Presented by Ikebana International, Washington, D.C. Chapter No. 1
U.S. National Arboretum
April 12 - 21, 10 am - 4 pm
Free and open to the public

Special Events:

• Free Live Demonstrations on April 13, 14, 20, 21 from 1 - 2 pm

• Ikebana for Kids Workshop on April 21 from 1 -2 :30 pm (Need Prior Registration)

Ikebana International, Washington D.C. Chapter No. 1 will host its annual exhibition at the U.S. National Arboretum. The exhibition will demonstrate the creativity and artistry of their members in arrangements representing several different schools of ikebana.  There will also be live demonstrations showcasing ikebana styles of four different schools. 

Exhibits Gallery, National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

Colorful cultivars of late-blooming Satsuki azaleas have been hybridized in Japan for hundreds of years. This annual exhibit showcases our most spectacular examples in a one-week indoor display. Based on individual bloom times, trees may be on display in the outdoor pavilions before and after the indoor exhibit.

Exhibits Gallery, National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

This exhibit showcases the best bonsai from members of the Potomac Bonsai Association in formal displays. It will be on view for the public during the Potomac Bonsai Festival and will continue through the following weekend and celebration of World Bonsai Day. 

A program of our friends at CHAPTER 1 Ikebana International and USNA

Exhibits Gallery, National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

Enjoy spring flowers with a Japanese twist! The Washington D.C. Chapter (Chapter 1) of Ikebana International will exhibit flower arrangements representing a variety of ikebana schools and styles. There will be a change-out of the exhibits on April 10 and 13, so plan return visits to see everything. Master teachers will give free ikebana demonstrations on April 8, 9, 15, and 16.

All events are open to the public and are free of charge.

Free Demonstrations: April 8, 9, 15, 16, 1 - 2 pm

Ikebana for Kids Workshop: April 16, 1 -2 :30 pm (Needs prior registration)

Exhibits Gallery, National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

As he followed the blossoming cherry trees from south to north in Japan, landscape architect Ron Henderson recorded his experience in folding sketchbooks called orihon. His work celebrates the cherry blossom culture in Japan, highlighting his pilgrimages to visit famous old trees. But he also focuses on the horticultural practices that extend the lives of cherry trees in Japan, illustrating pruning techniques, branch crutches, rope tenting, and root grafting. This exhibition of Henderson’s books inspires awe for the trees as well as for the unique manner in which one man documented his journey.

WHAT’S ON DISPLAY?

The public is invited to view the once private collection of Chinese Scholars’ Rocks generously donated by noted scholars’ rock collector, Kemin Hu.

This gift doubles the Museum’s viewing stone collection, making it the finest collection of documented Chinese Scholars’ stones in the United States. Hu continues a philanthropic tradition established by her father, Zhaokang Hu.

Featured in The Washingtonian
(February 2023)

The exhibit displays a large selection from the Hu gift. Sizes of the stones range from a few inches to almost 5 feet. Besides geological stones, Hu’s gift includes objects of fossil, petrified wood, coral, stalactite, root wood, and ceramics.

Adding to the excitement around this gift, the National Bonsai Foundation, the nonprofit partnering with the U.S. National Arboretum to support the Museum, has captured this collection within an immersive and stunning artbook now available for purchase.

What Are Chinese Scholars’ Rocks?

Chinese scholars’ rocks are stones collected in nature, some naturally occurring and others hand carved or otherwise embellished. The stones often resemble natural landscapes, animals, or evoke nature in some manner. They’ve been described by scholars’ rock expert Dr. Phillip E. Bloom as appearing to…

The Asian art of collecting, displaying, and appreciating unusual stones is ancient, dating back at least two thousand years. Stone appreciation practice originated in China and spread to Korea and Japan. Much later, the practice was adopted by other countries throughout the world.

These stones have an enormous “wow” factor for people viewing them for the first time. Accompanied by quality interpretative materials, thousands of visitors will begin to understand what these stones represent as well as their importance. With this gift, the U.S. National Arboretum and the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum becomes an even greater treasure in the Washington, DC, area.

Located in the Exhibits Wing at The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum and the U.S. National Arboretum. Plan your visit here.

Located at the Exhibits Gallery, Exhibits Wing, with demos in Auditorium at The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum. Plan your visit here.

Located in the Exhibits Wing of The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum. Plan your visit here.

The Potomac Bonsai Association (PBA) will host an exhibition of bonsai by affiliated club members. Member bonsai will be displayed in the courtyard and formal displays will be set up in the display wing of the special exhibits building of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the National Arboretum, Washington D.C.

More information here.

ABS changed from traditional demonstration/workshop conventions in 2006. Using an idea put forth by board member Pauline Muth that matched their organizational goals of bonsai education, conventions were changed into learning seminars. Under this plan, multiple excellent bonsai teachers were invited to teach classes on their favorite bonsai skills. The seminars are designed as a college class weekend. Each weekend packed with classes, workshops, demonstrations, vendors and a wonderful exhibition.

