In Memoriam: Larry Ragle

We recognize and celebrate the life of Lawrence “Larry” Ragle, a beloved figure in the bonsai and suiseki communities, who recently left us peacefully at home in Laguna Beach, CA at the age of 91, with his loving wife Nina by his side.

Larry joined the National Bonsai Foundation (NBF) to contribute to the mission of elevating and expanding the value of bonsai on a global scale. As one of the original board members when the organization was founded, Larry was deeply involved in the bonsai community, with constant partnership and support from Nina. His directorship was an important step to honor his teachers, bonsai legends John Naka and Harry Hirao.

While founding NBF and helping grow the organization, Larry also supported the early development and expansion of the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington, DC. He played a pivotal role in planning events that honored bonsai masters like Naka, Hirao, and George Yamaguchi.

“It has been a delight to see the Museum become a reality and watch all the improvements with so many dedicated volunteers,” Larry once said. “It was an honor to have played a small part, along with the rest of the bonsai community and beyond, to help make NBF the quality organization it has become.”

Nina and Larry Ragle.
Photo credit: usnationalbonsai.com

In June 2023, the Ragle family generously donated a commemorative bench in Larry’s honor, which now sits in the courtyard of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.

Felix Laughlin, Chair Emeritus of the National Bonsai Foundation, shared: "I have so many memories of Larry, and Nina as well who was always by his side. We usually chatted via email given their location in California, but they were very active members of the NBF board of directors and came to Washington frequently for meetings at the US National Arboretum. I fondly recall having breakfast meetings with Larry and Nina during their DC visits, in which they filled me in on everything going on in the West Coast bonsai world, and told me about their adventures collecting viewing stones. They were close to bonsai luminary and founding NBF board member Marybel Balendonck, and the three of them were strong and effective advocates for the creation of the John Y. Naka North American Pavilion. The bonsai and viewing stone communities will certainly miss Larry, and he left a lasting legacy in both art forms."

Larry at the 2018 Japan Suiseki Exhibition with his Buffalo stone.
Photo credit: samedge.wordpress.com

Born in Springfield, Missouri in 1932, Larry's family moved to Albany, CA in 1940. He graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in chemistry and served as a Patrol/Investigator for the City of Berkeley. In 1956, he married Carole Watchers, and they relocated to Costa Mesa, California in 1960, where Larry pursued a career at the Orange County Crime Lab.

It was during this time that he developed a passion for the art of bonsai. He started training his first three bonsai in 1962 – trees that are still alive today and represent vibrant examples of the art form.

Larry married Nina Shire in 1981, and in 1989, he retired as the Director of Forensic Sciences, Orange County Sheriff-Coroner, later writing the book "Crime Scene" in 1995. It was his first book, but not his last. Later, he authored two additional texts on bonsai and suiseki (viewing stones).

Larry deepened his study of bonsai under his sensei and the father of American bonsai, John Naka, in 1966, and later with bonsai master Harry Hirao in 1974. With Harry, he co-founded Kofu Bonsai Kai in 1977. Larry served as president of the Golden State Bonsai Federation, California Bonsai Society, and Kofu Bonsai Kai. Larry, along with others, established the California Shohin Society in 1989. He held memberships in several bonsai organizations, including Nan Pu Bonsai Kai, John Naka’s select club. Along the way, Larry took iconic photographs of many major bonsai figures, especially of Naka and Hirao.

Harry Hirao and Larry Ragle, longtime friends and co-founders of Kofu Kai.
Photo credit: bonsaial.wordpress.com

Larry was an original board member of the National Bonsai Foundation when it was founded in Washington, D.C., and served on its Board of Directors from 1982 until 2020. Jim Hughes, a Chair Emeritus of NBF and former Museum Curator, reflected, "Larry helped establish and maintain a West Coast connection to the National Bonsai Museum and National Bonsai Foundation, ensuring the national scope of both entities."

Larry dedicated himself to promoting the art of bonsai and suiseki on a local, national, and global scale. Together, Larry and Nina founded California Aiseki Kai in 1983, a club focused on suiseki and the traditional values and techniques of Japanese viewing stones. They organized and led many collecting trips for the club in California and surrounding desert areas. Larry and Nina also studied bonsai display with Susumu Sudo in Japan and have displayed some of their masterpiece stones in the Nippon Suiseki Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. Larry was also chairman of the Golden State Bonsai Federation, which established the collection at the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena.

One of Larry’s suiseki.
Photo credit: bonsainut.com

In 2002, Larry authored text for Awakening the Soul, a book about the national viewing stone collection at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. In a review, Dr. Thomas Elias of the Viewing Stone Association of North America rates the book as “excellent,” and says, “This volume is as pertinent today as it was twenty years ago when it was first published. This book beautifully illustrates and identifies the best examples from this modest but important collection. This is a book to study and learn how to appreciate a great viewing stone.”

