Steve Snedeker’s Landscaping and Gardening Blog

Not all boulders are alike.

The Asian Section

Some even have titles of their own – “Shibumi Rocks” dot Japanese landscapes like these impressive doyens of timelessness who corner the market on Time itself. Many times, these gorgeous billions-of-years-old guys actually are the landscaping. These are the understated attention-getters who supply some peaceful perspective on those who pass and which abide in their Eternal reliability. Unless they fall over, of course.

(click any image to enlarge)

Other ‘rocks’ also fill this bill but in a far more bio-morphic – almost human way. Maybe even more to the point – in somewhat monstrous and unusual ways. The Chinese have perfected the art of placing boulders which are amazingly evocative. These things gather impressions for the more active parts of our imaginations as we get riveted by their near supernatural shapes. They probably most resemble those wild forms in the clouds we so often imagine resemble something we relate to. One can see shapes and guises for all sorts of imagined creatures and things in these amazing stones. That they fit so well into landscapes makes it even weirder somehow. The picture below is a “softened effect” as we see where the balance of plant and rock makes a fine compromise.

Somewhere else inside the Portland Chinese Garden, we get a different take or two. These suckers are plain bizarre:

These incredible stones and their distinctly unusual messages come naturally for them. There are formations which feature these sorts of stones and which occur in Nature there. The Chinese who send for these are the exporters for very specific and limited environments like these gardens which they themselves construct.

I could look at these all day:

But that is China and Japan. In both cases, they are able to work with what they have in their natural geologic environment. I recall, having worked on this garden, the stockpiles of these stones as they arrived and as they were put into storage. I was eager to see how they expected to use them in the garden. I now think their placement was perfect.

Through a hole they look sweet – not the first hole, either!:

The North American Section

Over here, we deal with a range of rocks and boulders which are really every bit as diverse, if not quite as weird in the same ways. We do have remarkable Shales and Limestones in the Eastern US which give us innumerable creative outlets. The stratified nature of limestone lends it to stacking and to flat planes. These are particularly impressive when used for water features, as these pictures from the corporate headquarters of Papa John’s Pizza illustrates – one of our favorite local Louisville walks.

Stacked, they make wonderful rockeries and informal walls for the surrounding foliage to fill out magnificently:

Here is a fabulous example of tasteful placement:

I’ve always loved this perspective of the sets of waterfalls at Papa Johns’:

Moving towards Jeruselum………………….we encounter another perspective………as the sounds of thousands of gallons of water plummet over rocks and fall……

Until we come to that place where we see what the ruccus is all about:

It’s way well worth the walk:

I’ll have to dedicate an entire post to this place soon.

Meanwhile…………..this guy is trouble with a Capital T:

Hopefully, it will be a while until he gets the key to my boat:

My brother Tom would be mad:  

I recently got an email which gave me a start. It was addressed from the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. Hey – It’s really not that funny. I thought to myself – “Oh, boy, it’s that mattress tag I ripped off!!!!  They finally caught up with me!!”   With a slight trepidation, I peered inside the mail, wondering if I should give “Three Fingers” Yarmi a call from my speed dial.

Instead, to my ultimate surprise and satisfaction, it was a very gracious guy, Erik, who asked me more than kindly to perhaps host a guest post right here on my very own blog, dedicated to the Cherry Blossom Festival, with some special attention paid to this excellent and fascinating Museum.

Just the same, as I read the following: “The museum displays excellent depictions of historically famous crime scenes along detailed information concerning past wars, forensics, organized crime, and more. Currently, we’re promoting 98 years of tradition with the annual D.C. Cherry blossom festival, which remembers the long lasting friendship between Japan and the U.S.”, I have to admit, I was still on the nervous end of the crime pole. (Maybe it was the Santa I lifted at Santa Claus Land, Indiana as an 11 year old?). Nevertheless, I held off calling “Slats” Hennepin in Chicago or my West Coast Buddy, “No Nose de la Vega” for some extra work and just acted as if it were a normal letter – which it was. In the end, I was flattered. I said “Yes, I would be delighted.”

Below is the guest post, written by Erik:

“Springtime, perfect for having picnics, wearing shorts and admiring the Cherry Blossom in DC. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an two-week, yearly event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.