ABS pairs with local and regional bonsai organizations, such as The National Bonsai Foundation, to host the event. ABS relies on the hosts to bring the best wanted bonsai experience to their area of the country.

Presented by ABS, BCI, NBF & PBA.

List of Teachers:

JULIAN ADAMS
BJORN BORNHOLM
YOUNG CHOE
ENRIQUE CASTANO
JAMES DOYLE
MARK FIELDS
RON LANG & SHARON EDWARDS-RUSSELL
PETER MACASIEB
KRISTINE MAJESKE
& many others.

Enjoy spring flowers with a Japanese twist! The Washington D.C. Chapter of Ikebana International will exhibit flower arrangements representing a variety of ikebana schools and styles. There will be a change-out of the exhibits on April 6 and 9, so plan return visits to see everything. Master teachers will give free ikebana demonstrations on April 11 and 12 at 10 am and 12:30 pm.

All events and exhibits take place at The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s Exhibit Gallery located in the U.S. National Arboretum.

New Arrangements: April 6, 9

Ikebana Demonstrations: April 11 & 12 at 12:30pm

A U.S. National Arboretum event in partnership with The Washington, DC Chapter of Ikebana International.

As featured in The Washington Post…

As he followed the blossoming cherry trees from south to north in Japan, landscape architect Ron Henderson recorded his experience in folding sketchbooks called orihon. His work celebrates the cherry blossom culture in Japan, highlighting his pilgrimages to visit famous old trees. He also focuses on the horticultural practices that extend the lives of cherry trees in Japan, illustrating pruning techniques, branch crutches, rope tenting, and root grafting. This exhibition of Henderson’s books inspires awe for the trees as well as appreciation for the unique manner in which one man documented his journey.

All events and exhibits take place at The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s Exhibit Gallery located in the U.S. National Arboretum.

A U.S. National Arboretum event.

Read more about Ron Henderson and his visit to The Museum in 2019 on our blog.

Visit the National Bonsai Museum for a delightful Halloween treat—an exhibit of bonsai creations with whimsical creatures, playful pots, and spooky trees. Nick Lenz is a well-known, provocative bonsai artist and pioneer in styling trees he collected over 40 years from the northern forests and landscapes of the United States and Canada. Bringing together works from more than a dozen private collections and three botanical institutions, this exhibition of bonsai and ceramics highlights well-known themes in the Nick Lenz oeuvre, including whimsy, drama, and wilderness.

Free and open to the public.

This exhibit presents objects originally collected and appreciated by the scholar class—the literati—of China and Japan. They include viewing stones, tea utensils, root art, suiseki, and scholar’s rocks from the personal collections of members of the Potomac Viewing Stone Group.

Sogetsu ikebana style is deeply rooted in Japanese tradition, yet embraces the modern age. Sogetsu promotes an ikebana, or Japanese flower arranging, of no limits in which designers use plant materials of any type to create sculptural compositions.

In Japan, it is said that the beauty of an azalea bonsai in bloom is like the beauty of a courtesan dressed in her finest brocade kimono. Breathtaking blossoms cover these late-blooming Satsuki azaleas, miniature in form, but covered with full-sized flowers. This annual spring exhibit showcases the most spectacular examples.

Co-sponsored by the Potomac Bonsai Association (PBA) and the U.S. National Arboretum, this event features a show of PBA member trees and vendors selling bonsai, pre-bonsai, pots, accents and supplies. A juried exhibit of PBA bonsai will be on view in the museum. Free demonstrations will be given by PBA members. There will also be fee-based workshops.

Enjoy spring flowers with a Japanese twist! The Washington D.C. Chapter of Ikebana International will exhibit flower arrangements representing a variety of ikebana schools and styles. There will be a change-out of the exhibits on April 16 and 19, so plan return visits to see everything. Master teachers will give free ikebana demonstrations in the Bonsai Museum Lecture/Demonstration Center on April 13, 14, 20, and 21.

New Arrangements: April 11, 16, 19

Ikebana demonstrations: April 13, 14, 20, 21

Exhibit and demos are free and open to the public.

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Sakura Orihon: Diary of a Cherry Blossom Journey

February 16 – April 7, 2019

As he followed the blossoming cherry trees from south to north in Japan, landscape architect Ron Henderson recorded his experience in folding sketchbooks called orihon. His work celebrates the cherry blossom culture in Japan, highlighting his pilgrimages to visit famous old trees. But, he also focuses on the horticultural practices that extend the lives of cherry trees in Japan, illustrating pruning techniques, branch crutches, rope tenting, and root grafting. This exhibition of Henderson’s books inspires awe for the trees as well as for the unique manner in which one man documented his journey.

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Falling into Winter

October 20, 2018 – January 27, 2019

This exhibit presents stones in thematic groupings to evoke the change of seasons from early fall to late winter—complementing our fall and winter bonsai exhibits. The stones are on loan from the Jim & Alice Kikue Greaves Collection, American Viewing Stone Resource Center at The Huntington Library, Art Collection, and Botanical Gardens.

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