Assistant Curator Blog: “Inside the Museum During COVID-19”

Japanese white pine donated by Masaru Yamaki, in training since 1625. This photo was taken on August 6, 2020 to commemorate its survival of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Japan 75 years ago. Photos courtesy of U.S. National Arboretum.

In early spring, as COVID-19 cases increased, many businesses and public places implemented restrictions or completely shuttered their doors. As many of you know, this was the fate of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. We had to close to ensure the safety of our visitors, volunteers, and staff. It has been about six months since the closure, but within the walls of the Museum we have been hard at work building the strength of the trees and continuing to bring the intended designs forward.  

One positive aspect of closing to the public is that the trees had an opportunity to grow out of their constantly maintained forms and build more strength and vigor. By letting new growth elongate and allowing the leaves mature, the trees were able to photosynthesize to a greater extent and recover the energy they used to push growth in spring. What might look like a slightly overgrown small shrub in a beautiful container is just a bonsai gaining energy and being pampered until it is once again brought back into shape for the viewer to gaze upon and enjoy.

Bonsai in the Japanese Collection soaking up the summer sun after a morning watering.

Bonsai in the Japanese Collection soaking up the summer sun after a morning watering.

As spring slowly passed and we began to settle into summer here in D.C., we experienced an intense heat wave. At this point in the year most of the trees have been repotted and their spring growth has been pruned. As the heat increases, the focus turns to attentive watering. Watering, as many people who practice bonsai know, is the first thing you learn and the last thing you master. Local weather conditions can vary greatly, especially in the temperate areas of the continental United States. With this weather variability, we must also change how we water. We can’t let trees get too dry or keep them too wet, causing rot and encouraging the onset of diseases or pests. Watering is a delicate process that gives me the greatest personal connection with each tree. 

Closing the Museum to the public has also meant it is closed to our wonderful team of volunteers. Although we have been able to keep up with most of the work with our small staff, the skills, knowledge, and friendship that the volunteers provide to the Museum have been greatly missed.

As we approach summer’s end, we are looking forward to when we can once again open the gates of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum and welcome our visitors and supporters to a safe space to enjoy the beauty, peace, and joy that bonsai provides to us all. 

Sincerely,

Andy Bello
Assistant Curator
National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
U.S. National Arboretum

NBF Taps Sophia Osorio for 2020 First Curator’s Apprentice

We are pleased to announce the hiring of the NBF 2020 First Curator’s Apprentice, Sophia Osorio. 

Robert Drechsler served as the first curator for the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum from 1976 to 1998. During the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Museum in 2011, NBF established an internship – called the First Curator’s Apprenticeship – to honor Robert’s many years of service. The apprenticeship aims to train the next generation of American bonsai artists.

Sophia, who started on March 10, said a previous internship at the Central Park Conservancy in New York City first piqued her interest in wanting to work outside.

“I’ve known since graduating college that I never wanted an office job,” she said. “I wanted to be outdoors doing hands-on work.”

Sophia, 23, said her passion for trees first came to light during an environmental ethics course she took during her undergraduate education at Binghamton University in New York. She learned about the philosophical side of the environment, like how society’s carbon footprint affects Earth. 

“It sort of inspired me to want to make a difference in my own small way,” Sophia said.

She said she first became interested in bonsai during an arbor culture certificate program she took part in at the New York Botanic Garden in the Bronx. Sophia said she saw the posting for the apprenticeship at the garden and decided to apply. 

“I’m still trying to find a specific career path, like what I would like to do specifically with trees, because I feel like the options can be endless,” she said. “Bonsai have a visual aesthetic to them. I thought that was super interesting to learn more about, like pruning and care and things like that.”

Sophia said she has spent her first week working closely with Museum Curator Michael James, jotting down notes and tips about the trees she will be working with for the next year. 

“There’s so much care and many different tactics that go into keeping trees alive for so long, like the Yamaki Pine,” she said. “Some people can’t even keep houseplants alive, so I think that’s amazing and it’s definitely a skill I would like to pick up on.”

When she isn’t learning about the Museum’s collections, Sophia keeps active with trips to the gym, hikes and long walks. She recently visited the Redwood Forest in California. 