Jack Sustic, Chair Emeritus of NBF and former Curator of the museum, reflected, "I've been thinking a lot about Larry, and so much has been said about him and his work for NBF and the art of bonsai. We know his contributions well, such as being a driving force in establishing the viewing stone collection and the Harry Hirao reception room. Personally, he was always kind and friendly, a true gentleman who truly possessed the spirit of bonsai, bonsai-no-kokoro."

Larry was clever, creative, charismatic, and humble. He will be remembered for his charm and wit, perfect timing, and keen skill for public speaking. His legacy in the bonsai community and beyond will be cherished and remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Bonsai Teaches Us Respect for All Life

Dear Friends of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum,

In this time of global pandemic and awakening to end racial injustice, we look forward to the reopening of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum so again we all can walk among the majestic and inspiring bonsai and penjing waiting for us there.

Our hearts are heavy for those hurting around the nation and the world, and we hope that you and your family are safe and healthy. We give thanks for those bonsai masters like John Naka, Yuji Yoshimura and Saburo Kato who were instrumental in creating the Museum and taught us the true meaning of bonsai. As Saburo Kato once said:

“From bonsai we receive peace of mind, health, and a life’s pursuit. We can also learn generosity, patience and even philosophy about life. We have also had the good fortune to make friends of all nationalities and races with whom we share a mutual trust and respect. This is all thanks to bonsai.”

The core values of bonsai, which we strive to uphold at the National Bonsai Foundation, are rooted in promoting and fostering world peace and respect for all life. Together we can take comfort in the art of bonsai to encourage inclusivity, empathy and peace throughout the world.

In Solidarity,

Felix Laughlin and Jack Sustic
NBF Co-Presidents

Museum Donors & Their Trees: The Buttonwood Queen

Mary Madison tends to a bonsai, courtesy of Orlando Bonsai.

What do you know about bonsai royalty?  

In our new blog series, “Museum Donors and Their Trees,” we sat down with Mary Madison, known throughout the bonsai community as “The Buttonwood Queen” for her fantastic work on the buttonwoods, or Conocarpus erectus, native to the United States. Madison said the nickname comes from one of her mentors, Ben Oki, who introduced her off the cuff as “The Buttonwood Queen” at a demonstration in California years ago, and the title stuck. 

She grew up helping her dad plant and work in the yard of their home south of Miami, where she first cultivated her love for growing plants. Madison also had a knack for drawing and other art forms, and she said a former boyfriend who served in Japan after World War II would send her pictures of bonsai. After looking at the pictures, she decided to try tree training for herself.  

“The first tree I started on was a buttonwood,” Madison said. “I just kept on at it and couldn’t stop. I still can’t, and I’m 90 years old.”

After attending a few demonstrations at the Bonsai Society of Miami, Madison ended up studying under Oki and John Naka up until the two passed away in 2018 and 2004, respectively. 

She had trained a group planting of cypresses to resemble the Everglades, and Naka had told her she had natural talent. From that day, a beautiful friendship of more than 40 years formed between Madison, her husband TJ, Naka and Oki.

She added that she was the first woman to join the private bonsai club Naka was a member of, and the group even named one of her trees – an honor in the bonsai community. Madison hosted a tea ceremony and open house to show off the tree, which the club named Sen Ryu, or “mystical dragon.”

Madison’s buttonwood – donated in 1990

The queen’s trees

Madison first donated a buttonwood to the Museum in 1990, a tree she dug up herself in South Florida. 

She worked on the buttonwood for about four or five years before receiving a call from the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum asking her to donate a tree. Madison said someone sprayed her tree with Malathion on the trip up to the Museum, which she said is almost “instant death” for buttonwoods, so the tree had no leaves when first on display. 

Luckily, Madison said, Museum workers took great care of the buttonwood. She said the tree is back to its full glory and maintains her original style but has grown quite a bit since she donated it.

Madison said she styled the tree keeping in mind the “odd” trunk shape, which she said likely formed because the buttonwood grew up through rocks. 

“I just started following basic rules, like keeping the bottom larger than the top, until i figured out exactly what I wanted,” she said. “Then I eliminated a few branches and went on from there.”

Madison’s second tree at the Museum traveled around the world before landing at the Museum. She originally sold the tree – a buttonwood, of course – years ago, and it changed hands a few times, ending up under the wing of the Central Intelligence Agency in 2019.

“When I saw that picture of it at the CIA it tickled me to death, I thought that was so funny. People might start thinking I'm a spy or something,” Madison said. “But the CIA was afraid they might kill it, so they donated it to the Museum.”

While the Museum is not currently open, you can read more about the buttonwood from the CIA in our October Historical Tree Spotlight and see her first donated buttonwood among other North American Collection in our virtual catalogue.

Madison still holds demonstrations for the Miami bonsai group and private clubs around Florida to this day.

“I'll probably die out there working on a tree,” she joked. “That would be what I want.”

