Behind a fence in Oakland's Lakeside Park, about 150 small trees are cared for entirely by volunteers. The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt opened on Nov. 6, 1999, so this Friday marks 27 years.
The bonsai garden
Oaklandside reported in 2024 that the garden started with 50 trees. Its collection has since grown to about 150, with about 80 on display at any time. The Golden State Bonsai Federation created the garden, and volunteers run it, working as docents and caring for the trees. According to Oaklandside, the idea goes back to 1974, when bonsai pioneers Toichi Domoto and Bill Hashimoto started asking what would happen to their trees once they could no longer care for them.
One of the oldest trees, a Daimyo oak, came to the United States in the 1860s as a gift to Anson Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln's envoy to China, Oaklandside reported. Thieves stole eight trees worth about $20,000 in January 2024, and volunteers later raised money for better security.
The garden lists its hours as Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Sunday noon to 3:30 p.m. It is closed Mondays and on Thanksgiving. Admission is free. Oaklandside lists the entrance as 650 Bellevue Ave., Gate 4. The garden asks visitors to call ahead in bad weather.
The Gardens at Lake Merritt
The bonsai garden sits inside the Gardens at Lake Merritt, which describes itself as a seven-acre collection of themed gardens. Among them are rhododendron, sensory, vireya, Japanese, Mediterranean and pollinator gardens. Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt, formed in 2004, supports them alongside the City of Oakland.
The Gardens list hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. Entry is free, and the address is 666 Bellevue Ave. They will be closed Nov. 26-27 for Thanksgiving. The lake's history is in our story on the nation’s first wildlife refuge.