“You can leave me in a national park for hours and I'd be fine,” Sophia said. “I'm down for anything outdoors.”

We look forward to all Sophia will contribute to the Museum in her capacity as First Curator’s Apprentice. A special thanks to our 2019 apprentice Andy Bello, whom the U.S. National Arboretum has hired as a temporary agricultural research science technician.

The National Bonsai Foundation is looking for a new funding source for this program. Please contact us if you are interested.

Species Spotlight: Cypress (Taxodium distichum, ascendens, mucronatum)

This month’s Species Spotlight (by our First Curator’s Assistant, Andy Bello) turns the light on three different species that constitute the genus Taxodium: Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), Pond Cypress (Taxodium ascendens) and Montezuma Cypress (Taxodium mucronatum). All three species are located in our collections at The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. 

Old Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) at Lake Drummond, VA (Photo by Andy Bello)

Taxodium are extremely flood-tolerant, deciduous conifers in the cypress family Cupressacae. These trees can reach heights of about 100-150 feet and trunk diameters reaching more than 37 feet. A distinctive feature of taxodium is the formation of pneumatophores, also known as “cypress knees.” Some bonsai experts debate whether the knees aid in the uptake of oxygen or if they support the trees in wet soil conditions. 

Species history and general facts

Bald cypresses are mainly found along rivers with silt-rich flood deposits throughout the Southeastern United States and even up the Mississippi River into Southern Indiana. 

Pond cypresses live within the Southeastern Coastal Plain, from North Carolina to Louisiana, and grow in more stagnant blackwater rivers, ponds and swamps, rather than silt-rich flood deposits. 

Montezuma cypresses are found between the lower Rio Grande Valley down to the highlands of Guatemala. This cypress is a riparian tree that grows along streams and rivers. This species tends to be evergreen and not deciduous, given its distribution in a consistently warm climate. Montezuma cypresses on average have the largest trunk size, with some reaching about 37.5 feet in diameter.

Take a look at some of the cypresses we have at the Museum!

Bald Cypress

This bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) #269 is located in the North American Collection. It has been in training since 1972, and the late Vaughn Banting donated the tree in 2000. Banting originally purchased the tree as a nursery plant. This bald cypress, along with one at the Pacific Bonsai Museum, are the first two trained into a configuration Banting championed called “Flat Top Style.” The flat top style with knees protruding from the soil is a very distinctive trait of bald cypresses.

Read more about the history of this bald cypress, Vaughn Banting and the flat top style here.


Montezuma Cypress

This montezuma cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) #274, now located the North American Collection, was donated by Mike Naka in 2004 in honor of his grandfather and bonsai master, the late John Y. Naka. 

John Naka purchased this bonsai from a nursery in Los Angeles after traveling from Denver in 1946 and began training the tree in 1948. The bonsai is trained in the formal upright style to invoke the massive height and girth often seen in the species. By keeping the primary branches short and closer to the trunk, Naka provided an even grander image of the species’ height. 

Montezuma cypresses are evergreen in their native warm climate, but their seasonal beauty can truly be appreciated when they are allowed to thrive in Northern climates.

Pond Cypress (with bald cypresses)

This group planting of a pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens) and multiple bald cypresses (Taxodium distichum) #250 is located in the North American Collection. Jim Fritchey and Dick Wild donated the planting, comprised of trees collected from the wild Floridian swamps, in 1990 after arranging the original planting in 1988. 

As the forest in this planting evolved, a number of trees were removed after some trees couldn’t keep up with the competition for light – a common phenomenon in natural forests. The composition was rearranged to ensure the longevity of the planting.

The photo above is how the planting appears at the Museum today. The large pond cypress on the left with a strong lean provides directionality, while the group of bald cypresses on the right provides depth. The seven-foot stone slab, which weighs about 1,500 pounds, evokes a natural look compared to the typical ceramic container. 

Come and visit The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in all four seasons to experience the beauty of Taxodium in the collection. The lush bright green spring growth and the brilliant red and orange fall foliage is best to appreciate in person. I hope that these trees inspire everyone to work more with native species and create bonsai in a meaningful manner.

