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 GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt
Near the Lakeside Garden Center
666 Bellevue Ave
Oakland, CA

Hours:

Tuesday-Friday 11am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 12 noon - 4pm
Chairman Gordon Deeg Curator Kathy Shaner
The Garden in Winter
History
The concept of this garden merged emerged during a conversation between Toichi Domoto and Bill Hashimoto sometime after 1974. Toichi was interested in preserving bonsai produced in northern California. Bill kept this thought alive through his friend Gloria Clementson. Early in the 1990's, when Gloria died, her heirs dedicated the proceeds from sale of her bonsai as seed money for a bonsai garden to preserve special trees. Shortly thereafter, Hidoko Metazas presented the concept of this garden to the Golden State Bonsai Federation. That state-wide association of bonsai clubs agreed to create two repositories-one in southern California at Huntington Gardens and this one in northern California. Through 1994, Bill Hashimoto and his associates continued raising funds and explored many locations for this northern Garden. Seiji Shiba took over  and in 1996, with the assistance of John North, came to an agreement with the City of Oakland to locate the garden at Lake Merritt. Then fundraising accelerated, and through much donated time and only one paid contractor, Steve Faulk, the dreamed of garden was opened in November 1999.

The Mas Imazumi Gate
This classic Japanese gate was dedicated to Mas Imazumi-a Bay Area Bonsai teacher fro many decades. The gate was designed and built by Hiroshi Sakaguchi of Occidental, CA. He does what men in his family have been doing for more than 600 years. His ancient craft of joinery woodworking used no visible glue, nails or screws. The maker is a "daiku," an architect-carpenter, who through extensive training can build a bridge, temple, or gate strong enough to withstand an earthquake or flood simply through the tension of fitted parts. The main structure is made of Port-Orford-cedar with darker wood being redwood. To prevent rot, the gates are anchored through granite standoffs in the ground. Notice the copper inserts on the ends of the rafters. They are aesthetic and also keep out water and prevent splitting.


The GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt (formerly the GSBF Collection North) is the home to some of the finest Bonsai in Northern California.  Northern California’s only public bonsai collection is the Demonstration Garden at Oakland’s Lakeside Park. It was built, is staffed and maintained by volunteers and is supported entirely by donations.

 This permanent collection assures that these precious trees and stones by outstanding masters and collectors will be preserved for everyone’s enjoyment. More than 50 superb bonsai and many viewing stones (suiseki) are on display at any given time. The collection is changed regularly, so visit several times a year. Chairman is  Gordon Deeg. Curator Kathy Shaner is the only Japanese-certified bonsai master in the United States. Our sister bonsai collection is the Golden State Bonsai Collection at the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino near Pasadena, California.

Volunteer docents provide you with a self-guiding key sheet describing each tree and stone. They can help with further information about the landscape plants, Japanese gates, bonsai in general, and bonsai clubs.

Completion of this open air cultural museum has been made possible through the support of the Oakland City council and its Parks and Recreation Department and Golden State Federation officials.

The enthusiasm of volunteer labor by members of the various northern California clubs, their spouses and friends plus the generosity of commercial concerns have been invaluable. The beauty of this garden has been achieved through hard work, success and few failures by a dedicated force of volunteers.

Trees selected for the Garden number over 250 to supply a rotating display. These trees require constant care. Tree caretakers will work under Curator Kathy Shaner’s, direction.

ADMISSION is free; donations to help maintain and improve the garden are gratefully accepted.

The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt is a tax-deductible, charitable and educational organization. Your donations may be left at the collection or mailed to: GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt, P. O. Box 16176, Oakland, CA 94610-6176. Bonsai, suiseki, and related materials are also accepted as tax-deductible donations.