Japanese Collections at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

For more than 100 years, Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been home to iconic Japanese horticultural collections and cultural programs. The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, designed by Takeo Shiota in 1915, was the first Japanese garden in an American public botanic garden, and today it remains one of the finest examples of its kind outside Japan. This extraordinary and beloved place is one of the most visited sites at the Garden and has inspired millions of visitors across generations. It was the first of Brooklyn Botanic Garden's world-renowned Japanese collections, which also include the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum, a flowering cherry collection of more than 200 ornamental Prunus trees, and the Japanese tree peony collection—a gift from the town of Yatsuka-Cho, in Shimane Prefecture.

History

• The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden: A History

  This viewing and strolling garden, opened in 1915, was designed by Takeo Shiota, whose ambition was to create “a garden more beautiful than all others in the world.” More than a century later, it remains a testament to Americans’ enduring appreciation of Japanese gardens. Read More ›

Japanese Collections at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

• Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden

  The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden is one of the oldest and most visited Japanese-inspired gardens outside Japan. It is a blend of the ancient hill-and-pond style and the more recent stroll-garden style, in which various landscape features are gradually revealed along winding paths. Learn More ›

• C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum

  The Garden's collection of approximately 350 bonsai is the second oldest in the country and one of the largest on public display outside Japan, with as many as 30 specimens on exhibit at any given time. Learn More ›

• Tree Peony Collection

  Three hundred tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) were presented to BBG in 2002 by the Japanese town of Yatsuka-Cho in Shimane Prefecture “to bring peace of mind to people in the United States” after the events of September 11, 2001. Learn More ›

• Flowering Cherry Trees

  The Garden's collection of ornamental cherry trees is one of the most diverse in the United States, with over 200 Prunus trees representing nearly 30 varieties growing throughout the grounds. Learn More ›

Friends of Japanese Collections at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Friends of Japanese Collections and Programs at BBG are dedicated partners who support the care and broad sharing of BBG’s significant collections and the programs that celebrate them. Join this new group of devoted stewards (PDF). >

Major Support
J.C.C. Fund of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York
MUFG Bank, Ltd.