Bonsai is the centuries-old Japanese practice of dwarfing trees and growing them in containers.
In fact, the word "bonsai" implies it - "bon" refers to a tray or shallow container, while "sai" means to plant or to grow. Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is home to an incredible collection of bonsai trees. It includes nearly 200 trees - some of them rare Japanese species. The bonsai trees are displayed in rotating groups of about 50 in a tranquil 12,500 square-foot garden courtyard. And inside Longwood's historic Potting Shed is a Bonsai Workshop where specimens are meticulously prepared and refined by experts, visiting artists, and volunteers.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Longwood’s Bonsai Courtyard is surrounded by trees, walls and hornbeam hedges, and decorated with a subdued combination of natural hues, crushed stone, and charred wood.
The Bonsai Collection was started in 1959 with 13 trees from renowned bonsai artist, Yuji Yoshimura. Today, Longwood has more than 150 trees in 14 different styles cultivated by some of the world’s most prestigious masters in the art of bonsai.
This is a Chinese Juniper, Juniperis chinensis ‘Shimpaku.’ Adaptable and appealing, the Chinese juniper is popular among bonsai enthusiasts. Training on this specimen began 26 years ago.
This is also a Chinese juniper tree, Juniperus chinensis ‘Shimpaku.’ Training on this bonsai began in the year 2000. For bonsai beginners, it is important to select a hardy and forgiving species like the juniper.
Training on this Hinoki False Cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa began in 1930. It has dark green leaves that form fanlike layers on branches that resemble ferns. While it grows quickly, it needs a lot of maintenance to retain its beautiful bonsai form.
Ginkgo bonsai trees, Ginkgo biloba, have the same unique fan-shaped leaves that turn golden yellow in fall. This Ginkgo first started developing as a bonsai in 1909.
Trident Maple, Acer buergerianum, is another popular bonsai tree because of its fast growth and thick trunk.
The Japanese black pine, Pinus thunbergii, has a naturally thick trunk with dark green foliage. The bark of the tree is gray and turns black as it matures. This bonsai is 95 years old.
Here is another Japanese black pine – its training began in 1970. These trees prefers lightly moist soil, with time to dry out between waterings.
One of my favorite trees is the Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum. This bonsai version was started in 1979. The natural and graceful forms of the Japanese maple make these trees easier to shape and maintain.
This is a Japanese Zelkova, Zelkova serrata. It is also known as the Japanese greybark elm. It thrives in full sun and some shade during the hottest weeks of the summer.
And this is a Nippon Daisy, Nipponanthemum nipponicum. It is one of the younger bonsai trees in this collection – training on this began in 2018. It responds well to bonsai pruning and shaping and features the same charming white daisy-like flowers.
At Longwood, the historic Potting Shed is dedicated to garden operations and now the care and maintenance of nearly 200 bonsai trees. It is one of the original Conservatory buildings constructed by founder, Pierre S. du Pont in the 1920s.
The Bonsai Workshop also displays many pots for its specimens. The pairing of trees with the proper pots is critical in bonsai art. There are more than 500 artisanal pots here – crafted by potters from around the world.
Displayed on tables in the Workshop are bonsai chrysanthemums. These range from two to six years old with thick trunks and well defined branches.
Almost any tree can be trained and shaped into a bonsai. Gnome chrysanthemums are among those types that work well for bonsai because of the smaller leaves and flowers. This is an example of a Cascade Anemone Mum. It is Chrysanthemum x morifolium ‘Ugetsu.’
This Cascade Anemone Mum Chrysanthemum x morifolium ‘Fukuyama’ features plentiful blooms and a gorgeous cascading growth habit.
This Anemone Mum bonsai tree is so carefully pruned and groomed. In bloom, it shows off small orange and yellow flowers.
A single mum bonsai is grown from one rooted cutting known as a “mother.” This is Chrysanthemum x morifolium ‘Satomi Orange.’
