Hibiscus syriacus is a large, hardy, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with showy Hibiscus-shaped flowers. Common names include Rose of Sharon, Hardy Hibiscus Shrub, and Shrub Althea.

In the Garden, Japanese Garden Design, Summer, Summer, Plants and BloomsRumi TsuchihashiAugust 7, 2015August, hardy hibiscus, Japan, Japanese, Japanese Culture, Japanese Garden, Late summer bloom

Ryobu: The Beauty of Bark

Ryobu, also known at Clethra Summersweet, is a little-known and often overlooked summer beauty.

In the Garden, Japanese Garden Design, Summer, Summer, Plants and BloomsRumi TsuchihashiJuly 9, 2015bloom, botanical, gardening, Japan, Japanese, Japanese Culture, Japanese Garden

Gardener's Corner: Rhododendron or Azalea?

There’s a lot of complexity and confusion in the answer. Rhododendrons and azaleas are now members of the same genus (Rhododendron), but this wasn’t always the case.

In the Garden, Japanese Culture, Japanese Garden Design, Spring, Plants and BloomsRumi TsuchihashiJune 5, 2015Azalea, bloom, botanical, gardening, Japan, Japanese, Japanese Garden, Juki Iida, June, May, Rhododendron, Spring

Kousa Dogwood: an Early Summer Delight

In the Seattle Japanese Garden, this beautiful small tree, Cornus kousa var. chinensis, is locatednear the path on the pond’s east side. It’s a form of the more well-known Kousa Dogwood...

In the Garden, Japanese Garden Design, Spring, Volunteers, Plants and BloomsRumi TsuchihashiJune 5, 2015chinensis, Chinese, Dogwood, Japanese, Japanese Garden, June, Kousa, Spring, tree, volunteers, white

Gardener's Corner: Pine Candling

Pine candles are selectively removed to create the pine's distinctive form.

In the Garden, Japanese Garden Design, Spring, Plants and BloomsRumi TsuchihashiApril 30, 2015Pine, Candling, Pruning, Spring, gardening, Japanese Garden, Pine Candling

Rhododendron ‘Quakeress': A Striking Bi-Colored Beauty

Rhododendron ‘Quakeress’ is one of the lovely bi-colored Azaleas in Seattle’s Japanese Garden. Its flowers consist of two contrasting colors (pink and white) with striking -- and varied -- patterning.