Japanese

Influence,

Northwest

Landscape

Design

Washington

Park

Arboretum

Bulletin

Published by the
Arboretum Foundation
for the

Washington Park
Arboretum Winter 1 998

Stcrf'SSShorticulture

ELISABETH C. MILLER LIBRARY
BOX 3541 1 5 AY 1 l <ngo

Seattle. Washington 981954m

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

VOLUME 60, NUMBER 1

Published by The Arboretum Foundation
for the University of Washington
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STAFF

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CONTRACTORS

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A rbo retu m Bu lleti n

EDITORIAL BOARD

WASHINGTON PARK ARBORETUM BULLETIN

Jan Silver, Editing/Design
Tom Berger, The Berger
Partnership, Landscape
Architects
Richard Contreras,

Arboretum Foundation
liaison; VP, Marketing,
Northern Life
Jeannine Curry, Secretary
Valerie Easton, Book Review
Editor; library manager,
CUH

Stephanie Feeney, author
Richard Hartlage, Director,
Elisabeth C. Miller
Gardens

Daniel J. Hinkley,

Heronswood Nursery Ltd
Arthur R. Kruckeberg,
Ph.D., UW Dept, of
Botany

Steven R. Lor ton. Northwest
Bureau Chief, Sunset
Magazine
Ciscoe Morris,

Horticulturist, Seattle
University

Jan Pirzio-Biroli, The
Arboretum Foundation
Mary Robson, Extension
Agent, King County
David Streatfield, UW Dept.

of Landscape Architecture
Richard Walker, Ph.D., UW
Dept, of Botany
Jan Kowalczewski Whitner,
author

John A. Wott, Ph.D.,
Director, Arboretum
Martha Wingate,

Taxonomy Editor;
Graduate, CUH

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

John A. Wott, Ph.D., Education

Director, Arboretum Coordinators

Randall C. Hitchin, Registrar Julie DeBarr

& Collections Manager David Stockdale

Christina Pfeiffer, Barbara Selemon,

Horticulturist Propagator

UNIVERSITY OF
WASHINGTON CENTER
FOR URBAN
HORTICULTURE

Clement W. Hamilton,
Ph.D., Director

CITY OF SEATTLE
DEPARTMENT OF
PARKS &
RECREATION

Ken Bounds,
Superintendent

Washington Park’s Japanese Garden is
the home to Acer palmatum ‘Shikageori
Nishiki’, which is very rare in North
America. Above, it is in May leaf, and in fall
the leaves are shades of brown and red.
Washington Park Arboretum has one of
the top maple collections in North America.

The Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin is pub-
lished quarterly as a bonus of membership in The Ar-
boretum Foundation, Seattle, Washington. Volume
60:1 © 1998 The Arboretum Foundation. ISSN
1046-8749.

The Arboretum Foundation is a nonprofit orga-
nization that was chartered to further Washington
Park Arboretum development, projects, and programs
through volunteer service and fund raising. Its mis-
sion is to ensure stewardship for the Washington Park
Arboretum, a Pacific Northwest treasure, and to pro-
vide horticultural leadership for the region. This stew-
ardship requires effective leadership, stable funding,
and broad public support.

Washington Park Arboretum (WPA) is adminis-
tered cooperatively between the University of Wash-
ington, its Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH),
and the City of Seattle Department of Parks and Rec-
reation. The programs and plant collections are a re-
sponsibility of CUH.

WPA is a living plant museum emphasizing trees
and shrubs hardy in the maritime Pacific Northwest.
Plant collections are selected and arranged to display
their beauty and function in urban landscapes, to dem-
onstrate their natural ecology and diversity, and to
conserve important species and cultivated varieties for
the future. The Arboretum serves the public, students
at all levels, naturalists, gardeners, and nursery and
landscape professionals with its collections, educa-
tional programs, interpretation, and recreational op-
portunities.

Contents

Japanese Influence,

Northwest Landscape Design

2 The Resonance of Japan in

Pacific Northwest Gardens
by David Streatfield

6 Beyond the Emperor’s Gates —

Japanese Influences
throughout Washington Park
Arboretum by John A. Wott

9 How in the Arboretum?
Transplanting Small Trees &
Shrubs by David Zuckerman

10 Where in the Bulletin? Past issues
on Japanese gardening & design

11 For Further Information —
Japanese Garden Aesthetics
by Valerie Easton

1 2 Just a Short Walk to Japan —

A tour near Graham Visitors
Center by Midori Murai & John A.
Wott

13 Where in the Arboretum?

Momi fir

13 How in the Arboretum?
Adopt-a-Tree Program

14 The Japanese Design
Connection — Northwest Natives in
the Japanese Garden

by Arthur R. Kruckeberg

The montane forest of Chichibu, Japan,
consists of Tsuga sieboldii (hemlock) and Abies
firma (Momi fir, in background). This forest is
also a source of some of Washington Park
Arboretum’s trees and shrubs. For
more information about A. firma
(page 13) and other arboretum plants,
growing tips, and programs, look for
the maple leaf near Bulletin articles.

22 Stone & Water —

Robert Murase’s Sense of Place
by Martha Polk Wingate

25 The Garden as Metaphor —

Terry Welch’s Garden
by Valerie Easton

28 The Christmas Pool Bridge at
Bloedel Reserve
by Richard A. Brown

30 Kubota’s Living Legacy at Seattle
University by James “Ciscoe” Morris

32 Tsuboniwa for a Catholic Monastery
by Susan Harrison

33 Visit Gardens Touched by Japan
by Stephanie Feeney

19 A Few Japanese Hydrangeas
and Their Close Allies
by Daniel J. Hinkley

This Bulletin was inspired by the lecture series,
“Japanese Elements in Pacific Northwest Landscape
Design,” which was presented in 1996 by the Japa-
nese Garden Society in cooperation with the
Consulate-General of Japan, Seattle Art Museum,
the Urasenke Foundation, University ofWashington,
and The Arboretum Foundation.

Cedar and bamboo poles form the Tori gate
at a Catholic monastery , page 32.

Vol. 60:1

1

above: The Kuni Mukai Garden , Vashon Island , Washington. Mrs. Mukai favored brightly
colored plants popular in the United States during the 1920s (Masa Mukai photo) .
opposite: Shakkei on the Mountainside , Kubota Gardens , Seattle ( David Streatfield photo).

The Resonance of Japan in
Pacific Northwest Gardens

BY DAVID STREATFIELD

Japan’s garden tradition has been widely admired ever since the country was opened to the
West. Japanese gardens are exquisite abstractions of nature, designed both to aid
contemplation of humankind’s place in the cosmic order and to establish a relationship
wiin me forces of nature, as well as to provide aesthetic pleasure.

In the beginning, Western appreciation of Japan’s gardens was largely aesthetic. Clay Lancaster
showed in his comprehensive book, The Japanese Influence in America (1963), how Americans
literally absorbed Japanese themes into architecture, the decorative arts, and garden design. He
emphasized that gardens and architecture on the West Coast were more strongly influenced by
Japan than were any of the other regions.

Lancaster claimed that the national popularity of Andrew Jackson Downing’s landscape style
laid the groundwork for the popularity of Japanaiserie in America. Whatever the truth of this claim,
the first Japanese garden in America was created at the Centennial International Exposition held in
Philadelphia in 1876. Its popularity led to a series of Japanese gardens in many subsequent expositions,
such as the garden at the Columbia Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. The first Japanese garden on the
West Coast was created at the Mid-Winter Fair of 1894 held in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, to
boost California trade and to promote the state’s unusual climate.

Several factors account for the West Coast’s attraction to Japanese gardens and their design
principles. To begin with, a large population of Japanese-Americans have provided direct links with
Japanese culture and gardening traditions. Many of these Japanese-Americans became gardeners.
Others provided broad exposure to Japanese arts. In addition, geography was important, especially
in the landscape. Like the Pacific Northwest, Japan has snowcapped mountains, towering forests,
and dramatic water views. Indeed, comparisons of Mount Fuji and Mount Rainier are common.

Four modes of relating to Japanese garden traditions have been used in the Northwest. The
most common has been to use Japanese artifacts to evoke the Japanese garden. An example is the
Japanese garden at Villa Carman, in Tacoma, Washington ( 1918), where a Japanese gardener supervised
the installation of imported stones, a stone lantern, and plants from Japan. This garden’s eclectic meaning

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Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

is emphasized by the fact that it was neighbored by a Spanish garden. Other modes of relating to Japan
fused design and cultural traditions and materials of Japan with those of the Northwest.

Fusion of Japan and America

The experience of Japanese immigrant gardeners in America was very different from that of native-
born designers, who mined the Japanese design vocabulary. Frequently subjected to severe racial
discrimination, only rarely were they given an opportunity to design gardens that celebrated Japanese
culture. Some accommodation to American cultural traditions appears to have been given.

Kubota Gardens. Fujitaro Kubota (1881-1972), a Seattle nurseryman, was significant because he
attempted to mesh Japanese garden design principles and forms with American living patterns, regional
characteristics, and, particularly, Northwest plants (Robinson 1992).

Kubota was born on Shikoku Island in Cochi Prefecture, Japan, the eldest son of a prosperous
family of rice farmers. According to tradition, he would have inherited the family’s farm, so his studies
at a local agricultural school should have prepared him well for this role. Instead, he used his keen and
sensitive understanding of plants and soils to become a garden designer.

At an early age, Kubota studied the temples and gardens of his native region. Fie was evidently
greatly influenced by Ritsurin Park in the city of Takamatsu, the most famous traditional garden on
Shikoku Island and an outstanding example of a stroll garden. Developed about 360 years ago by
Takatoshi Ikoma, Ritsurin Park was retained as a private villa by the Matsuaira family until 1867 when
it was overturned by the ruling samurai class. Its planting, rock arrangements, and spacious landscape
characteristics are remarkably similar to those in the gardens that Kubota eventually created in Seattle.

As an independent spirit, Kubota decided to forsake the security of his family’s farm to embark on
an uncertain future in the United States. He setded in Seattle where he eventually established a landscape
maintenance business in 1923. This was sufficiently successful that in 1929 he purchased five acres for
a nursery demonstration garden in the Rainier Beach section of south Seattle.

Henceforth, Kubota combined a nursery and garden design practice with great success. Indeed,
Kubota Gardens is one of his most important designs. The Spring Pond Garden, created in 1931, was
the first improvement. It was surrounded by a clipped hedge; the pond, the bridge, an island, and a

Vol. 60:1

stone lantern helped make this garden follow tra-
ditional patterns. One of the small bridges is a
concrete replica of a dobashi (earthen bridge),
extremely common in gardens such as Ritsurin
Park and Katsura Imperial Villa.

Kubota’s designs deliberately synthesized
American and Japanese ideas. This merging of
cultures incorporated the Japanese tradition of
using local plants, including materials and
construction techniques, to create an appropriate
atmosphere. For example, in the mild climate of
Takamatsu, palm trees, bamboos, pines, and
deciduous trees flourish together with pampas and
other ornamental grasses, sumacs, and lotuses.
These unusual plant associations appear to have
inspired Kubota to experiment with Seattle’s broad
range of plants. Although Kubota’s ideas about
planting apparendy were influenced by Ritsurin
Park, subsequent developments in his garden were
more inventive and less derivative.

