Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt: A Miniature World of Ancient Trees

The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt is a hidden gem in Oakland, California, offering a serene and captivating experience for visitors of all ages. Located within the Gardens at Lake Merritt, this unique garden is home to a collection of nearly 200 bonsai trees, with about half on display at any given time. These miniature trees, some of which are hundreds of years old, represent the ancient Japanese art of bonsai, where trees are carefully cultivated in small containers to mimic the shape and scale of full-size trees in nature. The garden was conceptualized in the mid-to-late 1970s by horticulturalists Toichi Domoto and Bill Hashimoto, with the garden officially opening in 1999. Today, the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt is the only major all-volunteer-run bonsai garden in the United States. The garden's collection includes the Daimyo Oak, gifted to Anson Burlingame, the U.S. Ambassador to China, in 1860, and a Japanese Black Pine that was displayed at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Visitors can stroll through the garden's winding paths, admiring the diverse collection of bonsai trees, including California junipers from the Mojave Desert, some of which are estimated to be up to 1,600 years old. Knowledgeable docents are often available to answer questions and provide insights into the art of bonsai. The garden also features a display of *suseiki* or “viewing stones,” which are stones carved by wind and water and meant to be appreciated in their natural form. The garden is part of The Gardens at Lake Merritt, which include a Sensory Garden, a Toddler Garden, an Urban Edible Garden, and a Succulent Garden.