Japanese Garden at The Huntington

On our whirlwind tour of The Huntington in January, I selected the Japanese Garden as one of my stops. The nine-acre garden was started in 1911 by Henry E. Huntington and opened to the public in 1928, at a time that Americans were discovering the beauty and culture of the exotic Far East. The garden has been renovated periodically over the years, including recently in 2011.

View of the Japanese garden from the Wisteria arbor

I paused at the Wisteria arbor, to get a big-picture view of the garden, which spans a small canyon and includes a water feature running through it. The arbor was denuded of leaves and flowers, but still full of winter beauty.

The Moon Bridge with the Wisteria arbor beyond

The Japanese garden has been a site for several motion pictures, including Mame (1974), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). If you watch the trailer for the latter, you'll catch a glimpse of the garden and the Moon Bridge that arches over the water around marker 1:56-1:57. The bridge and its reflection provide a popular photo opportunity for real life visitors as well.

Japanese house

Structures are an important part of the Japanese garden. Moving partitions enable you to reconfigure the living space – to open up rooms into bigger spaces and to the garden outside, or to close them for privacy.

Ceremonial Tea House

The ceremonial tea house shows the setting for a tea ceremony, where the simple task of brewing a cup of tea is elevated to an art form. Tea utensils are set out, as well as a beautiful kimono. The original tea house was built in Kyoto in the 1960s and shipped to The Huntington, and was recently restored by a descendent of its original creator. 

Path through an allée of green bamboo

Conversation under a cherry tree

The layers of green-on-green plants are lovely and restful, as is the bamboo grove. At the time we visited, the cherry trees and camelias were blooming. In contrast, the raked Zen garden is bare of any foliage or flowers, but provides a serene place for meditation and contemplation.

Japanese lanterns

Lanterns, paths, water features, and koi are important elements in the Japanese garden, and provide focal points throughout the garden.

Water features in the Japanese garden

I enjoyed my short time in the Japanese garden with its streams and ponds, big and little bonsai, bamboo forests, and tranquil settings. I felt the peace and beauty provided by the traditional Japanese garden. Other Japanese gardens we have visited over the years include:

• Japanese Tea Garden (San Francisco, CA)
• The Gardens at Lake Merritt (Oakland, CA)
• Hayward Japanese Garden (Hayward, CA)
• Nishinomiya Japanese Garden (Spokane, WA)

To learn more about Japanese gardens, see Garden History – Japanese Gardens, Elements of the Japanese Garden, and Japanese Garden Highlights.

Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park is a great place to spend a few hours, and ponder the elements of the Japanese garden. Nearby is the San Francisco Botanical Garden and the Conservancy of Flowers, so those with enough stamina could spend the whole day in beautiful gardens! The “Japanese Village” was originally one acre and created for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. It was later developed into five acres by landscape architect Makoto Hagiwara. The Hagiwara family resided on the property and maintained the garden for many years, until they were interned in 1942 with many other Japanese Americans, and never allowed to return.

Teahouse and gift shop

The Japanese Teahouse and gift shop are near the entry (this clickable map of the grounds is useful). Tea is served along with light sandwiches, snacks, and sweets (reservations are recommended). I did not visit the teahouse, but hope to do so on another visit. I love this description of the Japanese tea ceremony in the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: Japan (the ceremony is as much about slowing down and living in the moment, as it is about tea).

The Way of Tea. The tea ceremony is a well-orchestrated series of events. The ritual involves meeting your fellow guests, walking through the grounds of the teahouse, performing ablutions, entering a cell-like room, meeting your host, admiring the features of the room and tea utensils, watching the tea being prepared, bowing, and consuming the food and tea. Each part of the ritual is symbolic; ultimately it is your appreciation of the moment that counts (page 163).

Shady and meandering paths through the garden

Pagoda

Several paths twist and turn through the landscape, giving the garden a feeling of space, even on a busy day. I visited in summer, so missed the cherry blossoms, but the groves of trees in shades of green and reds were restful, and provided cool shade and relief from the hot afternoon sun. It is understandable that the Japanese Tea Garden was one of the sites used to film Memoirs of a Geisha.

Dry Zen garden in dappled shade

The garden includes many lovely features such as the sunken garden, the Zen garden, and the pagoda. The Zen garden was designed in 1953 by Japanese landscape architect Nagao Sukurai (who also designed the Japanese style gardens for the 1939-40 Golden Gate International Exposition). Dry landscapes (kare sansu in Japanese) originated in China, and gained popularity in Japan during the Muromachi period (1338-1573). The dry garden uses rocks and stone, and raked gravel to represent scenes from nature, and harmony between humankind and nature. (This is another alternative gardening style to consider for those of us in the dry Western United States).

