Rather than trying to put our whole July vacation on the Kitsap Peninsula into one post, I decided to break it into major events! We have:

I: Campground & Cycling
II: Bloedel Reserve (Arboretum/Botanical Garden)
III: Elandan Gardens
IV: Hiking in Port Ludlow
V: Kayaking in the Hood Canal/Agate Passageway

ELANDEN GARDENS

Elanden Gardens is primarily a bonsai garden sculpted by the landscape artistry of Dan Robinson near Bremerton, WA.

Our bonsai museum is set among ponds, waterfalls, sculptures and lush gardens on the shores of Puget Sound. Leonardo da Vinci, Kubla Khan and Chinese philosopher Zhu Xi were each alive when some of the trees at Elandan Gardens took root. The collection, which includes trees more than 1000 years old, represents Dan’s 50+ years of dedication to the art of bonsai. http://www.elandangardens.com

When we arrived, I was wondering if we were in the right place. From the outside, it looks cluttered and small but once we passed through the doors, we encountered a wonderland of artifacts and bonsai.

Of course, we brought Grogu!

We were instructed that the common way of pronouncing bonsai – bawn-sai is incorrect and is actually a war cry! The host told us that it is actually pronounced bone-sai. However, the Bonsai resource center says that there are several colloquial pronunciations used more frequently than its official pronunciation. The trees we saw were aged from ancient (300 BCE) to current (2000’s CE).

This tree is from 300 BCE and the story of how it arrived in Diane and Dan’s care is:

“Discovered and collected in 1987 in Wyoming. This truly ancient tree was dated using referential ring count. In essence, a branch was cut and counted which proffered 141 years per radial inch. The main tree’s radius equals about 14 inches. This ancient tree shows its trunk’s massive woody formation. The exposed eroded root structure is a result of the sublimation that has vaporized the ancient wood over eons. This venerable tree is considered the “Methuselah” of the Elanden Gardens.”

For the dating, they send samples off to some center that does carbon dating to get a more accurate date estimate than counting the rings of the tree!

Listening to the stories of the bonsai, I learned that Dan Robinson learned the art at the hands of Japanese masters. When he started on his own, he wanted to push the form to a more free-flowing form by moving away from the very traditional western form of three sections balanced to a form that flowed more with the movement of nature reflective more of its Japanese roots. Bonsai’s origination was a reflection of simplicity, balance, and harmony, I would say that Dan’s adaptation of Bonsai reflects the element of wildness found in nature.

Much of Dan’s work includes tree rescues. He sees trees that are going to be destroyed due to buildings or because of the natural consequences of their environment and nurtures them back to life. Then forms their roots so they can live within a pot and begins shaping the trees. The process seems to take decades. This is definitely not something you would want to do if you want immediate rewards. Patience and vision are required!

Dan’s principles of Bonsai are:

1. All trees deserve to have deadwood, and it’s best when sculpted and refined to be a value-added element to the tree.
2. All man-made pruning scars are inappropriate and ugly; no dreaded bull’s eyes, please.
3. All trees deserve crooked, gnarly, undulating branches.
4. Wire training is essential to bonsai control and design. Try not to encumber a tree with needless wire; use guys and pulls when possible in lieu of heavy wire.

The tree rescues mirror the land rescue that Diane and Dan Robinson executed by converting a city dump to a bonsai oasis. They brought the land to life much as they bring nearly expired trees to life. Every rock, flower, tree, and structure was brought to the land by Diane and Dan.

What a different world we would be in if we slowed down enough to appreciate the potential in those before us and had the patience to nurture life into those who have been scarred. And yes, that is not about trees!

Thanks for reading to the end! If you want to see all the photos, they’re over at Flickr linked below.

Peace,

Terri

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