Species Spotlight: Japanese Black Pines (Pinus thunbergii)

Enjoy this new blog column, Species Spotlight, from our First Curator’s Assistant, Andy Bello. Be sure to check out more from Andy on our blog with his Historical Tree Spotlights.

Japanese Black Pines growing on rocks in a coastal environment (https://www.chushikokuandtokyo.org/spot_52/)

Japanese black pines (P. thunbergii) are native to the coastal areas of Japan and South Korea, from sea level to about 3,000 feet of elevation. The trees prefer warm moist climates, where they rarely suffer frost. In Japan, the pine has been highly valued for centuries as an ornamental feature in Japanese-style gardens and for bonsai. Japanese black pines are hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture Zone 6, but the trees can be kept in colder conditions if proper winter protection is provided.

The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum is a wonderful location to experience Japanese black pines as bonsai and penjing. This species is widely used across the world as artistically-trained potted trees, and the many different shapes these trees take are influenced by cultural and personal experiences. Here we will examine and discuss three Japanese black pines that are on display in the Japanese, North American and Chinese collections.

This first Japanese black pine, displayed in the Japanese Pavilion, was part of the original Bicentennial gift to the American people in 1976.  Donated by Goro Ito and in training since 1906, this tree was collected from the wild on the Atsumi Peninsula, located in the Aichi Prefecture. The pine is a beautiful representation of the coastal environment of its origin, mixed with the traditional Japanese bonsai form. Coastal trees tend to flaunt wider upper canopies than trees growing in alpine environments where snow accumulation on branches creates a more narrow, conical form.  

This bonsai’s curved trunk suggests an aged tree that has survived strong coastal winds and typhoons. The asymmetrical triangular form of the foliage mass demonstrates the traditional Japanese bonsai style.

The next Japanese black pine is located in the North American Collection and was donated by George Yamaguchi in 1990. Yamaguchi grew this tree from a seed and has been training the pine since 1955. It is styled as a formal upright bonsai and is known by the name “Shinsei,” meaning “Voice of the Gods.” To me, this tree represents a lone pine growing in a meadow at higher elevation. The strong and numerous branches lower on the trunk indicates that the tree had little to no competition from other trees, in contrast to a pine growing in a forest where lower branches are lost due to lack of light. The overall conical shape of the branches suggests a tree subjected to snowfall at higher elevations.  

This particular tree is a great example of the influence of Japanese bonsai style in North America. The lower right branch establishes the tree’s asymmetrical form, and the foliage pads on each branch are distinctly separated. North American bonsai, very similar to North American culture, are extremely diverse. Thanks to this diversity, there is no right or wrong way to represent the form of a tree in miniature. 

Dr. Yee-sun Wu donated this Japanese black pine, now part of the Chinese Collection, in 1986. The pine has been in training since 1936, but the tree’s origin is unknown. This tree’s style differs greatly from our previously discussed trees. The dramatic movement in the trunk line guides the viewer's eyes up into the foliage mass. The long primary branch, a feature of the “Lingnan” style of penjing common in Southern China, extends dramatically to the right, presenting a strong sense of movement. Penjing, especially in the case of this tree, tend to be more whimsical in their form than Japanese bonsai. The foliage pads are still present but typically are not as “clean cut” as foliage pads on Japanese bonsai. 

Penjing can take many forms other than simply a miniature tree – the trees can be shaped into animal forms, cylygrophy, landscapes and more. For more on penjing, read our interview with bonsai master Qingquan Zhao. 

FIRST CURATOR'S BLOG: My First Six Months as a Curator’s Apprentice

As we crawl toward the end of the summer and into the beginning of fall, I look back on my first day at The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in March. They say, “Time flies when you are having fun,” and I very much agree. Caring for and working on bonsai full-time for the past six months has been even more amazing than I could have imagined. Since my first day, I have met many talented and friendly bonsai artists from around the world, from whom I have learned specific design and horticulture techniques for various species.