The Drum Bridge is a popular photo opportunity

The garden also includes a series of ponds and bridges. The combination of water, plantings, and shade were welcome on the hot day I visited, and the koi, flowers, lanterns, and sculptures provide the characteristic elements of the Japanese garden. The Drum Bridge drew a large crowd, and was a popular photo op. I recommend the garden for anyone interested in Japanese gardens and hardscaping, or anyone with a few hours to spend in a setting of beauty, history, and human interest.

The main pond	Peaceful Koi
Iris planting	The sunken garden

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Learn More:

• DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: San Francisco & Northern California. Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. (New York and London, 2002). Japanese Tea Garden, page 145.
• DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: Japan. Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. (London, 1995). The Tea Ceremony, page 163.
• Japan A Short History. Supervised by John Gillespie. ICG Muse, Inc. (New York and Tokyo, 2001).
• A Traveller’s History of Japan. Richard Tames, line drawings by Scott Hall. Interlink Books (New York, 2002).

The Gardens at Lake Merritt

I heard about the Gardens at Lake Merritt last year from a Tree ID classmate while attending Lake Merritt College. My fellow student raved about all the gardens located close to Fairyland by Lake Merritt. I’ve been around Lake Merritt a few times, and thought I had seen the Gardens, but my gardening buddy, Ruth, and I decided to see if we had missed something. Recall that we are visiting Bay Area gardens to study their design, plantings, infrastructure, and winter charms. Turns out, there is a gem of a garden complex at 666 Bellevue Avenue in Oakland.

Instead of a single garden, we discovered a series of gardens, almost like the garden rooms we read about from garden history. We only had a couple of hours, so we tried to see as much as we could in a quick survey. Some high-lights include a tiny, serene Japanese garden, and an extensive Bonsai collection (most of the deciduous trees were without leaves, so you could appreciate their foundational forms, but one apricot was already in bloom). We enjoyed the Rhododendron collection from all over the world, and the subtropical Vireya Garden (Vireyas are a kind of Rhododendron, from the mountains and jungles of Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and New Guinea). The Palmetum is a wonderful collection of unique palm trees, ferns, and cycads. The succulent collection near the Easterbrook Fountain has many fine examples of succulents, and cacti. There is a Bay Friendly garden, a community garden for children, an Edible garden, a Pollinator garden, and a Sensory garden, all worthy of more exploration.

  Palmetum

 Japanese Garden

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Golden State Bonsai Collection

Vireya Garden

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The gardens are being restored, and always in need of volunteers. The Lake Merritt Pruning Club, among other groups, helps with the trees. The day we visited, a team of volunteers was adding organic matter to the beds near the Easterbrook Fountain. This is a great local treasure to visit, or help tend! I’m looking forward to returning in the spring when blossoms emerge, and in the fall to see the leaves turn color. Learn more: https://gardensatlakemerritt.org/
 

Moss

In our garden, the winter rains cause the greening of the moss. Over the years our small lawn has been replaced by various mosses. Most of the year the moss is dry and brown with a few stray blades of grass poking through. Moss covers the brick stairway and rock garden, decorates the planters, and crops up between the stepping stones. Within days of the first rain, the moss turns green and lush.

Moss strewn with camellia petals.

Moss lined stone pavers.

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Moss is frequently used in Japanese gardens by design. My husband and I visited the Butchart garden in Victoria one October, and were taken with the use of moss in the Japanese garden. The moss-covered forest had a magical quality to it. Moss thrives in moist climates, like the Pacific Northwest, but can thrive for a short season in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Moss covered rock garden.

Mossy back yard.

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Mosses are non-vascular plants in the Bryophyta family of land plants. They are herbaceous, small, absorb moisture through leaves and stems, use photosynthesis to produce nutrients, and reproduce through spores. Many prefer shade and acidic soil, require moisture to reproduce, and can survive desiccation for months.

Japanese Garden Highlights

The Nishinomiya Garden at Manito Park in Spokane has many traditional features you would expect in a Japanese garden. Several water features are represented. The Koi pond is green to reflect the surrounding trees (gold and black Koi seem suspended in the water). A small water fall and running stream pass by the pagoda. The sound of water is relaxing and soothing. Rocks are incorporated into the water features and landscape, strategically placed in horizontal or vertical positions.

Rocks and a black Koi.

A small fountain of bamboo and stone.

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Trees are manicured to look natural and controlled (“big bonsai” as one of my Merritt College professors would say). Most plantings are shades of green, although a few flowering trees are evident and maple leaves are shades of red. Plantings are a mixture of traditional Japanese plants, such as cherry and pine; and plants of the Pacific Northwest, such as lilac and rhododendron.