And this Single Mum is NYBG Bonsai selection number 5 with beautiful yellow, pink, and white flowers.
Part of Longwood’s Kusamono Collection is this arrangement. Known as a companion to bonsai, kusamono translates to “grass thing.” The arrangement includes a variety of grasses, mosses, and flowers. If you are ever in the area, visit Longwood Gardens – learn its history and walk through its beautiful spaces.
If you live in the New York City area, daytime temperatures are expected to be in the 40s and 50s this weekend - a good time to plant those bulbs.
My gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been hard at work planting spring-flowering bulbs around my farm. The bulbs are from Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs, a third-generation wholesale flower merchant in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut. Yesterday, they tackled the beds around my Japanese Maple Woodland and the areas near my hoop houses and chicken coops. They planted snowdrops, Spanish bluebells, and crocus. They will all look so marvelous come spring.
Enjoy these photos.
Bulbs are packaged in batches of 50, 100, 500, and a thousand. They come in these breathable sacks and crates. They are also packed in paper bags, boxes, and plastic pouches depending on the bulbs’ humidity needs. They must be kept moist without being wet.
On this day, Ryan and Phurba plant bulbs at the edge of my Japanese Maple Woodland, which continues to show off its vibrant fall colors.
For planting smaller bulbs, my gardeners use T-handled dibbers, which are pressed into the soil to make narrow holes.
Bulbs come in different sizes and forms. Shown here is a Galanthus bulb, or snowdrop. True bulbs can be either tunicate, with a papery covering or non-tunicate without the covering.
Galanthus start out as small bulbs that produce a delicate white bell-shaped blossom atop a sturdy rich green stem.
Each bulb is placed in a hole about three to five inches deep. The dibber is perfect for planting these bulbs.
On many bulbs, it is easy to see which end is the top and which end is the bottom.
Bulbs are always positioned with the pointed end faced up, or root end faced down. This is very important, so the plant grows properly from the bulb. Here is a bulb positioned perfectly.
And look who came to help, hello my “Blue Boys.” My peacocks and peahens are very friendly and very curious.
This is a crocus bulb. These show a flattened shape, slightly pointed head, and a tunic covering. The bulbs are firm in texture and can be identified by their fleshy scales and small hair-like roots.
Crocus blooms are early season flowers that pop up usually in shades of white, yellow, and purple.
I plant crocus in many areas around the farm. They look beautiful planted en masse. And over time, these bulbs will naturalize and multiply to produce more flowers every year.
These bulbs are Spanish Bluebells, which Ryan plants in another bed not far from my allée of lilacs.
Spanish Bluebells, or Hyacinthoides hispanica, are shade-tolerant plants that bear spikes of lightly fragrant, blue flowers.
Ryan carries bags of bulbs to their designated beds and plants them in batches.
Ryan uses the auger attachment to make holes. The ground is a bit hard from the recent cold, but it’s still workable.
Ryan applies pressure to make the holes about four to six inches deep. Holes should be about three times the bulb’s width and depth.
He makes a series of holes in the space first, being very careful not to poke any bulbs previously planted in the area.
Here is a bulb positioned correctly in its hole. If it is planted upside down, the flower will still grow, but it will likely take a bit longer.
Ryan plants an entire section before backfilling, so he knows what holes he has planted.
Once a section is done, Phurba backfills and drops bulbs in any holes that are still vacant.
The crew is excellent at planting, and works in an efficient assembly line process. The team is getting the job done, but there are still thousands of spring-blooming bulbs to plant!
It’s time to plant all those spring-blooming bulbs!
Every year, I plant thousands of spring-blooming bulbs here at my farm. Yesterday, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew started planting in my pergola garden - one of the first areas I see when I drive into my property. They planted camassias and alliums. The bulbs are from Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs - a third generation flower merchant in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut. I always find it exciting to plant bulbs in the fall that stay hidden underground for many months - it's such a wonderful surprise of color when they bloom in spring.
Enjoy these photos.