Kubota Gardens also reflects the Japanese
desire to meet specific needs of the garden patron
and owner. In this respect, Kubota’s garden is
possibly unique in being a drive-through garden.
A graceful curving road through the flat area
outside the Spring Pond Garden served as an
automobile stroll garden, providing comfortable
access for potential clients as well as to visitors who
came for pleasure. While some might view the
intrusion of the automobile into a garden that
represents nature as being almost blasphemous,
Kubota clearly recognized the importance of the
automobile in American society. For him, the
circulation of Cadillacs through his garden was
not unlike the elaborate royal boats that floated
through the pleasure gardens of the Heian period.

Kubota’s garden served as an important
meeting place for the local Japanese -American
community. He frequently opened it for events
such as weddings, graduations, and community
celebrations, and this tradition continues. Kubota
also employed the Japanese tradition of reusing
old elements such as stones and lanterns from
ruined temple gardens. He recycled a number of
old elements from demolished or abandoned sites,
including the King County Courthouse and the
Broadway High School. Plants came from a variety
of sources, though most were grown in his nursery
and then transferred to the garden. Often,
however, trees were moved from other sites
(Robinson 1992).

This garden reached its peak of popularity and
maintenance perfection just prior to World War

II. The garden was not maintained during the war;
weeds 4 feet high filled the lawns, the ponds silted
up, and many of the trees, dependent on
meticulous pruning, became grossly distorted.

Yet, in another remarkable parallel with old
Japanese gardens, these years of decline
permanently imprinted the garden. Like the
famous moss garden at Saihoji, which resulted
from a long period of neglect during the Onin
Wars, unusual serendipitous associations of plants
in tire central part of Kubota Gardens resulted from
the war-time neglect.

Kubota refurbished his garden after the
war, as time and money permitted. The garden
was expanded and new areas were developed,
but it never regained its prewar splendor. The
last major construction was the Mountainside,
completed in the early 1960s as a background
to the flat central section. It was developed
in the manner of Japanese-style hillside
gardens; 400 tons of rock were moved in to
create a 100-foot waterfall and an elaborate
series of winding paths. Kubota used the
stones naturalistically to create asymmetrical
compositions that evoked the character of the
local Cascade mountains. The view from the
top of the hill is a classic example of shakkei
(borrowed scenery). One of Kubota’s most
ambitious works, the Mountainside is
distinctively regional in its use of Northwest
plants, with a range of textures and colors
quite different from those of traditional
Japanese gardens.

The Pries-Lea Garden. Much of Kubota’s
design practice was residential. The Pries-Lea
Garden (1958) was developed in close
collaboration with Professor Lionel Pries, a
distinguished professor of architecture at the
University of Washington, who had traveled
extensively in Japan and was an avid collector of
Japanese and other Asian art. The landscape
design is notable for its strong integration of
architecture and garden (Robinson 1992).

The principal garden, a flat sand garden at
the entrance to the house, is overlooked by large
windows from the living room and reached by a
colonnaded gallery with gnarled tree trunk
columns. From the entry gate, the eye relates the
horizontal ground plane of the garden to the
distant horizontal plane of Lake Washington
through two sets of windows. This is a most
effective use of shakkei, reminiscent of Japanese
tea gardens. The raked sand in the garden

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Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

foreground abstractly represents water, while being
visually connected to a large body of real water.

Following tradition, the stones are arranged
in the raked gravel in odd-numbered groupings,
and the plants serve primarily as screening devices.
However, the mixture of ferns, rhododendrons,
and a Japanese black pine serve as references to
the regional flora.

Kuni Mukai’ s Garden. In the 1920s, Kuni
Mukai’s garden was developed on a strawberry
farm on Vashon Island. Her small island garden is
adjacent to a conventional American house. The
garden resonates because it was an attempt by Mrs.
Mukai to cling to her native culture in the face of
the complete assimilation made by her husband,
a successful businessman, who was very American
in the way he chose to live. Mrs. Mukai recreated
a fragment of Japan, which was unusual for a
woman — a strong but subtle feminist gesture.

Like Kubota’s work, the Mukai garden
integrated American and Japanese traditions. Mrs.
Mukai used the bright flowers popular in the 1920s
in America. She retained and reinforced traditional
Japanese ceremonies, however. Each year she gave
a garden party when the cherry trees bloomed
and held separate Buddhist ceremonies for
Buddhist women from Seattle. Along with some
other gardens in the Pacific Northwest, the Mukai
garden also retained and thus reinforced traditional
Japanese ceremonies.

Terry Welch’s Garden. Terry Welch’s
Woodinville, Washington, garden is strongly
influenced by Japan. His moon-viewing pavilion
is set apart for those remarkable times of full moon
and eclipse. The stump garden uses local materials
to evoke rock forms. The swimming pool also
respects the rules of tri angulation and asymmetrical
balance. This garden unmistakably owes much to
Japan but is also unmistakably American.

Japanese Style. Washington Park Arboretum
has a classic hill stroll garden created in 1960 by
Juki Iida when he was almost 70 years old. “I
didn’t like the [rocks] I had seen in Seattle gardens.
They were all too small and pretty,” Iida said. He
hand-selected rock from Bandera Mountain, so
similar to Mount Tsukuba of Ojima.

Abstracted Nature. Richard Haag, Seattle
landscape architect, was much influenced by his
two-year period of study in Japan. The great
mound at Gasworks Park is not unlike the sand
mount at Gingaku-ji or the hill at Suizen-ji. The
altar was built by Osokawa Tadatshias, a copy of
Mount Fuji. Haag has made a virtual model of

Mount Rainier, this region’s quintessential
symbol.

The gardens he designed at the Bloedel
Reserve on Bainbridge Island express the austere
aspects of Zen Buddhism.

The Moss Garden, a deep place of
randomness, is dominated by the moss. It is
influenced by the famous moss garden at Saihoji,
which was abandoned and overtaken by a carpet
of moss, though at Bloedel the moss was planted.

The Bloedel Reflection Pool seems to evoke
English formal gardens of the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, but it is a Zen experience
of contemplation, a symbolic place of calm cel-
ebrating the cosmos. Like Ryoanji, it requires
quiet and time so that participants can become
one with the forces of the universe.

Relating to Japanese Tradition

The four modes of relating to Japanese gar-
den traditions present our multicultural society
with a challenge. Foremost is to identify where
we are and who we are. Most of us do not
belong to the culture of Shinto, Buddhism, or
Zen Buddhism. However, we can adapt ideas
from the traditions associated with them. The
second is the need to establish a relationship with
nature. It can be Terry Welch’s tradition amount-
ing to ceremonial celebration of reverential awe
of the moon. It can be the austere and abstract
act of contemplation, evoked by the reflection
pool at Bloedel. It can be the calculated assimila-
tion of Japanese ideas using the palette of North-
west plants, adopted by Fujitaro Kubota. What
all of these require, however, is purpose and re-
straint— very different from the current mania for
creating colorful gardens. The Japanese ap-
proaches for the non- Japanese teach us to under-
stand and come to love the materials of the place
where we find ourselves.

David Streatfield is Professor of Landscape
Architecture at the University of Washington, Seattle.
He is a member of the Bidletin editorial board.

References

Lancaster, Clay. 1963, 1983. The Japanese Influence
in America. New York: Abbeville Press.
Robinson, Thomas M. 1992. “Traditions in
Translation: The Gardens of Fujitaro Kubota.”
Master’s thesis. Seattle: Department of Landscape
Architecture, University of Washington.

Vol. 60:1

5

Beyond the Emperor’s Gates —

Japanese Influences throughout Washington Park Arboretum

BY JOHN A. WOTT, DIRECTOR
PHOTOS BY JOY SPURR

upper left: The azumaya steps in Washington Park’s Japanese garden, upper
right: Traditional gifts of flowering cherry trees were planted throughout the
arboretum , such as Prunus subhirtella c. Autumnalis’ (above), opposite page:

Magnolia salicifolia cElse Frye’ ( left) and Euonymous hamiltonianus Maaekii’.

When discussing the plants and landscapes of the Northwest, we need to consider how
Asian cultures, most specifically the Japanese, have influenced us. Japan's outstanding
heritage of plants now enhances gardens here and throughout the world. Additional
Japanese horticultural legacies, including those of the people and customs themselves, only seem to
be growing in influence today.

After the arboretum was established in Washington Park, the most obvious connection to Japan
became the Japanese Garden, opened in 1960. But the horticultural influence of Japan also permeates
beyond the 20-acre Japanese Garden — beyond the Emperor’s gates.

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Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

Japanese Influence; Design and Culture

Thinking about the possible influence of the
Japanese culture on our gardening techniques,
I am reminded of what H. G. Ihrig wrote
(. Arboretum Bulletin , spring 1955). “Many
people think that Japanese gardens fall into
certain fixed categories, and while there are
individual variations, certain basic principles are
established and rigidly adhered to. While this is
true of certain special types of gardens and of
certain periods, it excludes much of the
horticultural development of Japan.”

In a strict sense, Japan imported the art of
gardening from Korea during the reign of
Empress Swiko (592-628), mostly for royalty
and wealthy nobles. Certainly the Korean,
Chinese, and Buddhist cultures, as well as the
Shinto religion with its roots deep in natural
worship, all played a part in shaping Japanese
gardens. Trees, rocks, water, sky, and other
inanimate objects were revered and used in
gardens (e.g., a rock can be revered because it
looks like a turtle). We are much influenced today
by these thoughts as we make choices about
objects, paths, and plants in our own gardens.

One of the most notable legacies of the
Japanese is their ability to blend structures with

the natural surroundings. They make special uses
of all aspects of the environment. Japanese
gardening is a composite of all objects, buildings,
plants, and the terrain. In our gardens we
consider how to use bridges, steps, pathways,
screens, garden art, lights, and water and all its
sounds, which often have special significance in
a Japanese garden. I have just completed my own
new garden, and thought about all of these
aspects in its planning and implementation.

Arboretum Design,

Today we continue to envision the
arboretum as a composite of features. Even as
we renovate such arboretum areas as the
Woodland Garden or Rhododendron Glen, we
are much more concerned about all its parts —
the terrain, the structures, the plants. This is also
true of the Mulligan Sorbus Collection and the
Witt Winter Garden, in which even the
interpretive signs were considered in the original
design. Certainly arboretum planners will
continue this holistic view as we develop specific
aspects of the new master plan.

Bernice Ferrier Smith ( Arboretum Bulletin ,
fall 1967) expresses the legacy of the Japanese
in her description of a garden of stones at the
Ryoanji Temple, dating from 1469. An
inscription is translated as “Be still and listen to
the voice of the rocks.” I wonder if one of the
greatest legacies of Japanese gardens is the peace
and tranquillity, the calmness which pervades
and enters the soul as you lose yourself in the
garden. Certainly that always remains a priority
throughout the Washington Park Arboretum.