A pine tree and boulder.

Sculptures include a small pagoda and a large lantern, both gifts from the Mayor Yoneji Yagi, the Isamu Otani family, and the people of Nishinomiya in 1989. Smaller lanterns are scattered about the garden. Benches and a small structure provided vantages places to view the garden. Many people visit the garden, but there is room for all. The garden provides a tranquil retreat from the cares of the day.

A small tumbling stream passes the pagoda.

Nishinomiya Japanese Garden

While in Spokane for Bonnie’s memorial gathering, my husband, son (who flew down from University of Alaska, Anchorage during summer term), and I visited the Nishinomiya Japanese garden at Manito Park. This seemed fitting since Bonnie loved to walk her dog, Daisy, in the park, and used many Japanese gardening elements in her own garden.

The Koi pond provides a central focus for the Nishinomiya Garden
in Manito Park (Spokane, Washington).

Nishinomiya Garden is a friendship garden between the cities of Nishinomiya, Japan and Spokane Washington. Nagao Akurai was commissioned to design the garden in 1963 (he had once directed the grounds at the Imperial Palace); two landscape architects—Shosuke Nagai and Hiokiko Kawai—completed the garden in 1974.

A wooden fence encloses the garden, giving it a feeling
of privacy and intimacy.

The garden is designed around a large Koi pond, and surrounded by a large wooden fence. Paths weave around the pond and through the trees, and lead to benches and shelters where you can contemplate the garden or life in general, or converse with a companion. Manito Park is one of Spokane’s treasures.

This structure provides shelter, a secluded place to gather,
 and a view of the garden. 

Elements of the Japanese Garden

Because of the early cultural exchange, Japanese gardens incorporate many of the same elements as Chinese gardens, including rocks, water, plants, and structures. The arts, such as poetry and calligraphy, and wine or tea with friends are also important. But Japanese gardens have evolved to develop their own unique expression and style. Examples include the custom of flower viewing (cherry blossoms), moon viewing (night gardens or white sand gardens), an appreciation of gardens in all seasons, and the tea house. Concepts of proportion and “borrowed scenery” are also implemented. Christopher Thacker provides some interesting insights in The History of Gardens.

• Stones, gravel, sand – stones are the most important elements in the Japanese garden. They are used symbolically to represent islands or religious beings (such as Buddha and his disciples). They are used structurally to keep land in place, and in water features. They may be used as stepping stones on land, or as a bridge over water. The placement of the stones may suggest the pacing and nature of your walk (placed close together for a slow pace to meditate or observe details, or placed far apart for a fast pace to cover ground and look at the larger view). Raked sand or pebbles represent water, and are used to reflect moonlight.
• Lakes, streams, waterfalls – water features are frequently used. Lakes and ponds may be  home to Koi, and reflect the surroundings.
• Plants – an austere palate of plants includes evergreen trees, bamboo, and shrubs, with minimal reliance on flowering plants and shrubs. Still, flowering trees, iris, chrysanthemums, azalea and others make their way into the landscape. Japanese gardens also make use of moss of all kinds.
• Islands, bridges, paths – provide interest in the landscape, and lead the visitor through the different rooms or views of the garden. In a large garden, bridges may be highly arched to allow boats to glide under it.
• Structures and ornaments – gardens may include buildings, such as a tea house or a viewing platform for day or night time viewing of the garden and gathering with friends. Ornaments include stone lanterns (the large mushroom-shape top is to keep snow off the fire box), or small water features that provide the sound of water and attract birds and wildlife.

Look for some of these elements in the Rikugien Park garden in Tokyo.

Garden History – Japanese Gardens

Back to Thacker and Rogers for more garden history – this time taking a look at Japanese garden history. I’m using The History of Gardens (by Christopher Thacker) and Landscape Design – a Cultural and Architectural History (Elizabeth Barlow Rogers) as my sources. I have been exposed to several gardens in the Japanese style, and love the naturalistic look, the manicured trees, and the plant palette (including moss).

As with general garden history, early Japanese gardens were sacred places set apart in nature, or associated with temples and palaces. Religious movements have influenced Japanese garden design, including Shinto, Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism. As elsewhere, early gardens were frequently associated with emperors, aristocrats, religious orders, and military leaders. Only later, do others have the time, money, or leisure for small personal gardens. As with Chinese gardens, Japanese gardens can be highly symbolic (such as the raked, dry gardens of Zen Buddhism, which use sand, rock, and gravel to symbolize nature). In naturalistic gardens, garden elements are highly symbolic as well.