Andy Bello with Michael Hagedorn on World Bonsai Day 2019 at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

I took some time off and traveled to Bremerton, Washington, where I had the privilege of staying and working with Dan Robinson – a seasoned bonsai professional – for a little over a week. I also visited with Aaron Packard, the curator of the Pacific Bonsai Museum and former assistant curator of The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. I learned and shared ideas about bonsai with artists who influence my personal work. I experienced and gathered inspiration from the wonderful ancient trees that still exist in the Northwestern United States. 

Bello prunes a Korean black pine with a nice view at Elandan Gardens in Bremerton, WA

Working on the trees in the National Collection has been an extremely educational and enjoyable experience. I have worked on a diverse collection of species, while also learning when and how to apply different techniques, including when are the best times to prune, wire, fertilize and repot, depending on the season. My favorite seasonal tasks thus far are repotting in the late winter and early spring or decandling or removing spring growth from red or black pines to stimulate a second flush of growth in the summer.

Working on trees donated by prominent figures in bonsai history – including John Naka, Saichi Suzuki and Bill Valavanis – has been a humbling experience.

Post decandling on Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) donated by Saichi Suzuki

Thinning and structural pruning on the “Yamaki” white pine (Pinus parviflora)

As I move into the second half of my apprenticeship, I hope I can continue to meet and befriend other bonsai artists and enthusiasts and continue to expand my horticulture and design skills. I will continue to share the wonder and joy of bonsai with the public who come to visit The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.

Best,

Andy Bello

---

Andy Bello has been selected as the Museum’s 2019 First Curator’s Apprentice.  The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum's First Curator's Apprenticeship  for 2019 is funded by generous grants to the National Bonsai Foundation from Toyota North America and The Hill Foundation. More on Andy here.

FIRST CURATOR'S BLOG: Stories of Struggle and Survival

When viewing old and ancient trees – whether they grow in a city, forest, desert or alpine slopes – one comes across stories of struggle and resilience. These stories are depicted in many ways depending on the species of tree, the characteristics of its wood and the environmental event that caused damage to the tree. 

Deadwood on bonsai is generally spoken about using the Japanese words “Jin,” meaning dead branch, and “Shari,” meaning deadwood on the trunk.

Damage that results in the contortion of a tree can occur in bouts of extreme weather, like heavy snow, droughts, wind, lightning and more. Biological damage – events like animals grazing, insect infestations and human activities – also affect the contortion of a tree. 

All these impacts occur throughout the life of trees, sometimes over the course of thousands of years, like the ancient bristlecone pines in the White Mountains of California which have been dated to about 6,000 years old.

After the damage occurs, deadwood features can take on many different appearances, depending on the species and environmental conditions that the tree resides in. 

In wet climates, many deciduous species with softer wood may form large hollows due to rotting and decay. But the deadwood on many junipers in dry climates will be sun bleached white by the sun, resulting in a look that is naturally preserved for longer periods of time. 

In bonsai design, deadwood adds interest and a “survival story.” Sometimes an artist might collect a tree that already has naturally occurring deadwood. But artists can also create deadwood by breaking branches, stripping away bark and carving wood using hand or power tools. 

Artists generally treat deadwood on bonsai with a solution of lime sulphur. This solution protects it from rotting and bleaches the deadwood, giving it a white appearance that contrasts well with the rest of the tree. Penetrating wood hardeners can also be used on the deadwood if a bleaching effect is not desired.

Each bonsai artist can decide whether to create deadwood on all trees or leave the variation to certain species. The real beauty of bonsai is not whether the tree has deadwood features, but is demonstrated in each person's ability to create and share their view of nature from their own life experiences. Bonsai is an art, and with any art there is no right or wrong.

---

Andy Bello (Stephen Voss)

Andy Bello has been selected as the Museum’s 2019 First Curator’s Apprentice. The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum's First Curator's Apprenticeship for 2019 is funded by generous grants to the National Bonsai Foundation from Toyota North America and The Hill Foundation. More on Andy here.

FIRST CURATOR'S BLOG: Get Your Bonsai Ready, Spring is Here!

