Delray Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
What is Bonsai?
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, January 27, 2026
1. What is Bonsai? Marker
A bonsai (pronounced BONE-SIGH) is a tree that has been pruned and trained and is growing in a container or on a slab rather than in the ground. The word bonsai also signifies the art of dwarfing such trees through pruning and training techniques to create pleasing compositions in which the trees appear to have aged in nature. Any tree can be styled as a bonsai. There is no special bonsai species.
The horticultural practice of growing trees in containers for medical purposes was introduced to East Asia by traders traveling the Silk Road from the Middle East, and eventually developed as an artistic pursuit by the Chinese. The art of bonsai assumed distinctly Japanese characteristics after being brought to Japan several hundred years ago. Since then, enthusiasts around the world have taken up this disciplined, restrained art that reflects the beauty of nature with minimal suggestion.
This exhibition, initiated by members of the Bonsai Societies of Florida, features plant species that are acclimated to South Florida growing conditions and come from Florida, the Caribbean, and other locations around the world with a
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Horticulture & Forestry.
Location. 26° 25.602′ N, 80° 9.415′ W. Marker is in Delray Beach, Florida, in Palm Beach County. It can be reached from Morikami Park Road north of Puzzle Place, on the left when traveling north. The marker is located on the grounds of Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, and is accessible with an entry ticket. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4000 Morikami Park Rd, Delray Beach FL 33446, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South Florida, on the Gold Coast, on the Treasure Coast, and in Greater Miami. It is also in the American South and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, January 27, 2026
2. Bonsai Exhibition
The marker may be found within the Bonsai Exhibition at the Morikami Museum.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Col. Ellison Shoji Onizuka (within shouting distance of this marker); 平庭 Hiraniwa Flat Garden (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Late Rock Garden (about 400 feet away); Early Rock Garden (about 400 feet away); 浄土庭園 / Paradise Garden (about 500 feet away); Shinden Garden (about 700 feet away); Welcome to Wakodahatchee Wetland (approx. 3.6 miles away); Boca Raton Army Air Field B-34 Crash (approx. 5 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Delray Beach.
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, January 27, 2026
3. What is Bonsai? Marker
The marker is located at the entrance to the exhibit.
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, January 27, 2026
4. Bonsai
Additional markers describe the process behind the art of bonsai.
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, January 27, 2026
5. Bonsai Exhibition
Some of the bonsai on display within the museum.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 30, 2026, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 52 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 30, 2026, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
