Bonsai Collection

A collection of deciduous and coniferous temperate woody trees and shrubs cultivated using the techniques of the Bonsai Japanese art form to produce miniature specimens.

Bonsai

Head to our beautiful Bonsai House, which showcases the Japanese art of growing miniature trees in containers.

We have around 60 tiny bonsai trees in our collection, seasonally displayed in our Bonsai House, the smallest only 10 centimetres tall, and oldest being 180 years old.

Keep your eyes peeled for our stunning Japanese white pine bonsai (Pinus parviflora), which is thought to be over 75 years old.

Did you know? Bonsai are not dwarf forms of trees. If they are taken out of their pots and planted in the open ground, they would grow into full-sized trees.

You can find the Bonsai House near the Davies Alpine House - use our map to help you find it. 

Pink blossom of bonsai Hall crabapple tree (Malus halliana)
Bonsai Hall crabapple tree (Malus halliana), Emma Chandler © RBG Kew
Japanese maple at Kew
Japanese maple, Ellen McHale © RBG Kew
Bonsai tree growing in the Bonsai house at Kew
Juniperus chinensis in the Bonsai House, Ellen McHale/RBG Kew
The Bonsai House, Kew Gardens
The Bonsai House, Kew Gardens, Ellen McHale © RBG Kew
The bonsai house, Kew
The bonsai house, Kew, Ellen McHale/RBG Kew

Location: Bonsai House and Walled Garden

Taxa: 19  Accessions: 84  Wild-sourced: 12%

Geographic strengths: China and Japan

Taxonomic strengths: Juniper, Acer and Prunus

Notable specimens: a bonsai Acer palmatum that is approximately 100 years old; two Juniperus chinensis specimens that are thought to be the earliest bonsai imported into the UK (1935); and a specimen of Juniperus rigida representing the ‘sharimiki’ or driftwood style, which is thought to be 200 years old

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