Bonsai/Penjing exhibit opens at National Arboretum

By TRINAY BLAKE
Observer Staff

The National Arboretum’s 10th annual Winter Silhouette Bonsai/Penjing Exhibit, which opens today, offers visitors a new perspective on the art of bonsai. The 12 trees on display showcase the effects of light on the bare branchesinside the International Pavilion.

Visitors will gain a new perspective when they see the structure and detailed form of these miniaturized deciduous trees.

As light bounces off them, one will “really see the ramification of branches and detail in the work that was created,” said James Hughes, curator of the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum.

The two oldest trees in the exhibit are a Japanese white pine (in training since 1625), and a Japanese red pine (in training since 1795), which is more than 5 feet tall. The term “in training” refers to the year cultivation began on the tree.

The National Arboretum’s 446 acres are open daily, except Christmas Day, and feature multiple exhibits and workshops throughout the year. The arboretum is located at 3501 New York Ave., N.E.

The display runs through Dec. 16.