Extend your garden journey by browsing original articles on a variety of related topics.
Check out the third of the Toro no Akari blog series, an oral history of the Seattle Japanese Garden as told from the perspective of those who know its every inch most intimately: the gardeners. In this story, former consultant Masa Mizuno shares how his approach to work was influenced by coming to the United States and his point of view on authenticity that he’s shared with the numerous gardeners who worked for him over the years.
Read MoreCheck out the second post of the Toro no Akari blog series, an oral history of the Seattle Japanese Garden as told from the perspective of those who know its every inch most intimately: the gardeners. Gardener and former advisory board member Mark Akai recounts a humorous teaching moment when he began working at the garden as a teenager—and the lessons in simplicity he honed over the following five decades.
Read MoreDid you know that Japanese people tend to value south-facing rooms more than north-facing ones? Find out why on our blog, and read about how the new Japanese Garden pavilion is being designed to provide a south-facing overlook of the pond. Read More...
Read MoreWhen spring’s vibrant flowering has come to an end, visitors to the Seattle Japanese Garden experience the subtle beauty of its many shades of green. Now the shrub dogwood Cornus alba ‘Argenteo-marginata’ draws our attention. Its gray-green leaves edged in white are a luminous presence—as is the winter brilliance of its fiery red stems.
Read MoreBigleaf hydrangeas, native to and long cultivated in Japan, are one of the loveliest and most beloved of summer-blooming shrubs. Three plants now grace the Seattle Japanese Garden—a relatively new cultivar, Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Dancing Snow.’ It’s also known by the trademark name Double Delights™ Wedding Gown.
Read MoreEnkianthus is a little-known deciduous shrub with dainty, bell-shaped late spring flowers and striking fall color in tones of red, orange, yellow & purple.
Read MoreOver the course of the coming year, we will be sharing a series of essays written by the principle creators of the Seattle Japanese Garden, translated by Mark Bourne. The series opens with an essay from the book The Gardens of Juki Iida, published in 1980.
Read MoreIn Japanese-style gardens, foreground shrubs are often pruned into the semi-spherical shape known as tamamono. Repeated, this simple form contributes mass and stability to the garden, and a sense of peacefulness & tranquility as we encounter it
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