Gardens Unlimited - The Official Thread

I was on my way back home from Richmond today when I thought I'd give Bob and Todd at Gardens Unlimited a call. They said they'd be around, so I stopped by. I'm SO glad I did. They easily have one of the best collections I've visited.

They've been into bonsai longer than I've been alive, at least 25 years. They used to do wholesale but have since given that up and install gardens in Richmond. This is the place @rockm stores his Live Oak during the winter, and now I understand why.

They have three greenhouses, the first is kept at 35F and above during the winter, perfect for Mark's Oak. The second greenhouse is the true greenhouse, it houses the Ficus, orchids, Koi, and some other tropical plants. The third greenhouse is full of nothing but pots.

Since they used to do wholesale, they've got pots on pots on pots. They literally received them by the shipping container. I wanted to buy one or two, but Bob wasn't having any of that

So now it's time for the trees. As I said, this is easily one of the best collections I've visited. Let's start with their huge Chinese Elm, a tree called "The Emperor" that is over 300 years old...


And now some various shots of their collection...

More shots:

Their Ficus blew my mind. They definitely made me fall back in love with the hobby and gave me something to strive towards.

View attachment 146524






Bob and Todd are awesome. If you're in the area I highly recommend stopping by. They don't have a website as they don't even have a computer, but give them a call and they'll help you out. Such a great place.

WOW! Those are some incredible trees! Thanks for sharing them with us. I kind of feel very inadequate

Thanks for the inspiration! I really needed that uplift. You mentioned Richmond, there's probably one of those in every state in the country LOL. May I ask the location?

RKatzin said:

Thanks for the inspiration! I really needed that uplift. You mentioned Richmond, there's probably one of those in every state in the country LOL. May I ask the location?

Click to expand...

Haha this is in Virginia, THE Richmond.

You'll notice a towel on the tree below. I had no idea what this meant, so I asked the guys. Apparently on slanting trees, since the leaves don't shade the bark, the trees get sunburnt in the unshaded parts. This will cause the bark to expand and warp in a very unattractive way.


Just something I thought I'd point out, I'd never heard of that happening.

Redwood Ryan said:

I was on my way back home from Richmond today when I thought I'd give Bob and Todd at Gardens Unlimited a call. They said they'd be around, so I stopped by. I'm SO glad I did. They easily have one of the best collections I've visited.

They've been into bonsai longer than I've been alive, at least 25 years. They used to do wholesale but have since given that up and install gardens in Richmond. This is the place @rockm stores his Live Oak during the winter, and now I understand why.

They have three greenhouses, the first is kept at 35F and above during the winter, perfect for Mark's Oak. The second greenhouse is the true greenhouse, it houses the Ficus, orchids, Koi, and some other tropical plants. The third greenhouse is full of nothing but pots.

Since they used to do wholesale, they've got pots on pots on pots. They literally received them by the shipping container. I wanted to buy one or two, but Bob wasn't having any of that

So now it's time for the trees. As I said, this is easily one of the best collections I've visited. Let's start with their huge Chinese Elm, a tree called "The Emperor" that is over 300 years old...
View attachment 146498

And now some various shots of their collection...
View attachment 146504
View attachment 146505
View attachment 146506
View attachment 146507
View attachment 146508
View attachment 146509
View attachment 146510
View attachment 146511
View attachment 146512

Click to expand...

Wow! great photographs, Thanks for sharing.

Great old trees! I'm glad you posted that HUGE old cypress in the kiddie pool twice... it deserved to be shown twice!

Dav4 said:

Great old trees! I'm glad you posted that HUGE old cypress in the kiddie pool twice... it deserved to be shown twice!

Click to expand...

That tree is actually massive. That's a 6 foot ladder behind it that Todd had to get on to prune the tree.

That is an old, old tree that took a lot of years of convincing to be pulled from some guys pond. Because it has a knee, Bob and Todd grow the tree in water during the summer. They believe if it weren't submerged the knee would die.

Another tip the guys gave me was about Ficus and dealing with mites. I asked about some of the ways to fight the mites, and the guys told me that they treat their trees with epsom salt. They say that by mixing some of the salt into their water once a week or so, it strengthens the walls of the leaf and makes it harder for the mites to get into the leaf. Might be worth trying!

Beautiful trees. I remember meeting Todd and picking up my first big trident maple at the National Arboretum show in 2002. Hadn't even heard the name of the nursery since then, can't believe it's been 15 years.

Thank you very much for sharing those beautiful photos!
Much obliged!

Redwood Ryan said:

More shots:
View attachment 146513 View attachment 146514
View attachment 146515
View attachment 146516
View attachment 146517
View attachment 146518
View attachment 146519
View attachment 146520

Click to expand...

That's great that you visited! I can't say enough about those guys, not to mention their trees and gardens. It's a fantastic place. I've known Bob and Todd for going on 25 years now and have bought more than a few trees from them.

Might interest you to know they started out doing mallsai. They got a contract 30 years ago to "make bonsai" out of about 1,200 crappy junipers that were destined for sale in malls, etc. If I remember correctly, they jumped in with both feet and learned by doing. Pruning and wiring over 1,000 trees will train you quickly. Luckily both have artistic talent and an eye for what makes a good tree. Over the years, they've honed those skills (not to mention excellent horticultural capabilities).

They've won the PBA show a few times, but they won't tell you that. They beat me once. ;-). For all the hoopla with Ryan Neal and the new wave of bonsai talent, these guys have been a quiet, but firm influence on bonsai in these parts for some time. They started working with native material long before it was fashionable.

They have some awesome native trees. Don't have a pic of their massive collected wisteria, but it's one of the nicest I've seen. They also used to have a blueberry bonsai that they dug out of a swamp that had a trunk as big as my thigh. It sold many years ago though...

This place is a must see if you're in the DMV (district, Maryland and Va.) and in Richmond. It's an hour drive down from D.C. if 95 cooperates. Three days if it doesn't...

A couple of pics I took on Saturday...Jabba the Hut Bald Cypress and a satsuki

Stunning photos...thanks for taking the time to post up this thread!

Edit: Bald Cypress is the most impressive base I've ever seen! The Sea Grape...also impressive. I compare all to Barb Hiser's Sea Grape that just took Best Medium at Epcot the other day.

Why have I not heard of this place!, can someone send me the address must plan a trip!

Redwood Ryan said:

You'll notice a towel on the tree below. I had no idea what this meant, so I asked the guys. Apparently on slanting trees, since the leaves don't shade the bark, the trees get sunburnt in the unshaded parts. This will cause the bark to expand and warp in a very unattractive way.
View attachment 146662

Just something I thought I'd point out, I'd never heard of that happening.

Click to expand...

They explained it to me also. Thinner barked species, such as Chinese elm, wisteria, and maples, are susceptible to sunburn on their trunks. Sounds strange, but the elm in this pic lost a vein of trunk along the top that faces the sun. It has recovered, but you can see the difference in bark texture from small rough patches along the most sun exposed portions to the smoother bark that's mostly on the sides.
The thicker the bark on a species, or particular tree, the less of a problem this is. Pines have no issues with it...

Also, didn't see a pic of their tremendous cork bark black pine. One of the best cork barks I've seen, including at the National Arboretum. Here's a bad pic of it several years ago.

Redwood Ryan said:

epsom salt

Click to expand...

That could be why I never have them.
I give some once per month.

I fight aphids in winter on my tropical hibiscus. What ratio per gallon of water do ones mix it? I would be interested in giving it a go.