crocus; are lovely.
Glad you enjoyed my jokes, etc. Take
care, my friend, Love, Merle.
I love looking at the Bonsai plants, too, but would never want to try it. It truly is amazing.
I very much enjoy Japanese gardens. Thank you for bring it to us through your blog :)
Those bonsai trees are really something! Very impressive - works of art, I think.
/Katarina
Hi Kerri,
Thanks so much for the great tour of the BBG. I'm sure you enjoyed it very much, particularly since it included a visit with your daughter.
The Bonsai was fascinating, but like most of the others, it seems like a lot of work for a little bit of pleasure. Give me the big, bold colors of perennials and annuals anyday!
Those gardens look so good, even in winter. If we really look there is much of great beauty to be found even in bare branches during the winter, especially on a sunny day when the shadows become part of the landscape too.
The new leaves and bursting blossom are such welcome signs of Spring that they appear to be even more beautiful than when fully open.
You've captured the colours of the fish so clearly. Don't you just love watching the fish swimming so close to the surface? So relaxing.
I have become rather slack about adding informative text to my photos, but you always have just the right amount of information with your shots, Kerri, plus the links to learn more. Well done.
Kerri, I enjoyed the tour through the Japanese Gardens. The Mallard Ducks and the Koi Fish added to the serenity of the gardens. For that reason I like ponds inside of gardens. We have a tiny pond with some gold fish who come up when we call. They are so sweet!
Thank you for the lovely tour! I hope that you are experiencing some warmer days in the sun. Pretty soon we will be complaining about the heat, won't we! (smiles)
Oh, wow - a bonsai bonanza!
The other photos are gorgeous, too....the fish is my very favourite.
Thanks for 'showing us around'!
Beautiful Koi, I miss mine. Hopefully I will have a pond this year in my garden. Love those sunbathing turtles! I like Japanese gardens but not the bonsai trees,that smacks too much of tree torture to me.
oh that garden is gorgeous....what a treat to be able to stroll through snapping pictures....I love the colored fish, and cute little turtles.....judy
Your bloom day post, the koi, mallard ducks, shrines and the bonsai were all very interesting pictures. The botanic gardens are beautiful and have so much to see. I'm glad that you took so many pictures to share.
My father's hobby was growing bonsai trees at one time. I remember him telling me all about how it's done. I love how they are cut & shaped.
Lovely Kerri! What a wonderful visit. Amazing photos and bonzai! Thanks for sharing the beauty.
Hi Kerri, a lovey garden! But Bonsai is not my world of plants, I like to see them growing in a normal way.
Sigrun
So beautiful - many similarities to the gardens my husband saw in Japan last November. Could you imagine the huge responsibility of caring for those little trees? What if you did something wrong and...gasp...killed a tree that's over a hundred years old!
Hello, Kerri!
Really beautiful.
I loved this post.
Have a nice day.
Beautiful shots, thank you for the show Kerri. What lovely plants and gardens one could probably spend weeks in there and see always something new!
Just amazing!!!!!! What beautiful pictures!!!!! Even like the picture of the turtles sunning themselves!
These are so beautiful Kerri... it must be a great place for kids and grownups!
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