Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection

I'm steadily working on quilting things...but I thought I would share a wonderful treasure if you happen to be in the Seattle/Tacoma area. On the way to my sisters from the airport, we stopped at Weyerhaueser's Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection. Just a little over a quarter of an acre is given over to a fabulous collection of mature bonsai. Open free of charge, it is well worth the stop. Adjacent to the bonsai garden is another garden which is larger and has an admission fee. As my hip was hurting, I opted to only do the bonsai.

I think that my favorites are the ones like this one. The bark has been peeled back and the tree is tortured, but survives and even flourishes. Showing strength and grace under pressure.













This one is the "Tall Stewartia" (Stewartia mondelpha). I love the red bark, and the leaves are beginning to turn. While much of the collection are conifers, many are deciduous. Soon, the various maples and azelias will begin to color for the fall and I bet that the display will be spectacular.

This particular piece has been under cultivation since 1965 and was collected at Gotenba, which is between Tokyo and Nagoya. Bonsai Master Yasuo Mitsuya directed the care of this piece for his client, Keijiro Fujimagari. It came to the Weyerhaueser collection in 2005.






This one looks like it is really tall, but is only about 24".








Several of the exhibits show little forests of bonsai trees....So lovely and serene.