Among the most beautiful built features in
the arboretum are the gates constructed by
George Tsutakawa, noted sculptor and painter,

Vol. 60:1

7

who passed away late in 1997. Born in Seattle
and sent at the age of seven to Japan to live
with his grandparents, Tsutakawa gained
much trom his Japanese relatives that he used
in his career. Later a University of Washington
professor, perhaps he was best known for some
sixty public fountains created and installed in
North America and Japan.

Tsutakawa was chosen to create his own
design for the arboretum’s gate project, which
was first envisioned for placement at the south
end of Arboretum Drive East. Eventually,
however, the gates were installed at the entrance
to the Graham Visitors Center in 1976. Funded
by The Arboretum Foundation through their
Memorial Fund, the gates are a lasting gift from
those who care about the arboretum. They are
beautifully crafted of antique bronze and have
withstood the test of time.

Japanese Woody Plants in the Arboretum

(Refer to the hyphenated acquisition numbers
in parentheses when asking about plants at the Graham
Visitors Center).

Arboretum Foundation member Pat
Ballard was very knowledgeable about
Japanese trees in the arboretum ( Arboretum
Bulletin , fall 1956). Using the arboretum's
huge card index , Pat and like-minded workers
could hardly make it through the “A” species
and cultivars of Japan in one afternoon.

Many of the trees Ballard describes are still
in the collection. The graceful red- toned trunks
of the Japanese red pine {Pinus densiflor a) and
the irregular form and blackish -gray bark of
Japanese black pine {Pinus thunb erg ii) are well-
known specimens. John Grant, famous
Northwest author, called black pine one of the
handsomest of the larger pines for Northwest
gardens. Five-needled white pine (P parviflom)
can also be seen in the arboretum.

One of the larger conifers of Japanese origin
is Cryptomeria japonica. Many dwarf forms are
available for urban gardens, and gardeners should
use more of this fine evergreen. The same is true
for Tsuga seiboldii , a slow- growing hemlock.
The arboretum’s one remaining specimen was
grown from seed sent by the Kyoto Botanical
Garden in 1941 (1412-41).

Betula maximowieziana is one of eight
species of birches currently in the collection. Also
find older specimens of B. chinensis { 136-51)
and B. platyphylla var. japonica (112-46).

In the oak collection are two older speci-
mens of Quercus dentata (1929-37, 1077-37).
This oak has very large leaves, sometimes as long
as 12 inches wide. It is truly magnificent.

Like Pat Ballard, many believe that Japan’s
best garden gift to us are the magnolias.
Magnolia kobus , a large tree, covers its branches
with creamy white, 4-inch-wide blossoms. Two
specimens have been in the arboretum since the
1940s (868-40, 1 1 12-49). This plant, imported
with others from Japan in March 1940, was
already blooming profusely upon arrival. We also
have three grand specimens of M. salicifolia , a
smaller but still elegant tree (1219-47, 818-51,
96-49).

Along Arboretum Drive East near the
camellias are the handsome-barked stewartias.
We have two older specimens of Stewartia
monadelpha (1548-45, 22-45), and one of S.
pseudocamellia (1547-45), which is gorgeous
while flowering.

Currently the collections contain four styrax.
Styrax japonicum and S. obassia are older
specimens. The epaultette tree (Pterostyrax
hispida) was grown from seed (44-48) sent to
us by the Botanic Garden at Nikko.

Cornus kousa is now one of the most
common dogwoods in urban gardens. It is small
in size, but the flowering ability is outstanding.

The arboretum has a great number of both
species maples and cultivars contained in the
maple {Acer) collection as well as the outstanding
Japanese Maple Collection. Noteworthy are
specimens of Acer capillipes (659-47), A.
refinerve (136-41), A. cissifolium (587-49), A.
nikoense (754-40), and A. diabolicum (626-37).

Recent work on our Japanese Maple
Collection in the Woodland garden has
reaffirmed that it is one of the largest in a public
garden in the USA. Many cultivars originally
came from Mr. K. Wada, and others were added
from a private collection of supposedly Japanese
origin. This area of the arboretum is by far the
brightest and most colorful in autumn, and
probably the most photographed, as well.

The holly collection also has Japanese
representatives, 14 in total. Older specimens
include Ilex Integra (1-58) and I. pedunculosa
(633-37, 634-37).

When people think of Japanese trees, they
think first of cherries. Many would be amazed
to know the diversity ol Japanese cherry species
and cultivars growing in the arboretum.

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Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

Flowering cherries, in fact, have always been
a prominent tree in Seattle Parks. In 1930,
Seattle received a gift from the City of Yokohama
of approximately 4000 cherry trees, which were
eventually planted throughout the system:
Seward and Lincoln parks, around Green Lake,
along Lake Washington Boulevard, and at the
Woodland Park Zoo.

Certainly, one of the most prominent
features of the arboretum, always mentioned in
tourist and garden brochures, is the Cherry Walk,
also known as Azalea Way. Though in need of
major renovation, the spring of 1997 showered
us with clouds of never-ending pink and white
cherry blossoms for almost six weeks. Several of
my visitors were deeply enchanted by this stroll,
a fact that locals often take for granted.

The Yoshino cherry, Prunus x yedoensis , is
one of the more well-known gifts from Japan.
This most famous tree is planted around the
Potomac Basin in Washington, DC. According
to Olmsted historian Katie Jo Johnson, a plaque
is placed there in honor of Washington Park
Arboretum's donation.

Based on the American eagerness for cherry
blossom season, it is easy to see why the Japanese
cherry blossom festivals are indeed round-the-
clock celebrations in Japan. Important groups
in the arboretum are the Sargent cherry, Prunus
suryyentii; Takasago cherry, P. sieboldii ; the
varieties of the Higgan cherry, P subhirtellu; and
the Yoshino cherry, P. x yedoensis. Currently
there are 22 cultivars — about 100 trees — though
the original plan specified 500.

The arboretum's new master plan calls for
renovating the famed Cherry Walk. The years
have taken a toll on the collection, and many
plants have been lost due to growing in fine silt
soils. The devastating brown rot also has
weakened and killed many trees. The arboretum
is now embarking on a testing program of
cultivars that show disease resistance. What a
sight Azalea Way should some day be in the
future — and without any pesticides. See the
" Cherry issue " of the Bulletin (1953) for articles
by some of the better-known cherry experts of
the day.

Pat Ballard also wrote about Japanese shrubs
(in the Order Rosales) (winter 1960), including
such common genera as Hydmnjyeu , Deutziu ,
Ribes, Distylium , Cory lop sis, Hamamelis, and
Photinia.

(continued on page 10)

If you are constantly pruning back
branches that impede your garden path,
transplanting may be the solution to dealing
with a good plant in the wrong place. Most
transplanting at WPA is done during the
dormant season, November through March.

Washington Park Arboretum gardeners
recommend transplanting in five steps:

1. Begin with a healthy plant. The healthier
it is, the more rapid and successful its recovery.
Root prune the preceding spring or fall to
greatly improve the odds of survival.

2. Carefully dig and lift the root ball with
a sharp square -pointed or round-pointed spade
or shovel. Make the initial cut with the blade
reversed to minimize disturbing the roots and
fracturing the root ball. For deciduous shrubs
and small trees, the minimum root-ball
diameter is 10 inches per 2 feet of plant’s
height; this increases 2 inches per every 1 foot
of height. Evergreens need a slightly larger
root ball: 1 foot in diameter per 2 feet of height.

3. Protect the root ball while in transit to
the new site. Place either burlap or a tarp
underneath it. If it’s heavy, share the load with
someone else. When not planting immediately,
heel-in the root ball aboveground with mulch.
Keep the ball moist, and avoid exposing it to
extreme temperature fluctuations.

4. Proper planting depth is crucial. Keep
at the same level as before or slightly higher.
Fertilize at soil surface, and then mulch and
water (if dry) to settle the backfill taken from
the hole. Only stake and prune if necessary.

5. Aftercare is the essential final step in
transplant survival. At the arboretum, a three -
year follow-up plant care program ensures
successful reestablishment: Irrigate, weed, mulch,
prune, monitor for pests, and train.

If the idea of transplanting is too physically
demanding or daunting, call an experienced
landscape specialist. Specialists have lots of
experience and the proper tools and equipment
to move almost anything. — David Zuckerman,
gardener lead, Washington Park Arboretum.

Vol. 60:1

9

Acquiring New Japanese Plants

About 10 years ago, the curatorial staff of
the Arboretum agreed that one of the most im-
portant priorities in selecting new plants was to
make sure they were of a known origin and wild
collected. Currently, the improved database lists
plants and seeds received from 25 places or
people of Japanese origin. Many of these arrive
by annual exchanges through the Index
Seminum , the international seed exchange
program. Two institutions have been major
contributors. Since 1950, this includes 41
accessions from the Experimental Forest Station,
Kyoto University, Kyoto, and since 1990, 23
from Chiba University, Laboratory of
Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture,
Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture. Other
prominent donors include Ofona Botanic Gar-
den, Okamoto, Kanagawa; Tokyo University,
Botanical Garden, Tokyo; and Hokkaido Uni-
versity Botanic Garden, Sapporo.

We are also currently thankful to
contemporary collectors such as Daniel Hinkley
of Heronswood Nursery in Kingston, Washington,

Where in
the Bulletin^

Read about Washington Park
Arboretum's Japanese Garden
and plant introductions in past
Bulletins. Find copies at the Elisabeth C.
Miller Library, Center for Urban
Horticulture.

Spring 1953. Includes articles on flowering
cherry trees. 16(1).

Spring 1955. “Japanese Gardens — A Layman's
Observations." H. G. Ihrig. 18(1 ):3-4; 32.
Fall 1956. "Japanese Trees in Our Arboretum."

Pat Ballard. 19(3):84-87; 98-99.

Winter 1960. "Japanese Shrubs in the Arboretum
(of the Order Rosales).” Pat Ballard.
23(4):125-26; 139-140.

Winter 1960. Juki Iida and Associates. "Our
Japanese Garden." 23(4):135-7.

Fall 1967 ."The Voice of the Rocks." Bernice
Ferrier Smith. 30(3):63; 70.

Summer 1990. Honoring the Japanese Garden's
30th Anniversary. 53(2): 36 pages.

who travels the world for both new and re-intro-
ductions. Dan has graciously given the Arbore-
tum seed or plants from these introductions, and
we are looking forward to acquisitions from his
autumn 1997 Japanese trip.

Current Collections

The selection of plants in our collections
within the arboretum continue to be
profoundly affected by Japan. Recently, I
asked Midori Murai, formerly in the registrar’s
office, to run some statistics through our BG-
Base records. Of the nearly 4200 different taxa
in the arboretum, 294 or nearly 7% appear to
be of Japanese origin. This includes 884
different accessions, nearly 9% of our
collections.

