Community Highlights: Meet Robert Pressler of Kimura Bonsai Garden

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Pressler.

Hi Robert, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was 10 years old I was dragged unwillingly to the Brooklyn Botanical gardens, by my mom with her friend and friends daughter. I remember being a little brat and moaning about wanting to leave this stupid place. Until I saw the bonsai. I walked into the building that housed the bonsai collection and the first tree I saw was a small shimpaku from Japan. The tree was probably 14 inches tall but looked life size to me. Half of it was dead and bleached white and the sign said it was a 200 year old juniper. This blew my mind – that something could be that old, that small and still alive growing in a small pot. That tree started a lifetime passion that often crosses back and forth into obsession.
That passion caused me to often cut school and travel from NJ to Brooklyn to see the trees and to beg the guys working at the garden to teach me. Finally on my third or fourth trip there I happened on Mr. Okimura the curator of the bonsai and he brought me into his work area and showed me how to wire and trim a little juniper. That was it- I was hooked. I couldn’t get enough of these little trees or information about them. There was only one book in my local library at the time and I checked it out again and again when it was due back- to the point where they told me I needed to leave it for awhile. So I stole the book!
In 1984 I moved to Los Angeles and was lucky enough to meet John Naka-often referred to being the godfather of American Bonsai and immediately was welcomed into the Southern California bonsai world. In 1996 I had the opportunity to buy a small nursery in Northridge that had lots of bonsai and material for bonsai and Japanese gardens.That was the start of bonsai becoming not just a passion but a vocation as well. My plan was to quit my contracting job and do bonsai full time. So thats what I did. I knew bonsai- I’d been doing it so I was 10 but I didn’ know the bonsai. My friend I bought the nursery from was going to help out and advise me on that. The problem was he was really ill and died a week after I bought the nursery. I remember going to his funeral and afterwards going back to the nursey to water feeling really overwhelmed. My friend died, I started a new business that I had little clue how to run and said out loud – now what Jim? Clear as a bell a heard his voice say finish watering. Thats what I’ve been doing ever since.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My original plan was to full time do bonsai. I started doing classes at the nursery, Every time I sold a tree I’d put the money right back into the business. Bought lots of new material and started lots of new bonsai. I was really happy but soon realized I was always broke. Making a living doing bonsai was much harder than I thought it would be. One day a customer came in and asked if I could build him a koi pond and Japanese garden. Never having been afraid to try something new I said sure I can come out next week and take a look. That day I went to the library and got a couple books on pond building and Japanese gardens. I few days later I went to the customer and gave him an estimate to build a pond and small garden, It cost me about $7000 more than he paid! But I learned alot. Since then I’ve become an expert an Japanese gardens and ponds. I’ve designed and built many dozens of them. Each garden I build becomes a place of peace and sanctuary for my clients.
Along with creating and teaching bonsai and designing and building gardens and ponds my finances starting improving and I was able to live my dream.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Kimura Bonsai Garden ?
. How blessed am I to be able to work on bonsai a passion for over 50 years and to be able to create sanctuaries for people. I also get to do one of my absolute favorite things- teaching bonsai . Especially to young people, The absolute most fun thing I do is host bonsai birthday parties for kids and adults.
Bonsai has become a way of life for me, it’s brought me amazing friendships, opportunities to travel around the world to teach and learn. I also get to share my passion through ongoing classes here at the garden and for clubs around the country. We bring in international bonsai artists to conduct workshops at least 4-5 times a year. Kimura Bonsai Garden has become the foremost bonsai educational facility in southern California. It has also lead me to my other passion- Japanese style gardens. To me every garden is unique and a sanctuary for my clients and one of my greatest rewards is seeing how much my clients enjoy and use their gardens.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Never to be afraid to try something new and to take responsibility for my mistakes when I make them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kimurabonsai nursery
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimurabonsai/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kimurabonsaigarden
• Other: https://www.robertpressler.com