DC Attractions include multiple festivals, museums, monuments, and more. The National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) organization that coordinates, produces, and supports creative and diverse activities promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty and the environment, and community spirit and youth education. It’s also begins peak season for an influx of tourists to Washington, also brought in by the thousands of historical landmarks, museums, and other buildings, The National Museum of Crime & Punishment, located in Washington, D.C. is one of those such buildings, with excellent depictions of historically famous crime scenes along detailed information concerning past wars, forensics, organized crime, and more.”

I have found out that the National Cherry Blossom Festival is actually the biggest annual event in the Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C. It takes place every year to celebrate the beginning of spring and has grown into one of America’s premier celebrations of the springtime season. It is honestly pretty cool, with eye candy to absolutely die for.

The Festival commemorates the March 27, 1912 event where the nation of Japan gifted the United States with 3,000 cherry trees. On that day Tokyo mayor Yukio Ozaki donated the trees for the purpose of enhancing the budding friendship between his nation and America. Today, nearly 100 years later, the leaders of the world’s two largest economies use the Festival as a way of recognizing the continued spirit of friendship between the U.S. and Japan.

The Cherry Blossoms tend to bloom between March 28 – April 12. Every April along the Tidal Basin that nearly surrounds the Jefferson Memorial, millions of people from around the world walk along a pathway that glows with an unmistakable pink hue. The sea of pink is a photographer’s paradise and best of all its COMPLETELY FREE. (Yayy!!) The festival, which lasts two weeks, is opened with a ceremony that is usually attended by the First Lady of the United States and the Japanese Ambassador to the United States.

Approximately 3,750 cherry trees are on the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. Thousands of trees are located around the region as well.

That’s a lot of Cherry Blossoms, man!

“No Nose” gave me a call just as I was writing this. I suggest you all make sure and go and especially drop into the Museum of Crime and Punishment. “No Nose” has gotten into gardening recently, with an eye towards pruning. He says if you turn down this glorious Springtime opportunity, he might just have to prune your Cherry into something resembling this one:

Thinkaboudit. 

You would think those seemingly ubiquitous huge buildings surrounding this Chinese Garden would affect your travels inside it. From the pictures here and elsewhere, it is so hard to ignore the substantial urban effects of the neighboring towers. Yet, until you have seen it yourself, take it from me that one of the true marvels of this place is how what is outside the walls of this incredibly intimate and sensuous garden has so little – if any – effect on its interior.

(click on all pictures to enlarge)

When you see the buildings in pictures later, you go “Oh yeah, buildings.”

This is a still-involving masterpiece of design, concept and installation. I happen to have a special attachment to the “installation” part owing to the fact that I was involved during its construction. I remember every support under all that dirt and I recall boring holes in the concrete framework under every one of those buildings and walls. I recall the digging of the trees that populate it now. I even recall finding those elusive and perfect trees in some of the weirdest places – from the highways to nursery “back 40’s”. I post about that, in fact, in this blog right here - where I give more detail on some of the construction aspects. But today is about the garden, not me.

From its unprepossessing facade outside on the street -

To it’s entryway and gate -

One is not quite prepared for the marvelous enchantment once one passes these portals and goes inside -

The floor of the first “room” alone assaults the senses with its spectacular complexity. It’s hard to look up. Maybe it’s just me, but I could look at this paving for literal hours – wait – it is just me. Nevertheless, walking surfaces such as this are repeated throughout the entire project, none of them repetitive in pattern, all with a different inlay, including differing stones themselves. We’ll see more as we walk together.

Looking up, we behold the most amazing sort of aperture, set as it is as a feast for the eye in a remarkable, deep and stunning depiction of the meaning of “Feng Shui” itself. Carried by design, we stumble into yet another wonder, led by our senses alone to the next unfolding of some of the genius in Chinese Garden design.

“Qi rides the wind and scatters, but is retained when encountering water.”

Across the stone patio, we see this hole in the wall inviting exploration. There are many places like this in the garden. Some are major vistas within the garden itself, offering hidden promise for the explorer -

Others are these wild and crazy small apertures, leading the mind to yet another utterly involving destination – close but still distant – like the promise of hope, or love – cradled by mankind’s most heartfelt perspectives – cut in simple yet supple, sensuous shapes and seemingly sculpted for no apparent reason – right into the walls themselves. It’s like a gift.

Oh there is something on the other side – but what is it? How large? How meaningful? Honestly, I don’t think I have ever encountered a more pleasant mystery.