Historical Tree Spotlight: The Chinese Banyan

While many bonsai are often plucked from the ground after natural growth, some trees are specially created. For example, the Chinese banyan – or Ficus microcarpa ‘Kaneshiro’ – is the incredible cross-pollination work of the tree’s donor, Haruo “Papa” Kaneshiro. 

Museum Curator Michael James said Kaneshiro, who lived in Hawaii, is known as the father of tropical bonsai for his work with tropical trees long before they were considered for bonsai material by the mainstream. Kaneshiro was honored among other notable bonsai figures, like John Naka and Ted Tsukiyama at the International Bonsai Convention in Hawaii and was one of the first members to start the World Bonsai Friendship Federation. 

“One of the reasons Kaneshiro is credited with being the father, king or papa of tropical bonsai is because he was so willing to share the secrets of bonsai with the rest of the world,” James said.

No Ordinary Tree

The Chinese banyan is Kaneshiro’s unique cross between Ficus microcarpa ‘retusa’ and Ficus microcarpa ‘crassifolia.’ While figs on a ficus generally grow to the size you might see in a grocery store, the fruit on a Ficus microcarpa usually range from ⅛ inch to ¼ inch, James said. 

The flowers of Ficus microcarpa reside inside of the fruit and never open, so small wasps have to crawl inside of the fruit to pollinate the flowers. Kaneshiro’s process created the Ficus microcarpa ‘Kaneshiro’ bonsai that remains at the Museum today. 

Root Over (Lava) Rock

James said this Chinese banyan has been in training since 1975, but Kaneshiro planted the tree in the ground over a slab of lava rock in 1982. This unconventional planting method restricted the tree from growing directly into the ground – the roots had to hit the lava slab first and then grow around the rock.

“These ficus trees grow so quickly that if you put one straight in the ground in Hawaii it becomes a 100-foot tree in no time,” he said. 

By the time Kaneshiro pulled the banyan from the ground and potted it in 1987, the tree’s roots had wrapped around the lava rock so tight that the rock became part of the composition, James said.

“Now it’s a root over rock, or root over slab, as if it were growing on a volcanic hillside in Hawaii,” James said. “You can see the volcanic rock jutting out like a volcanic ledge.”

A Resting Place

The Chinese banyan came to The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in 1990, finding a home in a pavilion named for its donor: The Haruo Kaneshiro Tropical Conservatory. Kaneshiro has also donated a black pine held in the North American Collection.

James said the banyan grows fast, all year round, meaning volunteers have to prune back the banyan’s shoots and leaves about once a week. 

“On a Japanese white pine, pruning might be done once a year, but banyans grow out of bonsai shape and their leaves become too large very quickly,” he said. 

As a tropical tree, the banyan thrives in warm climates like Florida, Southern China or Vietnam and boasts a soft wood, so it cannot freeze. 

FIRST CURATOR'S BLOG: My First Six Months as a Curator’s Apprentice

As we crawl toward the end of the summer and into the beginning of fall, I look back on my first day at The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in March. They say, “Time flies when you are having fun,” and I very much agree. Caring for and working on bonsai full-time for the past six months has been even more amazing than I could have imagined. Since my first day, I have met many talented and friendly bonsai artists from around the world, from whom I have learned specific design and horticulture techniques for various species.

Andy Bello with Michael Hagedorn on World Bonsai Day 2019 at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

I took some time off and traveled to Bremerton, Washington, where I had the privilege of staying and working with Dan Robinson – a seasoned bonsai professional – for a little over a week. I also visited with Aaron Packard, the curator of the Pacific Bonsai Museum and former assistant curator of The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. I learned and shared ideas about bonsai with artists who influence my personal work. I experienced and gathered inspiration from the wonderful ancient trees that still exist in the Northwestern United States. 

Bello prunes a Korean black pine with a nice view at Elandan Gardens in Bremerton, WA

Working on the trees in the National Collection has been an extremely educational and enjoyable experience. I have worked on a diverse collection of species, while also learning when and how to apply different techniques, including when are the best times to prune, wire, fertilize and repot, depending on the season. My favorite seasonal tasks thus far are repotting in the late winter and early spring or decandling or removing spring growth from red or black pines to stimulate a second flush of growth in the summer.

Working on trees donated by prominent figures in bonsai history – including John Naka, Saichi Suzuki and Bill Valavanis – has been a humbling experience.

Post decandling on Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) donated by Saichi Suzuki

Thinning and structural pruning on the “Yamaki” white pine (Pinus parviflora)

As I move into the second half of my apprenticeship, I hope I can continue to meet and befriend other bonsai artists and enthusiasts and continue to expand my horticulture and design skills. I will continue to share the wonder and joy of bonsai with the public who come to visit The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.

Best,

Andy Bello

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Andy Bello has been selected as the Museum’s 2019 First Curator’s Apprentice.  The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum's First Curator's Apprenticeship  for 2019 is funded by generous grants to the National Bonsai Foundation from Toyota North America and The Hill Foundation. More on Andy here.