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Must visit Bonsai travel stops...

18 years ago

Hello fellow bonsai-ists,

I am going to drive to Orlando from Indianapolis over Thanksgiving. I was wondering if you can point me to bonsai stores/nurseries or collections along the way that I shouldn't miss. I'll rent a van/SUV, so space should be plenty available to possibly take home a few "must-haves". Right now I plan to go through Louisville, KY, Nashville, TN, on to Atlanta, GA and finally to Orlando FL. Of course, for a must see see nursery/collection I will make a reasonable detour as well. Please let me know if their are places along that route that are worth visiting. As always, thanks a lot in advance for your input.

Marc

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Comments (10)

Gardener_KS
18 years ago
Not sure about bonsai, but there are Japanese and Chinese gardens at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.
Aloha97006
18 years ago
Not much in Georgia, but if you Google Bonsai FL you'll find a raft of them.
Maybe you could hit Brussels?
Bob bereft in GA
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mganga_mulapali
18 years ago
If you are traveling through the Atlanta area I might suggest a stop at the monastery in Conyers, Georgia. Do a search on the web to get the address. They have a very large selection of pots and other related material. Not sure what they have by way of plant material.
Good traveling
paulpikel
18 years ago
There are a few places to see in Central Florida, however the time of year you are coming will make it difficult. Many nursery owners will be with their families. However my favorite locations are Rogers Nursery (http://www.mikerogersbonsaistudio.com). His website doesn't do him justice. He has a great collection. Also a must see would be Jim Smith in Vero Beach. It's about 2 hours outside of Orlando, but he has a great collection. As far as public collections go I think you may be out of luck unless you go down towards Miami.

Here is a link that might be useful: Orlando Bonsai
marcindy
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I think I will enjoy the trip more than I thought, now what type of rental car to get... :-)
bwaynef
18 years ago
You really should take the blue ridge parkway in/to asheville. The NC Arboretum just opened their bonsai pavilion this weekend and has some superb specimens and an overall great display. If you're going to be in ATL you might as well go to asheville. I read somewhere that it competes (poor choice of words) favorably with the US Bonsai and Penjing display. I can attest that its as good as what I saw on the West Coast this summer.

WF
SCBonsai
18 years ago
Wayne, I think the Arboretum display area is quite nice, and worth a visit, but the tree collection in DC is superior, with much more mature material.
bwaynef
18 years ago
I'll take your word for it (but hope to get up there soon.) I was only passing someone else's take on the situation along.
black_thumb
18 years ago
I can tell you that plant material at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers will have little to no plant material to see this time of year. I stayed there last fall on retreat and there's lots of great priced supplies, but the trees able to be displayed took about 2 minutes to view. I live in Nashville, and stopping at Cheekwood would be worth your time- it is an old estate with a phenomenal fall display of trees (not bonsai-our local bonsai society meets there and has shows 2x yearly though)
hiland
12 years ago
A good place to visit is Plant City Bonsai in Clermont GA. It's about an hour north of Atlanta. Steve Cratty is the owner and he has some really great trees. He literally has a field of junipers. I have bought several trees from him and have attended workshops. You can reach him at 770 983-3377

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