The list of names and numbers of taxa of
Japanese origin is quite interesting:

Twenty-five: Rhododendron (includes azaleas)
Twenty-two: Acer (maple) (in addition to Japanese
maples)

Fourteen: Ilex (holly)

Twelve: Quercus (oak)

Ten: Prunus (cherry)

Eight: Betula (birch), Viburnum
Six: Abies (fir), Pin us (pine)

Five: Alnus (alder), Curpinus , Picea (spruce),
Vaccinium

Four: Euonymous , Lonicem (honeysuckle),
Ligustrum (privet), Salix (willow)

An Arboretum Is Also for People

Today any great arboretum also needs to
add people into the mix of plants. The Graham
Visitors Center features activities such as the
Japanese Garden Guides training programs.
Most notable are the flower shows presented
by the many schools of Japanese flower
arranging, such as the Sogetsu School of
Ikebana. The Children’s festival held in the
Japanese Garden also incorporates ethnic
traditions and will continue to do so into the
future.

John A. Wott, professor at the University of
Washington, is Director of the Washington Park
Arboretum. Dr. Wott is Secretary-Treasurer of the
International Plant Propagators Society and editorial
board member of the Bulletin.

10

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

For Further Information

Japanese Garden Aesthetics

BY VALERIE EASTON

Books abound on the gardens of
Japan and on how to create such
gardens. The Elisabeth C. Miller
Library at the Center for Urban Horticulture
has dozens of volumes on bonsai, for example.
But fewer resources
are available on the
more subtle subject
of how the aesthetics
of Japanese gardens
have influenced
Northwest gardens
or on the more useful
subject of how we can best adapt these aesthetics
for use in our own gardens. The books listed
below, all available in the Miller Library, are a good
start to exploring the art, myth, and characteristics
of Japanese gardens.

Ishimoto, Tatsuo. The Art of the Japanese
Garden. New York: Crown, 1958. This little book is
no doubt out of print, but worth seeking out. It is as
deceptively simple yet multi-layered as the gardens
it describes, with chapters on "Gardens within
Gardens, " "A Feeling of Spaciousness, " and " The
Suggestion of Water." The basic elements are
here, illustrated with black and white photos.

Oster, Maggie. Reflections of the Spirit:
Japanese Gardens in America. New York: Penguin
Books, 1993. "Images of Japanese-influenced
gardens shall remain in my head and heart
forever, filling me with their quiet energy,"
begins Oster in this oversized picture book. Her
goal is to translate the Japanese garden to the
Western landscape. The Northwest is
represented with photos taken in Portland,
Oregon, and at the Bloedel Reserve, on
Bainbridge Island, Washington. More
importantly, a great number of the photos of
stone, evergreens, and mossy hillsides are
evocative of our Pacific Northwest landscapes.

Seike, Kiyoshi, Masanobu Kudo, and David
H. Engel. A Japanese Touch for Tour Garden.
New York: Kodansha International, 1980. The
grammar and vocabulary of the Japanese
garden — stone, streams, lanterns, and plants —
is broken down to their individual elements and
then combined in practical, lovely possibilities
for Western gardens. Materials, design, planning,

and building are all covered. The book
concentrates on the integration of house and
garden, with examples of courtyards, stepping-
stones, small ponds, and bamboo fences — all on
a scale appropriate for homes and gardens.

S 1 a w s o n ,
David A. Secret
Teachings in the
Art of Japanese
Gardens: Design
Principles ,
Aesthetic Values.
Tokyo: Kodansha
International,
1987. "To the woods of my childhood beyond
our house," reads the dedication of this book.
Influenced by this early love of nature, Slawson
apprenticed in garden-making in Japan, after
receiving a degree in East Asian philosophy. He
has written this volume to help Westerners
understand both the aesthetics and design
principles of Japanese gardens, and the reverence
for nature central to their creation.

The Arboretum Foundation. Washington Park
Arboretum Bulletin. Honoring the Japanese
Garden's 30th Anniversary. 36 pages. Seatde: The
Arboretum Foundation, 1990: 53(2).

Bibb, Elizabeth, and Michael S. Yamashita. In the
Japanese Garden. Washington, DC: Starwood
Publishing, 1991.

Ishimoto, Tatsuo, and Kiyoko Ishimoto. Japanese
Gardens Today : How the Japanese Use Rocks, Water,
Plants. New York: Crown, 1968.

Jerome, Kate, and The Japanese Garden Society of
Oregon. Oriental Gardening. The American Garden
Guides. New York: Pantheon Books, 1996.
Newsom, Samuel. A Japanese Garden Manual for
Westerners: Basie Design and Construction. Tokyo:
Tokyo News Service, 1965.

Saito, Katsuo. Japanese Gardening Hints. Tokyo: Japan
Publications, Inc., 1969.

Sawyers, Claire E., editor. Japanese Gardens. Brooklyn,
New York: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1985.
Suzuki, Osamu, and Isao Yoshikawa. The Bamboo Fences
of Japan. Tokyo: Graphic-sha Publishing, 1988.
Yoshikawa, Isao. Stone Basins: The Accents of Japanese
Gardens. Tokyo: Graphic-sha Publishing, 1989.

Valerie Easton is library manager at the University
of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture.

Vol. 60:1

11

Just a Short Walk to Japan

BY MIDORI MURAI AND JOHN WOTT

A large number of plants originating in Japan can be found in Washington Park Arboretum,
so you only need to venture onto the grounds for a sampling. But if you wish to find
many specimens in a relatively small area, look near the Graham Visitors Center parking
lot. All of the following are attractive in our Northwest urban landscapes.

above: A mature specimen of
Zelkova serrata in the Tsukuba
Botanical Garden , one of the
arboretum’s sources for Japanese
acquisitions. Find smaller specimens
at each corner of the Graham Visitors
Center parking lot. left: Prunusx
yedoensis , to the left of the walkway
into the Visitors Center, below:
Candy-scented fall leaves ofkatsura.

12

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

Clematis terniflora grows to more than 1 5 feet,
with the stems often tangling. White flowers clustered
on panicles provide a fall flower show. Find it near
the kitchen entrance to the Visitors Center.

Cercidiphyllum japonicum, commonly called
katsura, is represented by several specimens in
the parking strip. During fall, the candy scent
emitted from the leaves often stops people and
sends them into the Visitors Center to inquire.

Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Red Bells’,
planted next to the Visitors Center, is a dwarf
form. The leaves are clustered at the tip of the
branchlets — dull green until turning vivid red
in fall. The red flowers form in clusters,
appearing in late spring to summer.

Kadsura japonica, an evergreen climber, can
grow to over 12 feet tall. Its glossy leaves are
egg-shaped, the flowers are ivory, and the berries
are scarlet. The sticky sap of the vine was often
mixed with water and used as grease for hair.

Prunus x yedoensis , popular along the
Washington, DC, tidal basin, can be found to
the left of the eastern entrance to Graham
Visitors Center.

Trachycarpus wajynerianus , adjacent to the
Educational Greenhouse, is a wonderful palm.
One of six so-called fan palms, it can grow to
over 20 feet. It looks like the more common T.
fortunei , but with smaller leaves. Now only
known in cultivation, it is hardy to zone 9.

Trochodendron aralioides , the wheel tree, has
greenish wheel-like flowers. Find it in the center
of the courtyard south of the Visitors Center. This
evergreen is the only species in the primitive
Trochodendraceae family. It reaches about 60 feet
in nature. The leaves are spirally arranged, and
petioles are very long. The flowers, which have
no petals, form in early summer. People once
made bird-catching glue from the bark.

Zelkova serrata. (Japanese zelkova) is found
at each corner of the parking lot; these
deciduous trees can grow to more than 100 feet
tall. The hairy leaves have fine teeth and numer-
ous straight veins. They are yellow-green early
in the season, and fall color ranges from orange
and yellow to vivid red. Because of being rela-
tively slow growing, zelkova wood is highly
prized. A huge specimen is in 35-4E and 36-3E
near Arboretum Drive. In Japan, zelkova is of-
ten used along streets, in temples and shrines,
and in parks, much as native eastern oaks are
used in the eastern United States.

I

• ' -r H

vC :

Where and I
How in the f

ArboretumC t

• |

Abies firma 1

(Momi or Japanese fir)

Fir trees comprise one of the most
important collections at WPA. Many
different Abies species and types are
represented.

One of the newest specimens, Abies
firma , was acquired through the Arboretum
Foundation’s Adopt-a-Tree Program. The
tree was donated by Dr. and Mrs. Jack
Gustafson in memory of Dr. ). Tate Mason.

The new A. firma is very valuable to
the Arboretum because of its rarity. It was
grown from wild seed, which was sent from
Chiba University, Japan, in 1992 and then
grown at the CUH nursery.

In the arboretum, A. firma will reach
60 to 70 feet tall, though in the wild, it
reaches 100 feet. Find it in Rhododendron
Glen near parking lot 6.

How to Adopt an
Arboretum Tree

Twice yearly, the arboretum's
horticultural staff members create
a list of special trees they would like for the
spring and fall planting schedules. To help,
you may adopt and sponsor one of the trees
from the list, in memory of a loved one or
in honor of a special friend of the arboretum.

If you wish, help plant the tree;
otherwise, a knowledgeable arboretum staff
member will show you the specimen after it
is in place. The name of the person honored
will be attached to the planting map and
printed in The Arboretum Foundation
annual report (no plaque is attached to the
tree).

The tree donation cost of $1000
provides for the specimen's lifetime care. For
information on adopting a tree, call The
Arboretum Foundation at (206) 325-4510.

Vol. 60:1

13

The Japanese Design
Connection

BY ARTHUR R. KRUCKEBERG
PHOTOS! JOY SPURR & A. KRUCKEBERG

A stroll through the Japanese Garden
at Washington Park reveals a lavish
blend of nature and Asian art forms:
trees sculpted to exacting, traditional shapes;
vistas of intimate landscapes; and, for the
connoisseur, an artful mix of stone, water, and
plants. But for me, recently the quest was for
the kinds of Pacific Northwest native plants
used to create a Japanese ambience.

Northwest Natives in the Japanese Garden?

I wanted to see if there were Pacific
Northwest native plants in the garden that were
deliberately used to foster the Japanese garden
art form. I found a few.

Most of the dominant trees forming the
living structure of the garden have their origins
elsewhere; pines, spruces, cypresses, and
hardwoods, such as maple, are all from Japan.
The Northwest native woody plants I found

14

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

Opposite page:
upper: Alaska eedar
lower: Lady fern against a rock
wall at the north end of the
Japanese Garden (ARK photos)
This page:

upper: Native backdrop to the
Japanese Garden; in foreground is
a Japanese black pine (Pinus
thunbergii ) (ARK photo )
middle left: Rhododendron
occidentale (JS photo)
middle right: Qitercus sadleriana
(JS photo)

bottom: Deer fern in Washington
Park’s Japanese Garden (ARK
photo )

Vol. 60:1

15

were not keystone elements of the place.

The most conspicuous native trees in the
Japanese Garden are two conifer species. The
mountain hemlock ( Tsujja mertensiana ), just
inside the south entrance, is an elegant two-
trunk specimen directly behind a large granite
rock. The other notable native conifer is the
group of Alaska cedars ( Chamaecyparis
nootkatensis ‘Pendula’), just north of the
Emperor’s Gate, on the east side. Occasional
western red cedars ( Thuja plicata ) can be seen
in the background of other plantings.

