Meet the cook caring for a historic bonsai collection

Oaxacon-born Hernandez standing next to a ficus tree that he turned into a bonsai tree. Photo: Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS

For a few hours every afternoon, when the roar of the 405 Freeway becomes a murmur, Miguel Hernandez can hear the results of his work from the small shed at the edge of Yamaguchi Nursery on Sawtelle Boulevard, California, the United States.

A smile blooms on his face as a chorus of reverent whispers reaches his ears. "Wow!" "This is amazing." "Look at this!"