Every snip, every trim, every cut has to be precise.
With immense care and laser focus, bonsai artists work day after day on their craft. Each aspect of their tree is mapped out in advance. Their work may be hyper-planned, but the goal is to make the results look seamlessly natural.
In their hands, normal trees become miniature masterpieces.
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This fall, visitors to the Indianapolis Zoo have the opportunity to see examples from some of the best bonsai growers in the region. The zoo has partnered with the Indianapolis Bonsai Club to feature a one-of-a-kind exhibit focused entirely on the art form.
More than 25 unique creations from the club are included in “Bonsai,” giving guests ample opportunities to take in the artists’ skill and glean inspiration from their work.
“Knowing that they’ve taken so long to achieve this, and the strategic planning of each branch, where to prune it, that artwork piece of it is intriguing to people,” said Scott Sullivan, curator of horticulture at the Indianapolis Zoo.
Bonsai is not a specific type of tree. Instead, it refers to the thousand-year-old art of keeping trees and shrubs in containers, manipulating needles, leaves, branches and other aspects of the plants to maintain a particular look.
Based on ancient Chinese horticulture, it was adapted by the Japanese by adherents of Zen Buddhism.
Though bonsai trees are miniature, the plants are not genetically modified to grow smaller. Left alone, each would grow into a fully formed pine, yew or other tree. But artists spend hours of painstaking work to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Bonsai is a popular pastime for horticulturists around the world today, and with care and attention, the trees can live decades or even centuries.
The artform was an ideal fit for the Hilbert Conservatory at White River Gardens, a plant-based paradise adjacent to the Indianapolis Zoo, Sullivan.
The idea for the exhibit came from Robert Shumaker, president and CEO of the zoo. As a member of the Indianapolis Bonsai Club, he watched as bonsai shows all over the country were canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With bonsai club members left without a way to showcase their work, Shumaker proposed using space at the zoo for members to show off their trees.
Sullivan, as the head horticulturist at the zoo, was tasked with designing the show.
“It was a way to help them out, so they could display their work,” he said. “I met with the president of the bonsai club, and I was able to go to his house and see some of his bonsai, which got me really excited.”
To better understand bonsai, Sullivan also tried it himself. He went to a landscaping store and purchased some cheap evergreen trees before going online to watch videos on technique.
Once he got started, he gained a greater appreciation for the vision that bonsai artists have.
“I thought, ‘How do these guys do this?’ Mine all looked like I stepped on them,” he said. “There is definitely a fine art to it that people find really cool.”
The exhibit will be based on tropical plants, allowing all of the featured submissions to be housed inside the steamy confines of the Hilbert Conservatory. Bonsai can be done with any plant species with woody stems and smaller leaves, and the exhibit includes 15 different tree species, including a Brazilian rain tree, ficus and black olive.
For Sullivan and his horticulture team, “Bonsai” is an opportunity draw attention to the plant-based side of nature, stealing a small amount of the spotlight from the diverse animal exhibits the zoo is known for.
“It’s really cool that our team gets to be involved in something so that people aren’t only coming to the zoo just for the animals. you can come here and see these cool tress and take that appreciation with you,” Sullivan said. “It’s a plant experience, and that’s really exciting our team.”
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"Bonsai"
What: A new exhibit featuring 27 of the best bonsai plants from the Indianapolis Bonsai Club.
Where: Hilbert Conservatory at White River Gardens, Indianapolis Zoo, 1200 W. Washington St.
When: Through Nov. 30
Conservatory hours: Through Oct. 6: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday; Oct. 7-Nov. 30: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Included with zoo admission, which differs depending on the day. Go to IndianapolisZoo.com to see prices and reserve timed-entry tickets.
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