Of the hardwoods, vine maple (Acer
circinatum ) occurs frequently. Particularly
pleasing to this native plant aficionado is the
generous use of native evergreen ferns: Deer fern
(Blechnum spicant ) and sword fern ( Polystichum
munition) appear frequently in the Japanese
Garden as understory specimens, either singly
or in groups.

Yet I had expected more Northwest
natives in the garden. After all, the mild,
temperate Puget Sound country has natural
affinities with Japan. The wooded coastlines that
abound in the San Juan Islands have a strong
Japanese look to them: rocky outcrops clothed
with conifers and hardwoods right down to the
water’s edge. There, Douglas-fir, madrone, and
understory shrubs often are stunted and bent
by the elements, resembling the eastern
shorelines of Honshu, Japan's main island. The
Pacific Northwest’s Japanese affinity extends to
both regions, having comparable native flora,
at least at the genus level. Conifers, such as pine,
fir, cedar, and spruce, as well as several
hardwood genera (oak, maple, birch, alder,
ericaceous shrubs to name just a few!) occur in
both North Pacific regions.

In the past, the Pacific Northwest-eastern
Asia link was even more intimate. Long before
the Ice Age, Japan and our land shared the
katsura ( Cercid iphyllu m jap on icu m ), the keyake
(Zelkova serrata), and a host of other warm-
temperate species.

NW Natives for Japanese-like Settings

My goal in this pursuit of the
horticultural- botanical connection between
Japan and the Pacific Northwest was to probe
this question: Are there native plants of our
region that can replace or add to Japanese
species? They should have attributes of form,
texture, and pliability to give them a Japanese

character. The easy answer in concept and in
practice is yes! Nearly any woody plant in our
flora can be massaged into a Japanese form.

The Japanese art form with plants comes in
three levels of magnitude.

First is wild nature as witnessed in Japan’s
national parks and nature preserves; their
counterparts can be found in the Pacific
Northwest. At the more domestic level is the
traditional Japanese garden, such as the Riki-Jien
in Tokyo, the Tokushima Castle Garden on
Shikoku, and our own Washington Park
exemplar. Finally, in the most intimate, small-
scale level, is the bonsai specimen, or the dish
garden, and the popular container plantings. For
both the Japanese-style garden and the bonsai
art form, it is not difficult to find woody species
in our flora that can be used.

To begin with are the conifers; several can
be adapted to the Japanese style. Though too
fast growing for open plantings, Douglas-fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii) will work, if its root-
run is confined and its growing tips are clipped
judiciously. I have seen it as a container plant to
good effect. Among the pines, two or three can
make the Asian transformation. Pinus contorta
subsp. contorta (shore pine), P. monticola
(western white pine), and with luck, P. alhicaulis
(whitebark pine) merit trial. Young shore pine
can be crafted into pleasing shapes and even can
fit the bonsai mold. Whitebark pine, a close
relative of two Japanese five-needle pines (P.
parviflora and P. pumila ), can simulate the
Japanese style. This timberline pine is a bit rniffy
at sea level but well worth a try.

Some true firs (Abies) are natural stand-ins
for Japanese conifers. Our region’s best are Abies
lasiocarpa (subalpine fir) and A. proeera (noble
fir). Of our two native hemlocks, give the lovely
Tsuga mertensiana (mountain hemlock) pride
of place in a Japanesque setting. It is slow-
growing, accommodates well to shaping, and is
elegant in a container or in a garden setting.

Japan’s two cypresses have Northwest kin.
Alaska cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis)
should be an elegant substitute for the Hinoki
and Sawara cypresses of Japan. One spruce, the
Siskiyou endemic, Picea breweriana (weeping
spruce), has a pendant form and slow growth
that receives high marks as a bonsai subject.

My first choice among our native
hardwood trees for taking on a Japanese aura
surely has to be vine maple (Acer circinatum) .

16

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

Not only does it have kin in Japan (A. palmatum
and A. japonicum), but it can readily be formed
to appear just like its Asian counterparts, either
in the garden or as a bonsai subject. Our other
small maple, A.pflabrum (Sierra maple), should
be tried in a similar fashion.

We go to the southern border of the
Pacific Northwest (southern Oregon) for other
suitable trees: the evergreen oaks, Quercus
chrysolepis (canyon live oak), and Q sadleriana
(the arborescent deer oak).

Matching Pacific Northwest native shrubs
to the Japanese decor works best by plant family.
Both Japan and our region abound in members
of the heather family (Ericaceae). A perfect
example of matching at the genus level is with
Menziesia\ our species, M.ferruginea (rusty-leaf
or fool’s huckleberry), has the same branching
pattern as its Japanese kin, Menziesia ciliicalyx
and M. purpurea.

The same matching of form is possible with
Rhododendron and Vuecinium. Our western
azalea ( Rhododendron occidental) has its look-
alike in the Japanese R. japonicum. One
Northwest ericaceous shrub, endemic to the
Siskiyou mountains, has no relative in Japan, but
easily fits the Asian gestalt: Kalmiopsis
leaehiana is our dainty match for small-leaved
evergreens from Japan, such as Rhododendron
yedoense or R. camtsehatieum.

For form and branch pattern, the best of
the Japanese look-alikes in Vaecinium is V.
parvifolium (red huckleberry). Its angular stems
and twigs, its small leaves and flower festooned
with soft pink bells, should look natural when
placed in a Japanese setting.

Other Pacific Northwest shrubs can pass
the test of Asian flavor. To start, try Betula
jylandulosa (bog birch), our two shrubby alders
( Alnus incana and A. sinuata ), and the shrubby
oaks of the Siskiyou mountains — Quercus
breweri, Q sadleriana , Q vaceinifolia , and
Lithocarpus densiflorus var. echinoides.

For herbaceous perennials and ground
covers, again seek matches at the genus and even
species level. For instance, I found our two
common ground-huggers, Linnaea borealis
(twin-flower) and Cornus canadensis
(bunchberry) in northern Japan; there they
appear very much at home in the subalpine
zone. Both had a daintier look to them than
their Pacific Northwest counterparts.

I already have applauded the wide use

of native ferns in Washington Park’s Japanese Gar-
den. Besides the frequently used deer fern and
sword fern, two others appear there. The decidu-
ous lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina) adorns the
rock wall at the north end of the pond and is also
at the water’s edge. I found a lone specimen of
licorice fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza) on a shaded
stump. Other native ferns can fit the Japanese
decor: Anderson’s sword fern ( Polystichum
andersonii) is an elegant, tall, dissected-frond ver-
sion of sword fern. Another evergreen fern of
majestic stature is Woodwardia fimbriata (chain
fern). The shield fern ( Dry op ter is i n exp a ns a ) , also
a woodlander, merits use. For ferns in Japanese
rock work try parsley fern ( Cryptojyra m ma crisp a)
in full sun and the dainty spleenwort (Asplenium
triehomanes) in shade.

Cultivars of Pacific Northwest Natives

Nature has given us a special brand of
Northwest natives that seem ready-made for a
Japanese effect. Spontaneous mutants of wild
species often have attributes that suit the Japa-
nese style. These mutant variants have been
propagated for garden culture; as such they have
been given cultivar names.

Our native conifers have yielded a bounty of
dwarf or slow- growing cultivars. The most pro-
lific spawner of cultivars must be Fawson cypress
(Port Orford cedar, Cha maecypa ris la wso n ia na)\
there is a cultivar for every setting. Fewer in num-
ber are the cultivars of Alaska cedar ( C.
nootkatensis)\ a particularly apt one is "Green Ar-
row’ (a dwarf exclamation point!).

Rare and choice is the miniature "DuFlon’, a
dwarf form of our subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa ),
propagated from the wild Olympic mountain
range. Several other cultivars of this species are
dwarf in habit and merit trial for bonsai. Moun-
tain hemlock (Tsupa mertensiana) has several slow-
growing, shrubby cultivars; unsurpassed is ' Elizabeth '
with soft gray-green foliage. Nearly every other na-
tive conifer has a modest roster of inviting cultivars,
even Douglas-ftr.

Cultivars of our native hardwoods are un-
common. Two choice forms of vine maple (Acer
cininatum) are eminently suited to the Japanese
scene. The best is A. circinatum 'Monroe' with finely
dissected foliage, like forms of the Japanese A.
palmatum. Two others, 'Elegant' and 'Tittle Gem',
merit trial.

Among our native shrubs, those that
have been in cultivation for years have sported

Vol. 60:1

17

The Best in Perennials and Flowering Shrubs,
English Roses (over 40 varieties) and
Old Roses. Many Varieties of Hydrangeas,
Peonies and Tree Peonies.

16215 140th PL NE • Woodinville, WA 98072

483-9382

cultivars, and some can take to the Japanese pal-
ette. Look for these cultivars of Mahonia
aquifolium (Oregon grape): ‘Atropurpurea’ with
reddish purple leaves in winter, and ‘Heterophylla’,
a low-growing form with glossy leaves. Our red-
flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) comes in a
variety of sizes and flower color; so give these a
trial: 'Albidum' (white flowers) or 'Atrorubens'
(crimson flowers).

I have one final thought. Because of the
biogeographic affinities between Japan and the
coastal Northwest, matching of look-alikes can
be amply expanded, especially in the shrub and
herbaceous perennial modes.

Oiytnpic Cvwt

i

Many named varieties of beardless
iris, also a wide selection of other
field grown perennials shipped.
Descriptive catalog $1 .

84 Eaton Lane
Sequim, WA 98382

2021 Minor East
Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 325-6877

THE BERGER
PARTNERSHIP, P.S.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
SITE PLANNING

More Reading

Two guides to further pursuit of the Ja-
pan— Pacific Northwest horticultural alliance can
help identify and acquire desirable natives: my
book. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific
Northwest, now in its second edition (1997),
and Hortus West , an invaluable buyer's guide for
acquiring native plants. Both references are in the
Elisabeth C. Miller Library.

Three references, also in the Elisabeth C.
Miller Library, can open windows to the world of
cultivars of Pacific Northwest natives: Read North
American Landscape Trees by Arthur L. Jacobson;
for conifers, search M. Zsolt's Conifer Treasury of
the World and the old standby, W. J. Bean’s Trees
and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles (eighth edi-
tion). While at the Miller Library, get a free bibli-
ography of native plants.

The Plants of the Japanese Garden: An
Alphabetical List by Kathleen Smith should be
consulted for a more comprehensive roster of
natives in Washington Park’s Japanese Garden.
Curiously, the ferns are not cited. The booklet is
available for $3.00 at the ticket booth.

Arthur R. Kruckeberg is Professor Emeritus,
University of Washington. He and his wife Mareen own
MsK Nursery, Richmond Reach, Washington, which
specializes in native plants. Dr. Kruckeberg is a founder
of the Washington Native Plant Society and is an
editorial board member of the Bulletin.

18

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

A Few Japanese Hydrangeas and

Their Close Allies

BY DANIEL J. HINKLEY
PHOTOS BY LYNNE HARRISON

Dan Hinkley has traveled extensively in Asia to observe plants in their native habitats as well as
collect seed of taxa that he evaluates for garden potential in the Pacific Northwest. Dan returned to
Korea and Japan in autumn 1997 to study, among other genera, numerous species of Hydrangea that
are infrequently found in cultivation in the West. His first trip to Korea, in 1993, was sponsored in part
by The Arboretum Foundation.