And not all apertures are alike. Some are just windows -

But interesting windows. Fascinating windows, made for humans to enjoy not only Nature but his own artifice -

This is a very cool garden. Obviously, waxing as poetic as I am, I adore it. Next post, we’ll discover what all this “Qi” thing and the water alludes to. Maybe see some plants. I’m pretty big on Mahonia.

Yeah, that’s the ticket. Like it?

There is a rough simplicity to this Japanese Garden which belies its age. The steps seen below could have been installed centuries ago and they do indeed represent what is often seen in the most authentic Japanese Gardens in Japan. There is this primitive element that makes it that much more entrancing – a combination of complexity, human creativity and an admixture in all the elements as well of utter simplicity. The dialog never ends at a good Japanese Garden.

(all pictures enlarge on clicking)

Lines such as these below show the superiority of clean lines in garden design performing a good head-clearing function. Once again, simplicity vies with heavy thought for the most outstanding feature and neither wins the battle. That they can coexist so intrinsically inside of one design is a sign of perfection – or as close as man can get to it. These two entryways to homes plead with us to relax as we enter. Small in size, they are also universal in scope. Simple messages redound, allowing all of our thoughts some pleasant room and a very human and gentle tolerance.

Some of the minor features here appeal to this landscaper and designer. Something as simple as this rock edge, separating a path from the vegetation are done in a very tight and artistic manner and in a unique way.

Indeed, some of the pathways here are fabulously interesting while maintaining that same sense of simplicity spoken of above. These rocks are varied in size, yet they mesh perfectly in a primitive, yet appealing and very artistic way. They are just rocks but obviously something more.

This mix of human and natural make for a true sort of spiritually-enhancing amble along paths and into vistas that take us from our normal daily existence and insert us into a real sense of history. Of course, they also take us into good old fashioned gardening love. I just like the way the Japanese have done these things and I feel that Portland’s Japanese Garden is truly representative of this ancient art.

Here are some looks at a rather primitive-appearing arbor with a massive Wisteria Vine crawling all over it. It offers a vista much along the Chinese lines of Fung Shui, giving us some goodies through the portal leading elegantly and effortlessly to the next great thing. On closer inspection, I think you can see why I so appreciate the sense of “Ancientness” – for lack of a better term – as we look closer at this arbor:

All in all, the construction of this Garden I feel is a sort of Masterpiece. As the lad at the entry was effusive in reminding me: “This garden was rated the 6th best Japanese Garden in the world!” In my travels to Japan and Vancouver – which also has a very cool Japanese Garden – I have seen more than 6. I know there are hundreds. Such a seeming stretch for relevance turns out to me to be quite a statement for the knowledgeable fan. If it is indeed the 6th best in the world, that is huge. I have no trouble admiring the work and I happen to think it is somewhere a bit beyond “world class”.

This one is plain ’special’.

Here are the remaining pictures from my camera that day. Too bad I am not there now, because the seasons are just now changing – another creative elemental ‘capture’ made by this gorgeous place which has its highlights for every season.

Here is a wall I really liked, an incidental piece but illustrative, in my opinion, of the craftsmanship applied to the smallest details here:

A pond I omitted earlier:

This bit of wildness within the garden is close to the above small pond. It gives the most naturalistic forest sense,  yet I couldn’t help but feel it was a part of the construction:

Yet another waterfall, towards the wilder area mentioned above:

On the periphery of the garden – a blending of human and Nature as the garden gives way to it.

Another look – back – at the human elements. A gorgeous still pond:

I really, really loved this lantern:

And this one too. Imagine their being lit for passage at night.

Pretty hard not to like these: (more random pictures)

My personal favorites!  Thanks, for visiting!

This is a trip through a less naturalistic and more man-made aspect of the Japanese Garden. That is not to say there is no Naturalism. Far from it. It is always that interplay, in fact, that seems to be evoked in any Japanese Garden and it is the gift they supply us as we walk through them.

The trip around the Japanese Garden is a marvel of tightly-controlled randomness, a weird sort of dialectic speaking of the tension of Nature and man coexisting in a common theme – the enhancement of each. Man shows Nature off here. We see the incredible beauty of the Koi, colorful, gorgeous and sinewy, swimming lazily in still water ponds.

We look at the pruned wonder of a Japanese Black Pine tree, its branching looking wild and anarchistic, yet controlled somehow all the same, driven by man’s hand to display features which we once just potentials, now gorgeous like some work of art.

