A bonsai tree, part of a collection at the National Arboretum, came to the garden's National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in 1976 as a gift of friendship from Japanese bonsai master Masaru Yamaki.

While bonsai is a historic Japanese art form dating back centuries, early artists were likely inspired by the Chinese practice of penjing, which can be traced to the Han dynasty some 2,000 years ago.

Stephen Voss was a student at the George Washington University when he first encountered bonsai trees nearly 20 years ago at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington, D.C.