In autumn 1997, I explored the mountains
of Korea and Japan for eight weeks to
observe and collect seeds of plants in their
native habitats. I had been intrigued by the number
of Hydrangea species I observed in both countries
on previous occasions. Consequently, a major focus
of this trip was to further explore this genus, which
comprises numerous species that have yet to be fully
appreciated in climates that can accommodate them.

My traveling companions included Bleddyn and
Sue Wynn-Jones of Crug Farm Plants in Wales, with
whom I had traveled previously in Korea, Japan, and
eastern Nepal, and Darrell Probst of Cobblewood
Nursery, Hubbardston, Massachusetts. Darrell is an
expert on Epimedium and Tricyrtis. I also had traveled
with him to the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of
China in 1996.

Though we made several good collections of
Hydrangea species throughout Korea, it was not until
we returned to Japan that we began in earnest to
locate and collect several Hydrangea species endemic

above: Cardiandm alternifolia

(continued, pane 20) TT i ■ i

below: Hydrangea involucrata

Vol. 60:1

19

to the Japanese archipelago.

We concentrated our efforts on five areas of
Honshu and Shikoku Island, each quite rich in
members of Hydrangeaceae, with distinct
associations of different species at each locality.
The Kei Peninsula is a large land mass that juts
into the Pacific Ocean, with Osaka on its upper
northwest corner and Nagoya on the upper
northeast. While on the Kei Peninsula in central
Honshu, we were overwhelmed by the number
of Hydrangea species and related genera growing
together.

We based our activities in the relatively
small, centrally positioned city of Hashimoto and
explored the large mountain range rising to the
southeast.

Hydrangea hirta

On our first day in the mountains, we en-
countered Hydrangea hirta , a species virtually
unknown in Western cultivation. The rounded
leaves, to 3 inches, are distinct in possessing an
extremely dentate leaf margin. It grew in great
abundance there in moderate shade, beneath a
canopy of deciduous and evergreen trees at
approximately 3,000 feet elevation.

In May, profuse terminal flowers of light
blue are formed in compact corymbs to 3 inches
across atop 4-foot stems, lacking the expanded
sepals on sterile florets that we associate with
the hydrangeas as a whole. Though I already
possess plants of this species, raised by seed
provided by the Tsukuba Botanic Garden in
Japan, this was my first encounter with it in the
wild. Hydrangea hirta is a handsome shrub that
certainly deserves more evaluation for use in
Northwest gardens.

Hydra ngca sikok ia na

Also on this first day, I discovered a single
specimen of another species that we had hoped
to find during our time on Shikoku Island the
week prior and which eluded us during several
days of exploring the mountains on the
southeastern shore of that large island.

Thus, as light was dimming in the afternoon,
I was quite excited to find Hydrangea sikokiana,
which is not only remarkably scarce in
cultivation, but is the only other species with
foliage approaching the uniqueness of the oakleaf
hydrangea, H. quereifolia. Even in Japanese nurs-
eries, we found large numbers of its American

cousin offered for sale, and not a single speci-
men of their own striking native to be seen.

The foliage of H. sikokiana is quite
astounding, possessing sharply lobed leaves to
15 inches long and 7 inches wide, with 15 -inch
corymbs of white fertile flowers surrounded by
sterile florets with white sepals. They are borne
on handsome, exfoliating stems of light brown
that rise to 15 feet or more. We did not find
seed, however, and left that evening quite
disappointed. The next day we returned to
slightly higher elevations, however, and found
numerous specimens of this remarkable species
carrying large heads of ripened seed capsules.

Hydra ngea luteo -veil osa

In this same area, we also found Hydrangea
luteo-venosa , another rare species that certainly
deserves more recognition than it currently
enjoys in the West. We had already collected seed
of this species on Shikoku Island, where we
found it common as an understory shrub at a
wide range of elevations.

Foliage of H. luteo-venosa is quite narrow,
less than one inch, with serrations present on
the leaf margin along the terminal quarter of its
total length of 4 inches. In full sun situations,
the foliage had transformed to lovely tints of
burgundy that were a good complement to
the characteristic brownish purple stems.
Numerous specimens observed on both Shikoku
and the Kei Peninsula were still in flower and
quite handsome, with quantities of 4-inch
corymbs surrounded by creamy white, fading
to yellow, sepals of the sterile florets.

This species has already blossomed in my
woodland at Heronswood, where I raised it from
seed nearly eight years ago. It performs quite
admirably in the climate of the Puget Sound area
where it often blooms before June. I am
interested to see if the plants resulting from our
1997 seed collection of this species prove as
precocious as the clone I currently cultivate.

During the subsequent three days in this
area of Japan, it became quite apparent that, as
a whole, the Hydrangeaceae family had done
quite well for itself in this region. An amazing
contingent of Hydrangea species and close
relatives grew side by side, though a large and
interesting inventory of additional genera was
represented. Well known to Northwest
horticulturists, H. maerophylla var. serrata and
H. panieulata grew adjacent to the two species

20

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

already discussed, while climbing numerous trees
were both H. anomalavar. petiolaris and its close
relative, Schizo pljragm a hydrangeoides.

Hyd ra ngea i n volu era ta

More rarely encountered were two addi-
tional Hydrangea species that require further
inspection — H. involucrata and H. scandens.

The former is known reasonably well in
Western cultivation and is represented in the col-
lection of hydrangeas at Washington Park Ar-
boretum. The handsome, felted green leaves
of this species grow to 6 inches long, while the
very lovely bicolor inflorescences of mauve fer-
tile flowers surrounded by white sterile florets
open from curious globular buds in early Au-
gust. (Its double-flowered cultivar, H.
involucrata 'Hortensis', is an eagerly sought se-
lection, with entire inflorescences of fully double-
flowered sterile florets in shades of cream and
pink.) We observed H. involucrata in three ar-
eas of south-central Honshu, where it formed
sizable specimens to 15 feet that would dwarf
the plants in my garden, which mature to neat
and tidy mounds of 4 feet x 4 feet. I suspect that
my garden plants are in fact a dwarf selection of
this species, which is certainly possible, consid-
ering the number of selected forms available in
Japanese horticulture.

Hyd ra ngea sea ndens

Hydrangea scandens, on the other hand,
has a very short history under cultivation in
the West. The taxonomy of this genus is in a
constant state of flux, while the individual
taxa show a great deal of diversity throughout
their range. These two factors make it quite
difficult to confidently place a name on any
taxon without the benefit of seeing entire
populations. The specimens of H. scandenswc
observed possessed glossy leaves to 4 inches
with an acuminate and serrate leaf tip, along
stems rising to 5 feet. The inflorescence was
similar in size and appearance to those of H.
lutco-venosa , though all that we observed had
long since blossomed and any distinguishing
traits had dissolved.

Deinanthe bifida

As if it were not enough that nearly every
shrub and vine echoed the familiar lace-cap effect
provided by the hydrangeas, the two most

prominent herbaceous perennials here, both in
Hydrangeaceae, also provided identically shaped
inflorescences.

The better known of these two is Deinanthe
bifida , an herbaceous species that carries
handsome felted leaves to 6 inches, held in pairs
along stems to 3 feet. As the species name
implies, the leaves are bifid, with the leaf tip
divided into two prominent, sharply pointed
lobes. In summer, stems are capped by heads of
white flowers encircled with gracefully nodding
and precious waxy, white sterile florets. I have
coddled this species, as well as its Chinese
counterpart, D. caerulea , for several years in my
woodland garden, so was overwhelmed not only
by the vigor these plants possessed in their native
haunts, but the sheer number growing in the
damp and cool soils of these mountains.

Cardiandra alternifolia

In contrast, Cardiandra alternifolia was less
frequently seen in this area, though we had
previously collected it in Chiba Prefecture
northwest of Tokyo. An herbaceous perennial,
its stems rise to 15 inches, bearing alternately
arranged, somewhat glabrous leaves to 5 inches.
In summer, terminal heads of very pretty lacecaps
are produced with pink fertile florets surrounded
by pink sterile florets. This has already proven
to be an exceptionally ornamental species for us
in the Pacific Northwest; I have successfully
cultivated it as well as Cardiandra formosana ,
collected by the Wynn- Joneses in Taiwan in
1994; C. formosana possesses more deeply
saturated rose red flowers.

The mountains of Japan and Korea once
again proved to be a treasure trove of botanical
wonders that ultimately may become more
widely grown and appreciated in the Pacific
Northwest. I already anticipate future trips to
these remarkable countries — an invaluable,
exhilirating means to more fully understand the
immense inventory of ornamental plants that
they possess.

Dan Hinkley is co-owner of Heronswood
Nursery, Ltd. In 1998, his plant-related travels will
take him to Chile, China, Australia, New Zealand,
and Tasmania. He is currently writing a book for
Timber Press, on rare and unusual perennials.

Vol. 60:1

21

Stone

Water

Robert Mumse's Sense of Place

BY MARTHA POLK WINGATE

Cold, hard stone, and not a philodendron in sight. The Pier 69 atrium at the Port of
Seattle may appear to be an unusual project for a landscape architect, but Robert Murase
took the indoor setting and made it part of the Northwest without planting a nee.

Granite takes the place of maples and mosses, and a stream runs through the middle of the
space. Outside, the borrowed landscape is Elliott Bay.

"I wanted a sense of the Northwest without using the Northwest plant palette," says Murase.

" I made a conscious decision not to be stuck with tropical plants. " Typically, interiors are landscaped
with the usual mall plants — palms, Scheffleras, cast-iron plants — but these were not even considered
when Murase designed the large, airy space that is traveled by workers and visitors to the Port of
Seattle Administrative Headquarters.

For Murase, the 750 -foot atrium could not be a tropical paradise.

A third- generation Japanese -American, Murase trained at the University of California at Berkeley
as a landscape architect. Subsequently, he moved his family to Kyoto in order to gain the experience
he wanted. Now based in Seattle and Portland, he interprets the style of Japanese garden design
using the essential elements of stone and water to create a sense of place — the Northwest.

" I try to create powerful images of ancient places, combining harmonious natural landscapes
with symbolic landscapes — a power that exerts feelings," he explains.

Understanding and appreciating nature, and being able to create a garden that evokes those
aspects by using plants, stone, and water — all of this was a part of Murase' s education and experience
in Japanese garden design.

In Japanese garden design, stones are used extensively, and special meaning is attached to

22

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

Vol. 60:1

23

placement and orientation. A rock well -placed
looks like it was sited by nature, and its size,
form, and texture bring about drama in the
garden. Murase uses basalt and granite, much
of it coming from Eastern Washington, and
orchestrates each step of the design process from
finding the stones to placing them.

Also in this design tradition, is the
enjoyment of water features, whether they be
peaceful ponds or streams tripping over stones.
Water in Murase 's designs creates vibrancy in
the garden. The water in his Northwest
landscapes comes from Northwest nature,
whether it be the view of Elliott Bay, a stream
running through a hall of granite, or water
emerging from its source, tumbling
downstream. And, although trained in Japanese
garden design to use these elements, Murase
has broadened his palette.

