Thursday 23 April 2015

"He who creates a garden creates happiness" Chinese proverb.

We, especially Irene, have always had an interest in Oriental Gardens, and are members of The Japanese Garden Society. http://www.jgs.org.uk

Within Our Garden@19 we have a small Oriental Garden, enclosed with a split bamboo fence, the aim is to create an area of calm serenity, following traditional guide lines for creating an Oriental Garden.

There are two entrances to the garden, this is from the patio...


Cherry tree entrance in spring.



To the side there is a raised bed containing a mini Buddha, a cloud pruned conifer and some dwarf Iris Campbellii...



...along with blue pots of Iris and Hostas.


The second entrance is through a Wisteria floibunda 'Alba' covered arch.



This view, from inside, looking towards the bamboo water spout...


...with flowering Camellia and Magnolia stellata.


The other side of the path is the Acer Grove!...ending with the Corylus avellana 'Contorta'.



Young buds opening of the Acer negundo Flamingo (see tree following)...


  

and Acer palmatum 'Pixie'...

The young leaves of  A. palmatum 'Senkaki', the coral bark maple.



In complete contrast the acid green leaves of A. shirasawanum 'Aureum'.


Chaenomeles japonica is a colourful contrast to the black bamboo.


Phyllostachys Spectablis is living up to its name.


A snow-capped Buddha..


and lantern, traditionally placed to warn of water...


The bamboo water spout with two metal Cranes, symbols of good fortune.


The Oriental shelter in spring 2010



Iris ensata 'Innocence', one of the few flowers favoured in Japanese Gardens.


Development is on going to this garden. Watch this space!

Please click on any photo to create a slide show.

To view some photos of Japanese gardens: Korakuen at Hanami Time visit:
 My Aberdeen Garden here



10 comments:

  1. I love it Brian! You have kept it nice and simple but still have lots of lovely colour and foliage contrast. I lived in Japan for a couple of years and the serenity of the temple gardens everywhere you go is something I will never forget. Those acers you showed us are all fabulous. I shall look forward to seeing more of this area in your garden!

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    1. Thank you Cathy, serenity is something we hope to achieve in this area of the garden.

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  2. Lovely Acers, what gorgeous foliage. Your Magnolia stellata is full of flowers. A Japanese garden is a wonderful way to create a feeling of serenity in the garden.

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    1. Thank you Chloris. The stellata always provides a good show.

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  3. Oh that looks like a fabulous garden within a garden Brian. That white wisteria is quite magical!

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  4. It is magical Anna, we are hoping it will be in flower for the open gardens.

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  5. That looks a wonderful Japanese garden, Brian. Are you able to spend much time just sitting in it? What sort of area does it take up. I couldn't tell from the photos. Is the first photo outside or inside the garden? I love the black bamboo - do you grow that in a pot, or is it not too bad for spreading. It looks great with the Chaenomeles japonica. The white wisteria is amazing - wisteria doesn't grow too well up here I'm afraid, but if I ever move further south I will have one. The cloud tree is great - did you prune it from scratch? If so how long did it take to get to this point?
    Thanks so much for the plug, too. I have lots more Japanese garden photos that I want to publish at some point. I fear it will be next winter now though, unless we have a bad summer weather wise.
    I am so glad you found the time to write this post - I really enjoyed it.

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  6. I have never measured the area of the garden, it is small area just off the patio, the first picture is outside looking towards the gate. The Black Bamboo is well behaved, the clump gets bigger, it does not run, ours has been in the garden about 8 years. The cloud tree was purchased, at a reasonable price from a garden centre near Evesham, after quite a lot of searching, they can be quite expensive.
    In common with most gardeners we don't get to sit in our own garden very often. The local cat population seem to like to sleep there in the morning sunshine!

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  7. Nice, Brian, very nice. I have long affection for Japanese style gardens although have never laid out a secluded area as you have. I can imagine the detail that has gone in to yours and what you’ve to consider should you add new plants – great job :-)

    In my Scottish garden, I do manage to grow a white wisteria although its sinensis alba (the Chinese one) so I guess that makes a difference. It took a long time to flower but its great now and has never grown too big for its boots either (well my Pergola that is). I enjoy bamboo in my garden and have a variety of Acers dotted around my small garden although lost my small magnolia a few years back clumsily moving it. I love your white iris toning in to your shelter – just perfect :-)

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  8. Thank you Shirley. China has had a big influence on our gardens with all the different plants that has come from there. Your garden is a good example of this with Bamboo, Acers, Wisteria, Magnolia ect dotted around the garden. Irene has always liked Japanese Gardens so it seemed ' sensible' to have a separate area which she designed and I do what I am told!

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