The buzzing of bees and the sweet scent of flowers fill the air at the Museum as the spring weather continues to bring us warm sunny days and refreshing rains. The buds on the trees are beginning to break and fresh tender leaves fill out what was a beautiful winter silhouette. Spring is an exciting time of year for everyone who enjoys the outdoors, although hardly anyone looks  forward to this season more than a bonsai enthusiast.

After a long, cold winter of contemplating our many bonsai endeavors – like re-styling, keeping trees healthy and implementing new horticultural techniques – the bonsai enthusiast is eager for the last frost and the abundance of work ahead. Now that repotting season has started to wind down there are many tasks ahead.

Here at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum we have been bringing trees out of their winter protection and filling up our pavilions for the enjoyment of our visitors. This task is strenuous, but very rewarding, as the various areas of the Museum are revitalized.

With the wonderful spring weather and new growth rapidly expanding, bonsai caretakers must carefully execute the task of watering. Fertilizing is also very important; one must start out with a humic acid and fish emulsion when the trees show signs of awakening from dormancy, then inorganic fertilizers can be used alternating with organic fertilizer.

These actions are both crucial to maintain the bonsais’ health and ensure exponential growth during the spring and the rest of the growing season.

Another very important spring task is managing the growth distribution of deciduous trees. As the new shoots expand outside of the silhouette of the intended design, they must be cut back to maintain the shape of the tree. However, one should avoid cutting back too much of the new growth, as that will drastically slow the tree’s future maturation. Instead, cutting the outer shoots and leaving interior branches to grow stronger will increase the strength within the foliage pad. This step is crucial when attempting to maintain the health of the interior branches and creating the smallest tree possible.

As we move further into the spring season, make sure to keep up with work on your bonsai and your trees will continue to develop in the right direction. Although bonsai tasks might seem daunting and time-consuming this time of year, don’t forget to get outside enjoy the rest of the beauty that spring brings with your friends and families!

---

Andy Bello has been selected as the Museum’s 2019 First Curator’s Apprentice.  The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum's First Curator's Apprenticeship  for 2019 is funded by generous grants to the National Bonsai Foundation from Toyota North America and The Hill Foundation. More on Andy here.

DAVID RIZWAN: "FAREWELL TO A BUSY SUMMER"

My summer apprenticeship has certainly been keeping me busy, leaving very little time for these blog posts! As the waning heat of the summer transitions into the coolness of the upcoming autumn season, watering requirements begin to lessen there is a bit more time for pruning, wiring and other tree work. Here are some of my favorite trees from my recent work:

Eurya (Eurya emarginata) Continuous Tightening

This eurya from the Japanese Collection is one of my favorite bonsai on display in the museum. It has a very stout trunk that almost resembles the “sumo” style that seems to be currently in vogue within the bonsai community. I have to admit that I, too, enjoy this style and the power that it presents within the confines of these trees. E. emarginata have small, glossy leaves when reduced, but they can grow to be quite large if the trees are allowed to run and gain vigor. Therefore, consistent pruning is required to maintain the tight shape and tiny leaves that we enjoy about this bonsai. I’ve now pruned and wired this tree a few times over the summer and have been typically following up a pruning with a pinching shortly after to prevent the energy from redirecting fully into the remaining buds and blowing the new shoots out of proportion. I’ve found that this gives quite dense and even growth throughout the developed pads.

View fullsize

Eurya before pruning work to tighten pads

Ezo Spruce (Picea glehnni) Post-Growth Season Pruning

After growing and extending all season, spruces can be cut back to shape. With these, we must be very careful to cut back to new buds to allow the cut tips to continue to grow in next years’ extension. I could locate good buds to cut back to across the entire canopy for the tree, so all the tips should continue to remain healthy while maintaining the crisp presentation intended in this tree between now and the next growth season.

I’m now in the final week of my apprenticeship. It’s been an incredibly busy summer full of new experiences, fun travels, and a ton of new learning. I’m very grateful to National Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the US National Arboretum for the opportunity to work on and develop my skills using some of the best and most prominent bonsai in the country, and I’m very appreciative of the support that Toyota has offered to the National Bonsai Foundation in supporting with funding for this wonderful apprenticeship.