"Most people don't follow the rules of
Japanese garden design, anymore," Murase says.
"I design much more intuitively." Strict
standards have given way to a more modern
interpretation of Japanese elements. In
designing the new extension for the Seattle-
Tacoma International Airport, for example,
interiors once again will be divested of plants. A
stream will be present, this time running from
the inside to the outside. Northwest natives will
cluster outside, as a stream emerging from rocks
into the open attracts plants to it.

Basalt takes center stage at Portland’s
Collins Circle. "I thought about how to make
the landscape evocative and mysterious, not
necessarily following Japanese design rules,"
Murase recalls. The former small, grassy park is
now part of the design for the new light-rail
station. Rocks fit together with a random
appearance, yet create an ever-widening circle
that measures 1 00 feet across with an occasional
standing stone.

Stones are separated by what looks like deep
crevices that give the impression of the earth's
upheaval, yet each one is securely mortared. The
design is a safety feature that deters walkers from
crossing the tracks by its imposing presence. It
also is much more: a sudden, visual impact of
the mass of volcanic rock. Three sumacs are the
only plant life within the circle.

"It's just a mound of stone," Murase
says, " but it takes its context from the vast fields
of volcanic stone in Central Oregon. This
imagery of Oregon, using stone native to those

volcanic beds, slopes toward the track, so that,
as the train passes, passengers take in the full
effect. I call it 'the One Stop Meditation
Garden'." In the tradition of Japanese garden
designers, he still oversees the placing of each
stone in his landscapes. The circle, he says, is also
reminiscent of the stone circles in western
Europe, stone mounds holding the mystery of
their origins and evoking powerful images of
ancient places.

Robert Murase 's designs are found in public
and private places. At once both public and
private is the Japanese- American Elistorical Plaza
in Portland, a linear walk alongside the
Willamette River, which serves as a history of
the Japanese people in America. He used granite,
basalt, and a row of flowering cherries to tell the
story: Individual stones stacked together become
a solid wall as the Japanese community is formed
in America. Standing stones tell the story of
internment, one in which Murase and his family
were involved. Nearby, the river flows through
time with the stones.

In both the classic Japanese and
contemporary Northwestern traditions, Murase
used recycled products for NEC America’s
Corporate Headquarters in Hillsboro, Oregon.
The symmetry of sandstone (reclaimed from
building foundations) and water are offset by
rhododendrons, azaleas, and flowering cherries.

In the Nissho Iwai Garden at Portland’s Nike
Campus, Murase borrowed the adjacent wedands
to extend the natural area with a stream and
rough-stacked stones. Paths intersect the grounds
bringing runners and walkers alike to the garden
where they are detained — encouraged to pause
as they take in the sight of simple stone and water
and reflect on nature.

" I find doing these places and evoking the
mystery and symbolism to be challenging work, "
says Murase. Elements of the Northwest — native
stone, wetlands, volcanic eruption, the collective
memory of a people — these are the background
for Murase ’s work in stone and water.

Martha Polk Wingate is a member of the editorial
board of the Bulletin. She has a master’s degree from
the Center for Urban Horticulture.

A portfolio of Robert Murase 's work can
be found in Michael Leccese’s Robert Mumse:

Stone and Water (Washington, DC:

Spacemaker Press, 1997).

24

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

The Garden as Metaphor

BY VALERIE EASTON
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TERRY WELCH

It may be surprising to say that Terry Welch's genius for carving a Japanese-inspired garden
out of the Cascade foothills originated when he was 19, from studying the British landscape
tradition of Capability Brown.

Welch's love of nature came even earlier, as he grew up watching the salmon spawn along
Kelsey Creek in Bellevue, before it grew into the urbanized, fourth largest city in Washington
State. He later became steeped in the Japanese culture when he travelled to Japan in his early
twenties, after receiving a degree in the Japanese language and cultural anthropology from the
University of Washington.

" I had no idea it would be gardens that would catch me and cause me not to follow my plans to
go on to law school," says Welch. "I lived next to gardens in Kyoto and I was just undone." He
came back home, worked as a landscape gardener, and started to look for land. "What we found was
a clearcut, much abused piece of wetland," explains Terry. A great blue heron rose from the pond as
he and his father walked the property for the first time, and they bought thirty acres.

Welch has used the Japanese traditions of landscape design to take a denigrated clearcut wetland
and create a much finer habitat than existed there before. "The center of my work is the adoration
of nature," Welch explains, "and that is just what happens to be at the center of Japanese aesthetics —

Vol. 60:1

25

I

I

26

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

in gardens, art, and daily living. "

Today, five distinct gardens are set into the
gently slanting landscape. Aesthetically brilliant,
subtly skillful references to Japanese gardening
principles abound, but the real glory of the place
lies in Welch's fulfillment of Capability Brown's
18th century idea of coaxing the essence out of
the site, of working gently to get to the truth of
the place.

Other inspirations for Welch included such
Northwest destinations as Butchart Gardens,
Kubota Gardens, and Oehme Gardens outside
of Wenatchee. "Works of art were created out
of three hopeless pieces of land," says Welch.

"As with Japanese teahouse gardens, I loved
the fantasy of it." His own moon-viewing
pavilion, reached by following stepping stones
along the bank of a pond, rests within this
tradition of fantasy. Ducks slide along the water's
edge, up to the intricately ornamented pavilion
carved in Java, complete with reclining chaise
on which to rest while awaiting moonrise over
the pond.

A short walk up a hillside from the ponds is
one of the largest Zen gardens outside of Japan.

It seems curiously at home amidst the contoured
grassy slopes of the garden. This may be in part
because the garden's rock formations have been
laid out to represent the Cascades, Olympics,
and Puget Sound. Or perhaps its rightnessstems
from its being a Northwest adaptation of a Zen
garden — walled on two sides, in contrast to thg
fully enclosed gardens of Japan. \Wlch has left it
open so that animals can leave their prints, too,
in the raked patterns of the white gravel. A deer
had recently passed through on the afternoon I
visited, and Welch tells of a turtle that sought
out the gravel's comforting warmth. Welch
makes cun vmg plftei ms with a rake in the gravel
to represent ms own life, as in
tradition.

meaning x

thr ..ugh it," Welch c xplains. Hire his ©wm tracks
mingle with thole of the animals thajgSeek out
the tranqt^^y and safe havenme jKHHJpFed
amidst the relentless, escalating development
surrounding his property.

As Welch walked me around the gardens, I
was lulled by the late September sunshine, the
dance of the mating dragonflies, and the primeval
majesty of the great blue heron talcing wing off
the pond. I was intrigued by the shadows of
beaver, bear, swallow, deer, and otter that linger
around the margins of the ponds and the edges
of the woodlands. Welch explained to me how
the Snoqualmie tribe had inhabited this land,
and that the more he learns about them, the
more he understands that they held land sacred
in the same ways as do the Japanese.

Terry Welch speaks in eloquent metaphors,
which he has been able to translate into the forms
of trees, water, grassy slopes, and stone. I wonder
aloud how such distinctly Japanese styles as Zen
gardens and teahouses can seamlessly slip into a
naturalistic Northwest landscape.

Welch explains how he has transformed
the idea of Japanese polarity into landscape
forms, by designing an austere upper half of
the garden (the Zen garden, where, he
says, "All life has been sucked out"), in
contrast with the lower half of the garden,
which is infused with the life force — trees,
grass, ponds. Where the two meet is a point
of balance where one can find a state of grace.

Freelance writer Valerie Easton is library manager
at the Elisabeth C. Miller Library, University of
Washington Center for Urban Horticulture. Valerie
is a long-time member of the Bulletin editorial board.

Vol. 60:1

27

The Christmas Pool Bridge
at Bloedel Reserve

PHOTOS & TEXT BY RICHARD A. BROWN

Prentice Bloedel, creator of the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, was intimately
involved with the creation of the Japanese Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum.
Through that project, he met with Fujitaro Kubota, who ultimately designed and
constructed the small Japanese garden for the Bloedels in 1961.

In 1986, the Asian theme of the Bloedel Reserve was expanded upon with the addition of the
Stone Garden designed by the late Dr. Koichi Kawana. Some even believe that the Reserve’s Moss
Garden, started in 1980, reflects strong Asian influences. These are just some of the features within
the Reserve that obviously reflect Japanese design qualities, modified by western motives.

Another small space at Bloedel Reserve also suggests a Japanese flavor, but perhaps not so
clearly. It was referred to as the Christmas Pool, for Christmas 1970 when Mr. Bloedel surprised his
wife Virginia with it as a present.

Northwestern design features predominate in this area through the use of azaleas, rhododendrons,
and colorful perennials, all arranged within a backdrop of native trees. The small garden, located in
the northeast corner of the property, surrounds the little pool, which is located downstream from a

28

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

waterfall. Nearby is the new Birch Grove, planted
solely with white-barked specimens of Betula
jacquemontii that stand out in the landscape.

The Christmas Pool garden is a small space
with vague boundaries. The pool’s surrounding
banks host azaleas, rhododendrons, iris,
primroses, hosta, and ferns. Adjacent to the pool
is the access path that winds around two sides of
the pool and passes over a small footbridge
before continuing up the slope through the Glen
Woods. The footbridge spans the -stream that
supplies all the water to the pool, and the banks
of that stream host hundreds of pink candelabra
primroses (Primula, pulverulent a). Strategically
placed off-center in the pond is a large stone
shaped like and referred to as "Turtle Rock."
On the outflow end of the pool is a small
waterfall, which accommodates one last glimpse
of the water before it snakes its way down the
fern-filled ravine to the beach on Puget Sound.

Like many features of the Reserve, this
garden evolved to its present form via several
independent developmental efforts. These
efforts were refinements implemented to
respond to changing needs — larger audiences,
public safety concerns, and a clearer image of
our overall mission.

One of the first refinements dealt with the
footbridge. When the pond was first installed, it
had a small arched bridge placed over the inlet
stream. Unfortunately the contractor who built
and installed the feature misunderstood Mr.
Bloedel's directions and set the concrete footings
too high. When the bridge was set on top of
these footings, the top of the arch was
significantly higher above the water than Mr.
Bloedel felt a bridge of such size should be.

As the Reserve evolved and experienced
more and more visitors, it also became apparent
that this footbridge was too narrow and lacked
any land of railings, therefore appearing to be
somewhat hazardous. The issue of safety was
addressed by Mr. Bloedel, who personally
designed a replacement bridge in 1981.

His new bridge clearly reflects Japanese
design elements. Underneath its flat deck,
extending away from the footings, are
supporting braces that are carefully shaped in a
manner typical of a Japanese design. Mr. Bloedel
also designed the low railing for the bridge,
relying upon his library of books on Japanese
garden design for inspiration. Built by Kaz
Ishumitzu of Bellevue, of vertical-grain clear

redwood, these railings are simple, strong, and
very Asian. To finish the railings off, turned
" acorn " -style finials rest atop each post
supporting the rails.

