Pacific Bonsai Museum

05/29/2026

Swipe for the perfect Father's Day plan 👉

This Father's Day (June 21), bring Dad somewhere truly restorative.

Our Summer Bonsai Solstice evening offers:
→ Forest bathing
→ Sound healing
→ Tai Chi & gentle movement
→ Peaceful gardens
→ Tasty treats
→ Quality time together

4-8pm | FREE admission | No registration needed

Dads deserve self-care too!
More at: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AyCGY2Ag6/

05/27/2026

Scenes from /Bonsai United/ captured recently by Aarin.

1. Korean Red Pine (Pinus densiflora), original artist: Roland Folse
Date of origin ca. 1960s; in training since unknown;
2. Sierra Juniper on Chinese Juniper (Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii / Juniperus occidentalis var. australis); in training as a bonsai since: 1970; Original artist: Ken Sugimoto;
3. Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora) / in training as a bonsai since ca. 1945 / original artist: William Franklin.

05/25/2026

Our current exhibition, Bonsai United, includes an overview of the history of bonsai. Explore this timeline with special objects from our archives, now on display in our Pavilion.

Timeline / Bonsai United design: John Mork
Panel information compiled by Aarin Packard and Brock Arvesen.

05/22/2026

We're officially on blossom watch for this Satsuki 'Kinsai' Azalea. 🌺
Won't be long now until this one is covered in blooms, looking like its pin.

Enamel Pin designed in Seattle by Zack Bolotin, available now in our online store, shipping worldwide https://pacificbonsaimuseum.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/pacificbonsaimuseum/product.jsp?product=337

Satsuki Azalea (Rhododendron x indicum “Kinsai’) originally created by Isao Fukita

05/21/2026

The Puget Sound Bonsai Association's 20th Annual Bonsai Auction offers something special for everyone: quality trees, essential tools, and beautiful pots. For those just beginning their journey with bonsai, this auction provides an accessible entry point into a calming, meditative practice. For experienced enthusiasts, it's an excellent opportunity to find that special addition to your collection.

THIS YEAR: PSBA Auction-goers will have the opportunity to raise their paddles in support of our goal of raising $20,000 towards the construction of our new Demonstration Pavilion. This new shelter, designed by MITHŪN (who created the rendering shown), will be located in our main exhibition area. The Pavilion will provide a dedicated outdoor workspace where our staff and volunteers can maintain our living collection in view of the public, and where volunteer docents can engage visitors in substantive, extended conversations about the history, science, and art of bonsai. It will be the first purpose-built space at Pacific Bonsai Museum designed specifically for this kind of interpretive, open-practice engagement.

We're excited to invite you to be part of this important new educational resource for our community!

Sign up to participate in PSBA 20th Annual Auction June 6 and get more info at https://www.facebook.com/share/1F3Nvj6Zsn/

05/20/2026

Spring Maintenance of Japanese Maples // By viewer request! Cory and Andrew are in the workshop working on this beautiful maple- listen in as Cory explains their work.

Bonsai being worked on here: Laceleaf Japanese Maple ( Acer palmatum Dissectum ); in training since 1962; Original Artist: Roland Folse.

05/19/2026

Breathe. Move. Reset. 🌿 Summer Bonsai Solstice, June 21 | 4-8pm | FREE
https://www.facebook.com/share/1AyCGY2Ag6/

05/18/2026

Bonsai Empire fans! New on our YouTube video, our Curator Aarin Packard and Museum Manager Sarah Quick sat down for an interview with Oscar Jonker to talk about Dutch bonsai.

Hear how the Netherlands' flat landscape and centuries of open exchange shaped a bonsai culture that looks outward — and why that's always been the Dutch way. Oscar Jonker is a Dutch bonsai educator and publisher, best known as the founder of Bonsai Empire, one of the web’s most visited platforms dedicated to bonsai education. Through extensive travel, documentation, and teaching, Jonker has played a central role in sharing bonsai knowledge across cultures and continents, reflecting the Netherlands’ long tradition as a hub of exchange and information.

This unedited interview is presented as part of our current /Bonsai United/ exhibition: a comparative examination of the practice of bonsai around the world as shaped by place, culture, and native flora. More at pacificbonsaimuseum.org.

Watch 👉 https://youtu.be/oK5V6_V9IKo

05/16/2026

It’s back! This grove of trident maple trees had been off-view for several years. The trees had been declining, so it was taken off display for some intensive TLC. We are happy to say that it has rebounded nicely.

In the context of our current exhibition, Bonsai United, this forest planting is displayed in the China alcove, where penjing principles are displayed. In penjing traditions, environmental conditions influence plant growth with various types of growth requiring different techniques. This adaptive relationship between climate, biology, and artistic response forms the structural logic of bonsai worldwide.
�A little history on this forest… It began as seedlings purchased from a nursery in California. Artist John Planting grew the trees for several years in containers of various sizes, resulting in differing growth rates and a wide variation in tree size. Size variation is considered an important element in bonsai group plantings, as it suggests a natural forests in which there are varying age classes of trees.

In the context of our current exhibition, Bonsai United, this forest planting is displayed in the China alcove, where penjing principles are on display. In penjing traditions, environmental conditions influence plant growth, with various types of growth requiring different techniques. This adaptive relationship between climate, biology, and artistic response forms the structural logic of bonsai worldwide.

Trident Maple forest (Acer buergerianum), in training since 1970; Original artist: John Planting.
Photo by Matthew Aimonetti.

05/14/2026

Summer Bonsai Solstice is coming! ✨ Sunday, June 21 | 4-8pm | FREE admission (donations appreciated)

Experience an evening of movement, mindfulness, nature, and art in the beautiful evening air. Drop in anytime for:

🌲 Forest bathing with certified guides from Pacific Forest Bathing
🎵 Sound bathing sessions with Breath Mindset
🥋 8 Brocade, Qigong & Tai Chi with the Federal Way Community Center TaiChi Group
🧘‍♀️ Artasana & Chair Yoga with Three Trees Yoga
🍃 Wellness marketplace with Deschampsia Botanicals plus nourishing refreshments from Intentions Juice Bar, Gonzo Panini, B. Fuller's Mortar & Pestle, and Glory Bucha.

No registration required. Rain or shine.
Suggested donation $12.

Experience Pacific Bonsai Museum in a whole new way!
More info 👉 https://www.facebook.com/share/18Ys4xUCiV/
(Link in Profile)

Summer Bonsai Solstice Sunday, June 21 | 4-8pm Join us for our evening Summer Bonsai Solstice: a peaceful celebration blending movement, mindfulness, nature, and art in the beautiful evening air. Come and experience Pacific Bonsai Museum in a whole new way! Experience: Forest Bathing | Immerse yours...