Saw this article posted on the North Carolina Arboretum's web site. It's about the constuction of its bonsai garden. It gets at the regional style thing in a unique, and I think, pretty effective way. It incorporates "Japanese Garden," "Bonsai," and gives both a regional flavor, without dwelling on it.
http://www.ncarboretum.org/Horticul...nsai_garden.htm