Beauty even in winter. A bridge in Kenrokuen garden in Kyoto, Japan.
Photo by Chris Gladis, and used under Creative Commons
Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

The Ise shrine to the sun-goddess is considered the oldest example of a Japanese garden, and dates from the 5^th century. Its main structure is rebuilt every 20 years, and is surrounded by raked pebbles. In the 6^th century, Japan was exposed to Chinese culture, including Buddhism, which influenced its gardens. In the 12^th century, power shifted to the military, which had embraced Zen Buddhism. The minimalism of Zen Buddhism frowned on the extravagance of flowering trees in favor of shades of green.

In the 17^th century, with the rise of the merchant class in the Edo period, garden design departed from minimalism and became more recreational. Strolling gardens became popular – with paths, ponds, bridges, tea houses, and artificial hills. Modern gardens are typically small and functional – providing a spot of nature in a crowded, busy time.

Summer Movies: Memoirs of a Geisha

The next movie in our series of summer movies, where plants play a starring role, is “Memoirs of a Geisha,” based on the novel of the same name. It tells the tale of two sisters, the daughters of a fisherman, who are sold and groomed to be geishas. One sister is mentored to become a master of her trade and ultimately purchase her freedom.

What I especially enjoyed about this movie is the recreation of life in Japan during this transitional era between World Wars I and II - the buildings, the beautiful (antique) kimonos, the details of daily life (like the wicker storage baskets), the misery of rains, the interpersonal intrigue, and the beauty of the gardens. Several Northern and Southern Californian gardens were used in the filming of the movie:

• Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, California
• Japanese Garden at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California
• Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California (right here in the Bay Area)
• American River near Sacramento, California

So whatever your opinion about the movie, the theme, or the plot – be sure to check out the garden shots, and try to identify their location! To see the trailer (notice the bridge from the Huntington in the garden scene): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397535/

Japanese Gardening

I would love to know more about the Japanese gardening style. I think I “know it when I see it”, but I really don’t know all that much. When I think of a Japanese garden I think of a serene place that is very naturalistic - nature is tamed to present the best of itself. A Japanese garden is comprised of plants, and structures, such as small buildings, lanterns, paths, bridges, and ponds. Ideas may be represented in the Japanese garden, for example, water may be represented by gravel or sand, and plants may represent life.

When I think of a palate of Japanese plants, I think of iris, camellia, rhododendron, azalea, pine, and maple. I also think of a very distinctive pruning style, which showcases the trunks, branches, and leaves of each tree. The aesthetic pruning class series that I have been taking at Merritt College is heavily influenced by Japanese gardening.

Pine tree

My garden benefits from the pruning skills of Yakito who is a pruning artist in the Japanese style. His artistry has found its way to many of the trees in my garden.

Maple tree

Kimura Style Gardening

Kimio Kimura designed the Japanese Gardens of the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District over a period of 30 years, and continues to tend the garden. Kimura was born in Japan, and migrated to the United States to attend University. At the prompting of his father, Kimura studied economic and international business for his undergrad degree; Kimura switched to Landscape Architecture for his Masters Degree at University of California, Berkeley.

Kimura uses physical objects to demonstrate dynamic
groupings of rocks and plants.

On the first Saturday of the month, Kimura gives an informal lecture about his Japanese gardening ideas, which he calls Kimura style. The basic garden elements are water, stone and plants. He demonstrates how to achieve dynamic balance by grouping two or three components in different combinations – varying texture, placement, and height. He also describes the importance of each gardening element as an individual, and its contribution to the overall garden.

Here Kimura uses objects to help students
visualize the distinctive layered look
of a pruned tree.

I learned a lot from Kimio Kimura, and plan to return to learn more. It is inspiring to learn from a master, and Kimura encourages students to ask questions. He is writing a multi-volume book that describes and illustrates his design principles.

 

Hayward Japanese Garden

I recently visited the Japanese Gardens of the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District. The garden was designed by Kimio Kimura, of Kimurascaping, using the principles of traditional Japanese garden design. For an informative description of the garden and its interesting history see the Wiki page. The garden is peaceful and beautiful, a wonderful place for meditation or contemplation.

Path through the garden.

My focus was on pruning, so I was especially interested in the trees and shrubs, and the feel of the garden. I could see many of the principles I’ve been learning in the Aesthetic Pruning series taught at Merritt College, including unveiling the best of a tree or shrub, showing particular traits in bark, leaves or needles, stems, and so forth.

Beautiful trunks revealed.

Gracefully flowing needles.

The garden follows traditional garden design, but uses the plants, rocks, and materials of the local environment. This is a great model for developing a garden in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can emulate or follow a favorite gardening design, but incorporate native plants and materials that will thrive in the local environment.

Holly bush incorporated into the garden design.

This is a garden to visit again and again, for personal reflection and respite from the cares of the day, and to view the seasonal changes unfold.