If you haven’t yet planted your spring-blooming bulbs, this is the time to do it. Every year, I order lots of bulbs in batches of 50, 100, 500, and a thousand. These bulbs are from Colorblends – they come in these breathable sacks and crates. This year, 10-thousand bulbs in all.
The Colorblends facility is housed in an old factory originally built in 1879. Colorblends has been selling bulbs for more than 50-years.
The Colorblends warehouse is large and filled with all kinds of bulbs that arrive from the Netherlands in early fall. While Colorblends does handle some bulb order pickups, the company mainly ships bulbs to customers from online catalog orders and by phone. Once the bulbs are ready, they are delivered according to a planting map. After the first frost in one’s area, bulbs can be planted safely for about two months.
Once at the farm, my head-gardener Ryan McCallister organizes them by type and groups them where they will be planted.
One of the first areas we plant is the long pergola garden across the carriage road from my beautiful bald cypress trees – look at the gorgeous russet brown colored fall foliage of these trees. The feathery needles look so pretty covering the ground.
There are several different tools used for planting bulbs depending on the size of the bulb. Here we have traditional long handled bulb planters made with powder-coated steel. The six inch barrel is perfect for planting most bulbs and has a 37 inch long handle for planting ease. We also use the shorter bulb planters – each crew member has his favorite tool.
Ryan sprinkles a generous amount of fertilizer first. I use Miracle-Gro. The food should be a balanced fertilizer that has a good amount of phosphorous. Fertilizing spring-blooming bulbs feeds and helps them fight off diseases and pests.
Here I like to plant lots of camassia and alliums. When purchasing bulbs, always look for those that are plump and firm, and avoid those that are soft. These bulbs from Colorblends are in great condition. Bulbs come in a variety of sizes depending on the flower – the bigger the bulb the more time it has to grow and the bigger the flower bloom.
This is an allium bulb. True bulbs can be either tunicate, with a papery covering or non-tunicate without the covering. This is a tunicate bulb. On many bulbs, it is also easy to see which end is the top and which end has the roots.
Alliums are often overlooked as one of the best bulbs for constant color throughout the season. They come in oval, spherical, or globular flower shapes, blooming in magnificent colors atop tall stems. An allium flower head is a cluster of individual florets and the flower color may be purple, white, yellow, pink, or blue.
This is an elongated tunicate camassia bulb. And do you know… these bulbs are actually edible? Camassia bulbs were a major food source for some Native American tribes and early European Settlers, but they were very difficult to distinguish from other bulbs, which were deadly poisonous.
Camassia is a genus of plants in the asparagus family native to Canada and the United States. Common names include camas, quamash, Indian hyacinth, camash, and wild hyacinth. They grow to a height of 12 to 50 inches and vary in color from pale lilac or white to deep purple or blue-violet.
Ryan tosses the bulbs naturally along the entire length of the pergola garden. Where they fall is where they will be planted.
Using the stand-up bulb planter, Phurba is able to make holes faster without kneeling.
This tool is best for planting larger bulbs that need to be buried at least six-inches deep. He makes a hole just next to where the bulb was tossed.
One by one, each bulb is carefully placed into a hole, with the pointed end faced up, or root end faced down. This is very important, so the plant grows properly from the bulb.
Because the pergola garden is long, this bed will need hundreds of bulbs to fill it. Most bulbs do best in full sun with at least six hours of direct sunlight a day and well-drained soil.
Ryan uses a stainless steel bulb planter drill attachment.
In general, holes should be three times deeper than the bulb’s length.
Each of these bulbs is planted in a hole at least six-inches deep. There are already many other bulbs planted here, so Phurba and Ryan are very careful when planting additional bulbs in this space.
Phurba works fast. He is able to get hundreds of bulbs planted in just a few hours.
The area will also get a covering of composted mulch made right here at the farm. I am glad the weather has allowed us a good head start this season. I cannot wait to see the fruits of our labor, and the swaths of color that will emerge in spring.
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