BONSAI AND SUISEKI IN THE GARDENS AT LAKE MERRITT, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, Guest Post by Caroline Hatton

Bonsai Maple in the Gardens at Lake Merritt, Oakland CA.

My friend Caroline Hatton, a children’s writer and frequent contributor to this blog, took the photos in this post in March 2026, unless otherwise credited.

The Gardens at Lake Merritt, Northwest Gate.

During a visit to The Gardens at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, my favorite of the many themed gardens* within was the Bonsai Garden, especially because I learned about suiseki, a formal Japanese art new to me.

Bonsai Garden gate.

The Bonsai Garden entrance gate was designed and built by Hiroshi Sakaguchi, a craftsman in the ancient Japanese art of joinery woodworking, which uses no glue, nails or screws. Men in Sakaguchi’s family have practiced this tradition for over 600 years.

Bonsai.

Inside the walled garden, some regular-size trees provided leafy shade and others were in full bloom. The bonsai trees included diverse examples such as cedar, filbert, redwood, and several different maple species.

Bonsai maple.

But given the sun angle, my two favorite photos happen to be of Japanese mountain maple (Acer palmatum, above and at the top of this post).

Flowering plants in bonsai pots were on display. In the above photo, a metal sculpture of an ant of monstrous proportions is on guard duty.

A small, open shelter housed examples of suiseki, natural stones evocative of landscapes or other images. I have seen such in Japanese, Chinese or Korean art displays, but I didn’t know how widespread and sophisticated the Japanese art of stone appreciation is. In the following days, I read about the many esthetic criteria that guide the selection of stones: not only their shape, but also picky aspects of their surface, color, and other characteristics. More preferences include minimizing alterations and keeping wooden bases simple.

Rabbit.

Suiseki artist Hiroshi Suzuki found “Rabbit” in Northern California.

Winter in the High Mountains.

Suiseki artist Brent Meran found “Winter in the High Mountains” on the Eel River in Northern California.

Outside of the Bonsai Garden, some areas were charmingly disheveled. Others looked well maintained.

Alpine Rock Garden.

The tidy Alpine Rock Garden included a landscaped mound in the middle, surrounded by a dozen concrete planters, each one roughly the size of a coffee table. Rocks and plant arrangements suggested miniature mountain or desert views rather successfully.

Lake Merritt. Photo courtesy of A. Do.

From the gardens northwest entrance gate, walking across the gardens and out through the south gate leads to the shore of Lake Merritt, which became the nation's first formally declared wildlife refuge in 1870. A paved path goes 3.4 miles (~5.5 km) around the lake, with views of wild birds and small islands against the urban background. I liked spending half a weekend day visiting the area for the first time!

Footnote:

* Areas within The Gardens at Lake Merritt:

- Alameda County Master Garden

- Alameda County Master Trial Garden

- Air Bee N' Bee

- Alpine Rock Garden

- Bay Friendly Garden

- Bonsai Garden

- Dahlia Garden

- Entry Garden

- Firescape Garden

- Fukuoka Sister City Garden

- General Pollinator Garden

- Japanese Garden

- Lu's Garden

- Mediterranean Garden

- Merritt College Community Garden

- Merritt College Horticulture Community Gardens

- Palmettum

- Rhododendron Garden

- Riparian Garden

- Rose Garden

- Sensory Garden

- Succulent Garden

- Sun Dial Garden

- Toddler Garden

- Understory Garden

- Urban Edible Gardens

- Vireya & Begonia Garden