The natural wonders of the plants and animals all arranged in successive steps unfolding in front of us then yields to those constructions which are even more challenging to the eye: the strictly man made constructions.

There are two exceptional garden pieces composed of white granite bits – resembling sand almost, or even water – which pose this stunning sort of stark foreground for a very limited display of natural products. The top picture shows the upright “Shibumi” rock, arresting in its solitude and quite interesting as a natural shape. Its naturalness is sort of undone by its obvious human placement but its antiquity and timelessness represents the natural world without further explanation. The chances are great the rock is a billion years old. Its preciousness is secured by its loneliness as the sole representative of Time itself. The smaller rocks arranged around it represent a nearly social grouping, separated by the raked surface which most represents water, ironically, and the shimmering effects always revealed when touched no matter how lightly. The minimalism of these characteristics speaks unheard volumes in explaining the ripples of Time and Cause and Effect, connected as they are by a human rake and shovel. It proves that tension is evocative.

The garden below is a personal favorite part of the Garden.This one has a different purpose from the tight, tense placidity of the ones above. This one’s purpose is similar in that the foreground of the white granite pebbles gives an almost liquid serenity. The sole raked beam, coursing through it in a curving and sensuous manner gives us that hint of humanity and the grace of artistic human forms, but it does not intrude on the clarity of the vista the entire complex gives. Here we have the openness of a clearing where the distance seems farther than it is. The optical illusion is effective. It is as if the forces aggregated across the still surface pile up in their diversity, and form a nice crowd of potential friends and enemies.

The plants around this garden actually hide it well, which adds to the sense of solitude and discovery when one encounters it. I mean, it’s a huge area.  But who knew??  I absolutely love that idea, as well as the rest of it. It seems we are offered solitude at almost every turn in this delightful garden.

Meanwhile, other man made articles pop out at us from surprising spots as we walk. The Japanese and Chinese both love etching their comments on gorgeous natural stones, arranging them in artistic and very appealing ways.

The commentary is typically minimalistic and in poetics, describing the wonder and mystery of all things. Meanwhile, other rocks are placed simply and starkly, features of their own, giving us a glimpse at the unchanging character of Nature and her Timelessness. They stick out like small explanation points, highlighting Nature’s beauty of form and the randomness of beauty itself, if only we have the ability to see it.

This Garden is so representative of the Japanese Art of Gardening it is actually somewhat astounding in its purity. This was the first of many trips for me to this gorgeous spot. It will definitely be a highlight for visiting friends and family, much the same as the Portland Chinese Garden where I actually played an active role in its construction, as seen and explained in this blog elsewhere.

Nor am I done. Next, I will address yet more man-made aspects of the garden, this time taking a look at the sculptures and artwork, including the constructions of the garden gates and arbors.

You will have to prepare for some semi-literate ranting in this post. I do not claim to be an accomplished writer. I am neither trained for it nor gifted at it. But, having said that, this Japanese Garden has unleashed the author in me – the wordsmith, looking for just the appropriate phrase to somehow represent what I see in the sheer tension and pleasure in this garden’s little wonders.

The subtle care lavished on this huge shrub – intense though it is – presents a weird combination of repose and tension as we appreciate the sheer amount of work and detail put into these tiniest of natural matters. The interplay of light amid the branches with all the supple and robust branching patterns remind us of an immaculately groomed royal personage, perhaps Medieval, en route to some ceremony of real importance. The Japanese talk to us through their landscaping, reminding us that such values as cooperating with Nature reward us in ways we never knew before we encounter them anew, freshly-delivered for our now-new observation. Refreshed therefore, we are able to assess the next wonder, like a taste of ginger to refresh the taste buds.

The needles on this Japanese Black Pine resemble background puffs of cloud or smoke, nearly secondary to the dark bark of its branches and the basic and unruly passionate forms Nature, once again, has given to us  as options. The tree therefore becomes a palette for the artist, yet another cooperative venture between man and nature. There is a controlled wildness to the effect, if such a thing seems even possible. For me, it embodies study and repose, a stunning adjustment which never gets old owing to the timelessness of the concept itself and the wildness of Nature’s invariable push towards renewal. There is something essentially poetic about the utter Zen of Japanese Landscape Architecture. Surreal almost, it demands contemplation when you are sat in front of it for any period of time. It “comes to you”, corrosively. And that is a good thing.

