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Resources

The Seattle Japanese Garden maintains the Resources Page to share information about the history, garden design, and plants with the public.

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Plants

The Seattle Japanese Garden obtains various unique plants and trees, and our volunteer group, Unit 86 Plant Committee, updates plant inventory and publishes the booklet, “Plants of the Seattle Japanese Garden” annually. Partnering with the Plant Committee, we would like to introduce our plant collection to you.

THE UNIT86 PLANT COMMITTEE

The Plant Committee revises the plant inventory and publishes the booklet, “Plants of the Seattle Japanese Garden” annually. The Plant Committee members chair is Kathy Lantz. Aleksandra Monk is the chief photographer. Corinne Kennedy is a frequent contributor to the SJG website.

Download Plants of the Seattle Japanese Garden 2024

Plants of the Months

 
Featured
Botanical Name – Acer palmatum ‘Samidare’ Common Name – Samidare Japanese maple
Botanical Name – Acer palmatum ‘Samidare’ Common Name – Samidare Japanese maple

Hibiscus syriacus is a large, hardy, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with showy hibiscus-shaped flowers. Native to China and India, despite its botanical name, this shrub has been cultivated for hundreds of years. It flowers in late summer and fall, a time when most other shrubs are no longer in bloom. 

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Richard Yamasaki’s Black Pine
Richard Yamasaki’s Black Pine

The Japanese black pine tree is n ative to the coastal are a of Japan and South Korea . It grows best in sandy and sunny locations. This tree has needles, not leaves . There are 2 very sharp needles together about 4” long. In the Spring, the new growth, known as “candles ”, are pinched off to control the growth habit. In the Fall, the branches of the tree can be pruned to develop the desired shape of the gardener.

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Botanical Name – Hibiscus syriacus Common Name – rose of Sharon
Botanical Name – Hibiscus syriacus Common Name – rose of Sharon

Hibiscus syriacus is a large, hardy, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with showy hibiscus-shaped flowers. Native to China and India, despite its botanical name, this shrub has been cultivated for hundreds of years. It flowers in late summer and fall, a time when most other shrubs are no longer in bloom. 

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Stewartia pseudocamellia Common name - Japanese stewartia
Stewartia pseudocamellia Common name - Japanese stewartia

With its beautiful mottled bark, white summer flowers, and stunning fall leaf colors, Stewartia pseudocamellia is an elegant tree to enjoy all year long.  Both its Latin species name pseudocamellia (imitation camellia) and its Japanese name natsu tsukaki (summer camellia) refer to the flowering time of its delicate flowers.

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June: Botanical Name – Iris ensata, Common Name – Japanese Water Iris
June: Botanical Name – Iris ensata, Common Name – Japanese Water Iris

The iris is a flower that represents spring in Japan. The iris is iconic in Japanese culture for its beauty and is revered in paintings, textiles, and woodblocks. One of the renowned iris paintings in Japan is Kakitsubata-zu. Irises symbolize resilience. Irises are depicted in literature and Haiku poetry and used in floral arrangements—ikebana and chabana.

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May: Paeonia suffruticosa: Elegant, semi-double pink flowers in spring! 
May: Paeonia suffruticosa: Elegant, semi-double pink flowers in spring! 

A lovely tree peony with semi-double pink flowers graces the northwest corner of the Seattle Japanese Garden, blooming in late April or May.

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April: Purity Japanese camellia

Botanical name - Camellia japonica ‘Purity’ Common name – Purity Japanese camellia

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Collections

Maple Collection
The Seattle Japanese Garden has many kinds of maples. In the fall, these maples change color to red, orange, yellow, purple and pink. They showcase the stunning beauty of autumn foliage.

 

Fern Collection
Ferns are extremely diverse in habitat and form. The majority of ferns grow in warm, damp areas of the Earth. While it is not tropical weather, Seattle has lots of rain and ferns grow very well. The Seattle Japanese Garden has many kinds as well.

 

Camellia Collection
Camellias were cultivated in the gardens of China and Japan for centuries before they were seen in Europe in 18th century. The German botanist Engelbert Kaempfer wrote that the "Japan Rose", as he called it, grew wild in forests and thickets, but that many superior varieties had been selected for gardens.

 

Rhododendron Collection: April

There are more than 1200 different natural species in the genus Rhododendron. The largest number of wild species is native to Asia, but they also grow in the temperate regions of North America and Europe, as well as in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia and northern Australia.

 

Rhododendron Collection: May

Most of Rhododendrons and azaleas burst in flowers in May. The bright colors of the flowers, massed in such a large planting is unusual in a Japanese Garden.