Japanese Garden

A Tranquil Sanctuary

Occupying nine acres on the slopes of a canyon, this is one of America’s oldest, most elaborate, and gracefully matured Japanese gardens. A five-room house, pagodas and lanterns, and many mature plants were moved to the site from a commercial tea garden in Pasadena in 1912. A walled courtyard containing a rock and sand garden and a bonsai exhibition area was added in 1968. The garden boasts several beautiful forms of Japanese red pine, handsome spreading junipers, large cycads, arbors of wisteria, and thirty-foot-high sweet olives.

From January through April such fruit trees as the Japanese flowering apricot, Formosan cherry, flowering peaches and single- and double-flowered plums provide a succession of color. The lavender blooms of wisteria add to the spring show along with camellias and azaleas in white and many shades of pink. Several benches invite visitors to rest and contemplate the tranquil setting.

Beside the large pond are a weeping willow, clusters of cycads, as well as junipers and pines. Lotus, water lilies, and iris decorate the ponds in spring and summer. A graceful weeping willow overhangs the bridge.

The house is an example of a type of upper-class dwelling built in Japan up through the nineteenth century. Its construction features natural materials—wood, paper, and reed mats. During public hours the protective panels are open so visitors can view the interior. Ikebana floral arrangements in the style of the Ikenobo School are created by members of the San Marino League and displayed in the two alcoves.

The rock and sand garden is intended for contemplation. The gravel is raked to evoke the feeling of a flowing stream, interrupted here and there by rocks. The garden glows in the fall as the leaves of the ginkgo turn to shimmering yellow.

In the bonsai court are examples of this Japanese art—trees pruned on a miniature scale in shallow pots to represent tree forms of ancient age and natural, elegant lines. Beautiful specimens take many years to create and can live for centuries. In Japan, valuable specimens are passed down from generation to generation.

Along the path down to the lower entrance are groves of tender bamboo. Its new shoots in spring are prized for cooking.

 

The Collections

Karesansui – also known as a rock and sand garden or dry landscape. This is a very symbolic garden where the viewer quietly uses his or her imagination to interpret the scene. It is usually viewed from the veranda of a Buddhist temple compound.
Bonsai – potted trees intentionally dwarfed by pruning and cultural practices. They are to look like miniature versions of old, weathered trees found in nature.
Suiseki – also known as viewing stones. They are stones found in nature that are beautiful to look at and may suggest something such as a distant mountain, animal, or human figure. They are not carved or changed by man.
Prunus species – Japanese flowering plum (apricot), Taiwan flowering cherry, flowering peach and nectarine, Japanese flowering cherry, and Nanking cherry, all bloom between January and April.
Bamboo – clumping, running, dwarf, medium, large timber, and variegated forms.
Pines – Japanese Black Pine (the mainstay of garden), Japanese Red Pines (common, weeping, umbrella, and Dragon’s eye) as well as non-Asian pines such as Aleppo, Stone, Canary Island, and Torrey.