Following the completion of my apprenticeship, I’ll be moving to a new home in San Antonio, TX, where I’ll begin delving into my own personal bonsai garden space while continuing my journey with bonsai. The climate in Texas will be entirely new to me and will present many new challenges to manage watering and sun exposure in the extreme heat of the summer, but compensates for those with a longer growing season to develop and refine material and a far milder winter season. I intend to continue sharing my work on social media and various online platforms, so please do not hesitate to send me requests if you’re interested in seeing how I progress and where I travel throughout my journey.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me up to this point.

David

DAVID RIZWAN: “BONSAI IS FOR EVERYONE”

When David Rizwan first saw a bonsai tree while searching online for plants to decorate his apartment, he thought there must be something “magical” about it.

“It’s a common misconception that there’s something mysterious there,” Rizwan said of bonsai. “There is a general lack of knowledge in the public, and I was a part of that – I didn’t know what was being done, I thought the trees were all special, small species, and it wasn’t something that a normal person can just do.”

Nonetheless, he was hooked, and took a deep dive into bonsai. He watched hundreds of YouTube videos on bonsai to learn everything he could about how “normal” people could possible create such an other-worldly work of art.

His personal collection quickly went from one Trident Maple to more than 60 trees before he was forced to “downsize.” His love for bonsai eclipsed all else, even prompting him to put his career as a quality manager and engineer in the medical device industry on hold to apply for the First Curators’ Apprenticeship at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.

“I put my career on hold to have more time for bonsai and fully immerse myself in the art,” he said. “Everybody thought I was crazy, but I firmly believed that wholeheartedly dedicating the time to learn and practice the fundamentals would set the best foundation for my artwork going forward.”

Less than three years after starting with bonsai, Rizwan is one month into his apprenticeship, and is pleased to confirm that no magical skills are required.

“Bonsai is for everyone,” he said. “It’s not a wealthy person or a magical person thing; it’s an everyone thing.”

The move also impressed his new team at the Museum: “David left a good job to work at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum,” said Museum specialist Michael James. “That’s priceless.”

Although he is relatively new to bonsai, Rizwan has already learned a lot – both in technical skills and life lessons. He said that he has experienced many ways in which bonsai benefits its practitioners – a better understanding of nature, strengthening of empathy skills, and taking a new perspective to personal relationships.

“Bonsai mirrors other relationships in life,” he said. “Sometimes you have to do something that isn’t immediately as pleasant, but knowing that the future outcome is worth the temporary sacrifice. It’s that same feeling when cutting off a branch that isn’t quite fitting well, knowing that its removal will allow another branch to develop that will carry the design forward one day.”

In addition to getting more experience working with the high caliber of historic specimens at the museum, David hopes that this experience will help him further his goal of making bonsai more accessible to the general public, and help them recognize that bonsai is something they can do and benefit from.

David encourages visitors to come to the museum in each season to experience the breathtaking way that bonsai trees can change throughout the year, and to see different highlights from the collection.

“There’s only a fraction of trees on display at any given time,” he said. “Visitors should try not to get a false sense of lack of diversity if they just see lots of pines and maples. Visiting throughout the year will allow you to experience very different things in the collection, and in individual trees themselves. The same tree experienced three months apart can be drastically different, and each season has its value.”

BOUGAINVILLEA BEAUTY

This Bougainvillea Glabra, while the same exact species as the tree in my previous post, has flowered consistently from April until now, and it does so every year.  Many flowering shrubs or trees tend to drop their flowers in intense heat. Considering the humidity, much of last week and earlier this week were said to feel around 110 degrees Fahrenheit.  Yet this amazing tree has been cranking out colorful purple bracts and white flowers like it was getting paid to do so.

In case you were wondering, the teabags on the soil surface on different trees are filled with fertilizer. It is a common method of feeding trees, because you can target specific areas that need heavier feeding than others. The teabags do not wash away during the wind, rain or while watering. Also, it makes it much easier to remove the old fertilizer when it has become depleted. The last thing we need is a bunch of granules of useless fertilizer clogging up the drainage and negatively affecting our soil integrity.