I like the Dawes ARB, been there a few times. The bonsai collection clearly is suffering from not having a skilled bonsai artist doing maintenance styling on the trees, but they keep them healthy and watered.
The Columbus bonsai society should really fund the rehab of that collection. Maybe when they have an artist in like Bjorn, or Matt Reel, Colin Lewis or Owen Reich, it doesn't matter too much who, up to the club, the day after the club meeting, have the artist work a day at Dawes arboretum, since travel was already covered by club for the meeting, it would only be an extra day fee, say maybe $400, to have the artist work a few trees. In 3 years the whole Dawes collection could be transformed.
It is a shame the collection is slowly growing out of shape. There's some good, well aged material there.
I admit I am spoiled, having both the Chicago and the Milwaukee collections easy to visit. Both are very high quality public collections.