The topiary effects of so much of the true Japanese gardening style serves similar purposes. They speak of taming – in the strictest possible ways -in almost apparently cruel manner – the wildness of Nature. But it is also done in service of the garden for human enterprise itself and the plants have proven – much like the dog or horse – to truly not mind so much. The other purpose served is economic, oddly enough. By pruning, we reduce their spatial girth and obstructive size so that these plants allow us to see more. It’s really fairly simple. Nor do we need to acquire others when these get too darn big.

The other effect achieved is strictly artistic. Those shapes provide yet another form – and yet another feast – for the eye. They can be trained to develop along predictable and satisfying lines and, therefore once again return us to the cooperative spirit achieved in these gardens, between man and Nature.

They can return us to primordial forest origins – a trip to an ancient clearing:

Or they can welcome us home to serenity and our own sense of ourselves, our home and our great good fortune in our humaness:

The straight lines and eye-catching geometric’s of Japanese Gardens we get a glimpse of in the above picture. They literally impact modern architecture more than we tend to think. The clean lines and geometric patterns are more than just a pretty face. They nearly always tell a story, full of complexity and depth of thought.

Japanese Gardens are invariably geared to make one contemplative. Unfortunately, they are also geared to making you want to talk about them in a literary style. There are so few other ways in which to speak of them, though. They require attention, detail and a depth. I hope no one minds my rants on the subject. I adore them.

Next time, our final visit to this lovely garden. We will look at the various sculptures there and the amazing gardens of fine white granite. I hope you have enjoyed this little trip.

(click pictures to enlarge……..for some…..a lot!)

This trip was a revelation to me. In spite of the fact that I have lived here on and off for 6 years, I am truly ashamed to say I had never visited this gorgeous garden. Wow! is all I can say. I am dumb. This garden is one of the most highly-ranked Japanese Gardens in the entire world and, without doubt, deservedly so. I have actually been to Japanese Gardens in Japan – Kyoto, in fact – so my failure to take this one in deserves a special sock in the chops for missing it. It was quite a revelation.

Fortunately, it was a warm and sunlit day here in late September – almost too warm in fact. We had some eastern winds (our version of Santa Ana’s) which brought the heat of the desert in and made my huge walk just a bit more challenging than I had figured it would. I put in about 5-6 miles before even landing at the Garden, I so enjoyed Washington park, inside which is this Garden, along with the Rose Garden across the street. But the peaceful serenity and the amazing eye candy upon entering was the perfect salve for the tired legs and flagging spirit I encountered briefly, before entering. My camera was very busy!

The simple fact is that there is literally so much to appreciate here, it dazzles the senses. As someone who had always appreciated the gorgeous and simple lines inherent in most Japanese Gardens. I was blown away with any number of things. For one thing, there is some sort of water just everywhere. Running creeks, some good sized lakes – there is more water in this particular garden than in any it has been my good fortune to see. Small waterfalls of a most placid sound and sight, leading to still ponds full of Koi.

Since I am dealing only with the aspect of water in the garden in this episode, I must pay my deepest respects to one of the single most beautiful waterfalls I have literally ever seen. This materializes out of the woods, as it were, in an extremely logical place, supposedly draining the mountainous hillside to its rear.

I took pictures from a few different angles, to try and capture not only its fairly impressive size, but also the utterly organic sense it provides, coming as it does off the nearby mountainside. Nor does the sound of it even matter – somehow it is not oppressive nor overwhelming in any way. I guess it is distant enough to stop all that. It seems to blend so well, it actually just seems – aurally – just another organic piece in a bigger puzzle. It does not stand out in any way but visually. But man, for this waterfall maven, it knocked my socks off. I absolutely love it in every way.

Seen here (above) we see the falls in the distance from the top of a nearby hill. Vantage points for these falls are everywhere, seen between the trees and the stupa sculpture below, complete with real, authentic tourists like me:

And that’s not all the gorgeous and settling water around this Garden. Here are a few other looks at more intimate settings, all of which grant a peaceful flow to this gorgeous park.

From the smallest and seemingly insignificant dripping effects of a bamboo water tube:

To a far more natural and extremely unique feast for the eyes:

The water features and the placements in general of flora and natural features represents the very best in the art of Japanese Gardens. I will close today with these pictures, focusing on water and those who live in it: