A few of you asked for some pictures of actual plants from the National Bonsai museum at the National Arboretum rather than the architecture. I'm happy to oblige but I'm sorry to say I don't know much about them (other than they were pretty amazing)!
The twisted and gnarled trunk of this tree caught my eye. I love the shiny leaves as well for their contrast.
This trunk seemed to be forming a Trojan hourse: doesn't it look like a statue? Amazing.
One more sculptural tree trunk. Keep in mind these bonsai are generally around 12-24" tall.
A weeping coniferous bonsai.
My absolute favorites were the ones which formed miniature forests.
This grouping was the most successful: moss as grass and tiny pebbles as a path. You can just imagine a gnome walking through at any moment!
Not all of the plants were in miniature. At the entrance to the bonsai garden was this huge flowering vine. I think the bees were enjoying it as much as we were!
The twisted and gnarled trunk of this tree caught my eye. I love the shiny leaves as well for their contrast.
This trunk seemed to be forming a Trojan hourse: doesn't it look like a statue? Amazing.
A weeping coniferous bonsai.
My absolute favorites were the ones which formed miniature forests.
This grouping was the most successful: moss as grass and tiny pebbles as a path. You can just imagine a gnome walking through at any moment!