Bonsai Collection

The Chicago Botanic Garden bonsai collection is one of the largest and most diverse collections in the country. Our nearly 300 trees and 160 different taxa allow us to display a wide variety of trees for our visitors in two display courtyards from mid-April to October. The collection is comprised primarily of donations, including 19 trees imported from Japan and donated by bonsai master Susumu Nakamura. In contrast to the formal Japanese tree and container styles, the Garden’s collection houses many naturalist styles of bonsai using North American tree species and containers produced by North American potters. Our 600- to 1,000-year-old limber pine tree (Pinus flexilis), which was collected in the Rocky Mountains, is one of most impressive and popular trees in the collection.