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.