PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) celebrates a centennial this month: its collection of bonsai, the art of tree miniaturization. BBG boasts one of the oldest and largest bonsai collections on public display outside of Japan. 

“From June 14 through Oct. 19 in our Steinhardt Conservatory’s C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum, we will be presenting an expanded display of specimens,” Elizabeth Reina-Longoria, BBG’s director of marketing, told the Brooklyn Eagle. “This will include never before displayed ‘tiny trees’ and a special outdoor display of bonsai. There will also be a gallery exhibit of manga-style art about our collection, special bonsai tours, workshops and more.”

The bonsai technique originated in China but was further adapted and developed in Japan. According to Reina-Longoria, bonsai, meaning “tree in a pot,” is not about genetically dwarfing trees, but rather about using techniques like pruning, wiring and root control to keep them small and stylize their shape.

“Through thoughtful and careful pruning, training and daily care, any tree can be trained into a bonsai shape,” she said. 

A ‘fresh and exciting’ experience 

BBG’s bonsai collection has as many as 30 specimens on exhibit at any given time from a collection of almost 400 temperate and tropical bonsai. Reina-Longoria noted that “some of the trees are well over a century old, with many still cultivated in their original containers.”

BBG’s Bonsai Museum Gardener David Castro told the Eagle that he changes the displays often and brings in flowering and fragrant trees as often as possible. 

“This is done so that the visitor’s experience is always fresh and exciting,” Castro said. “We have so many bonsai, and this is such a rare collection. It’s easy to display something different.”

Reina-Longoria said she hopes that “visitors can slow down and revel in the artistry, skill and patience that goes into creating these tiny treasures.”

For those considering owning bonsai, BBG’s Director of Horticulture Shauna Moore underlined that they are not easy to care for. 

“They require specific and constant care at very particular times within the growing season,” Moore said, adding that each tree is different from the next. “They require water almost daily — sometimes twice daily — and are very needy.”

Moore said that the trees are “seriously thought provoking.”

“I think most people [who see the museum] will walk away in a sense of awe,” Moore said.