It would be natural, in a Northwest garden,
to have the trail exit the ends of the footbridge
in smooth, natural curves. Because of the
narrowness of the space holding the stream,
pool, footbridge, and trail, as the trail exits the
north end of the bridge it is treated as it might
be in a Japanese garden. Instead of curving away
in a gentle sweep from the end of the bridge,
this trail makes an abrupt turn to the left. It is
as though the bridge intersects the trail passing
by its end. Since the bridge fails to perform a
logical terminus to the trail, a large stone was
set at the very end of the path. A pedestrian
walking down this trail towards the bridge
would soon see this stone and be diverted by it
onto the bridge.

As several of the Reserve landscape features,
such as the Christmas Pool garden, evolved during
the 1970s, so did the clarity of our mission. Two
themes emerged during this period that were
integrated into our mission statement, but have
similar expressions within Zen traditions. Those
are that: ( 1 ) man should be a responsible steward
of his environment, and (2) the Reserve landscape
should be developed in such a way so as to
capitalize on its potential to inspire and refresh
the human spirit.

Prentice Bloedel undoubtedly found comfort
in and was influenced by his readings and
conversations about Japanese garden traditions.
Two Zen themes seemed to be especially
important. One is that man exists as a harmonious
part of nature, not separate from it. The other is
that people need daily contact with nature for their
general well-being. Mr. Bloedel set forth these
ideas in the “Statement of Purpose” that was
adopted by the trustees in the summer of 1976.
Today, these precepts, rooted in Japanese
philosophy, help guide the Bloedel Reserve.

Richard A. Brown is Executive Director of the
Bloedel Reserve.

References

Brown, R.A. "The Japanese Garden: an Evolution in
Time." Bloedel Reserve Newsletter 2(2):
Summer/Fall 1990.

Bloedel, P. "Statement of Nature and Purpose of the
Bloedel Reserve." Adopted by the Arbor Fund,
June 1976.

Vol. 60:1

29

Japanese blaek pine , Pinus thunbergii , prevails in a
Kubota landscape near Seattle University’s library.

Kubota's Living Legacy
at Seattle University

PHOTO AND TEXT BY JAMES " CISCOE " MORRIS

When you walk onto the Seattle University campus, east of Seattle's downtown business
district, you may sense that something is different about the landscape. It is hard to
put your finger on what it is: something subtle, calming — a feeling of being in nature.
Perhaps it is the beautiful pine trees that are pruned into fluid shapes that contrast with natural
designs of solid stone. Maybe it is the rugged boulders exerting a sense of strength and power; they
are laid out asymmetrically, to suggest the wildness of nature.

Possibly it is the trees: Majestic blue atlas, deodora, and incense cedars and giant sequoias tower
high above tall buildings. Or is it the serpentine weeping sequoia (fondly named snuffleupegus by
the students) that winds its way around giant rock formations and wizened shrubs? It could be the
ancient- looking Japanese maples. When their twisted branches are covered in fall color, they contrast
with the solid, weighty stones and recall changing seasons and cycles of life.

In a far corner of the campus, a quiet waterfall splashes down from a mountain scene to a lovely
pond. A row of gold finches takes advantage of the solitude to shower in the mist.

Soon a common thread can be discerned — a quiet natural beauty that ties the landscape together.
The influence of Japanese design is here, but it is more than that: This is the legacy of Fujitaro
Kubota and his sons, Tommy and Talc.

/

30

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

The Kubotas did most of their work at Se-
attle University in the 1950s and 1960s. Dur-
ing that time, they transformed it from a barren
campus lacking any semblance of unity, to a place
now recognized as one of the most beautiful
landscapes in the Pacific Northwest.

It all started when the ground supervisor at
the time, Father Nichols (also known as Father
Greengrass ) realized that the best way to unify
the campus was to develop an attractive
landscape. Nichols picked Kubota because of his
unique gardening style. It had a Japanese theme,
but the elements were used in a freer way that
conveyed a feeling of nature and fit better with
a university setting.

The Kubotas were famous for being able to
move bigger trees than almost anyone else at
the time. Most of the large old trees that grace
the campus gardens were saved from destruction
from various West Coast construction projects,
dug up, and brought directly to campus. Some
of these trees were close to 60 feet tall. They
now are responsible for the unified, mature look
of the campus gardens today.

Of course, to many, the most beautiful trees
on the Seattle University campus are Japanese
pines that inhabit many of the attractive rock
formations. Kubota collected seed from some
of the most famous pines in Japan and brought
it in his pocket when he came to the United
States as a young man in 1906. Most of the black
and red Japanese pines growing at Seattle
University today were sowed from those seeds.

When walking through the Seattle
University campus, the impressive granite and
basalt rocks are particularly noticeable. Kubota
hand-picked most of these rocks from the
Cascade Mountains. He then integrated them
in his landscapes in an artistic, yet natural, setting.

Sadly, some of Kubota's artistry has been
moved or destroyed to make way for new
buildings and other changes necessary to an
urban campus. But many at the University and
in the community recognize the value of the
Kubota landscapes, and efforts are underway to
preserve various remaining gems. Hopefully
these efforts will succeed, and the quiet elegance
of Kubota's legacy will continue to grace the
campus landscape for years to come.

James "Ciscoe" Morris is Seattle University's
horticulturist. Ciscoe hosts a garden show each
Sunday morning on KIRO AM radio. He is an
editorial board member of the Bulletin.

Washington Park Arboretum’s

Japanese Garden —

at

Madison Street &

Lake Washington Blvd. East,
Seattle

.

Enjoy the plants,
admire the full moon.

In the distance, is a teahouse.

See it recreated in the
Arboretum Foundation
Display at

The Northwest
Flower & Garden
Show

February 4 — 8

Washington State
Convention Center

Vol. 60:1

31

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Tsuboniwa for a Catholic Monastery

BY SUSAN HARRISON

During the winter of 1996 to 1997, I accepted an intriguing commission: Design a
Japanese-influenced entry courtyard (tsuboniwa) for a Benedictine monastery chapel
in the San Juan Islands. The site has a history of Japanese influence, and the monastic
community was enthusiastic about the idea of a tsuboniwa at the entrance to their new chapel.

Thinking of the desires and culture of those who would live with the garden, I pondered the
relationship between a Western religious order and an Eastern garden-making philosophy and found
a certain compatibility. The nuns' lifestyle of ritual and working with the land dovetailed with traditions
surrounding the tea ceremony and other precedents incorporated in the tsuboniwa. I saw no cultural
conflict and, most importantly, neither did they. I began to search for associations that would unite
their needs with the inherent qualities of the site.

To their great credit, members of the monastic community were able to let go of some of their
ideas about Japanese gardens. They were able to learn what I have learned and help me find the mean-
ing of the site and fit it to their needs. We put together the beginnings of a space that, with time and
care, will show its roots in the principles and traditions of Japanese garden-malting as well as its essential
Northwest spirit.

Big stone slabs for the pathway came from the mainland, and edging stones and smaller infill
stones were gathered at the site. The heavy fence frame is made of native cedar from the island, and
its little roof is covered with tiles used in previous construction at the monastery. Bamboo fence
panels built of poles from Asia make a connection with Japanese traditions as they exist in the minds
of the garden users.

Other elements link traditional and site-specific influences: A coral-bark maple inside and a
clump of bamboo outside the gate harmonize with the fence panels. Moss was brought from an
abundant source near the chapel and used to cover dwarf hills surrounding a metaphorical pebble
sea. Strawberry bush (Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’) performs its magic under the spreading arms of
its native cousins standing nearby.

As a garden-maker who has begun the long process of learning the language of the Japanese
garden, I am excited when I see the possibilities for using its vocabulary and syntax to move through
and beyond its traditions. Perhaps it is a way to create gardens that are thoroughly, originally our own.

Susan Harrison’s Bellingham company, Private Gardens, designs and builds gardens in northwestern
Washington.

32

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

On the Go

Visit Gardens Touched by Japan

BY STEPHANIE FEENEY

The Pacific Northwest is located
geographically between England
and Japan, with a climate
sympathetic to each of these distant lands and
historical ties that have intermingled the cultures
of the Japanese and British with our own.
Sometimes, the Northwesterner's use of Japanese
garden elements is filtered through both of these
foreign cultures.

The act of passing through the ceremonial
gate of a Japanese Garden is to enter another
world, one of peaceful contemplation that leaves
the world of strife and care behind. It is possible
to meander through a Japanese garden and enjoy
it purely at face value. Yet coming to understand
the metaphorical use of the garden's elements
and the philosophy behind such a garden's
creation and maintenance is to see with new eyes,
to experience with a deeper spirit. From this
awareness comes insight into what it is that
creates an atmosphere of reverence for nature
and feelings of personal well-being.

Those of us who have grown up in a
Western culture may never truly assimilate the
metaphysical beliefs that guide the Japanese
through their lives. We can, however, learn a
great deal about garden-making principles and
incorporate them into our own gardens, in hopes
of evoking a sense of the Japanese.

Many Northwest gardeners have an innate
affinity for the elements that represent the
Japanese garden style. Drawn to seek inspiration
from our spectacular natural environment of
forest, mountains, and sea, we can sense the
spiritual connotations in the Japanese use of
water, stone, rock, and plants. This region affords
a number of excellent opportunities to visit
Japanese gardens, become involved in their
support organizations, patronize lectures, and
attend events offered to provide insight into
Japanese culture and garden design.

Traditional Japanese Gardens

Portland Japanese Garden: 611 SW Kingston
Ave., Portland, OR; (503) 223^070. April-
May, 10 am-6 pm; June-August, 9 am- 8 pm;

October-March, 10 am-4 pm. Entry fee. Read
Human Nature , the Japanese Garden of
Portland , Oregon , by Bruce Taylor Hamilton
(150 pages, 150 color photographs, map).
Japanese Garden Society of Oregon, PO Box
3837, Portland, OR 97208. Portland has one
of the country's most highly respected Japanese
gardens, designed by distinguished Japanese
landscape architect Talcum a Tono and
completed in 1967. The garden incorporates a
number of traditional styles while effectively
utilizing the hilly, wooded site. Entry is through
a magnificent gate of the Daimyo Period. Five
traditional gardens are set on 5 acres, impeccably
maintained in every season. Footpaths wend
their way from one area to the next, with
opportunities to stop, reflect, and relax
throughout.

The structural elements of gates and fences;
the traditional tea house, bridges and huts; and
the granite stepping stones and hand-carved
stone lanterns are all masterpieces of
craftsmanship. It is interesting to note that much
in this garden has been recycled from elsewhere
in Portland — from exquisite plants rescued from
the path of progress to granite in need of a new
home. The Japanese Garden Society of Portland
sponsors many events through the year that
provide insight into Japanese culture and the
elements of design utilized in an authentic
Japanese garden style.

The Japanese Garden, Washington Park
Arboretum: Lake Washington Blvd. E. (north of
East Madison St.), Seattle, WA; (206) 684-
7050 (Seattle Dept, of Parks), 684-4725
(cashier's booth). March 1-November 30, daily,
10 am; closing time varies by season. Entry fee.

This 3 -acre stroll garden is based on designs
popular in the Matojabe period of 1693-1730.
The meandering paths alternate between views
of intimate garden scenes and open vistas,
transforming even a relatively small site into the
appearance of a larger garden. Traditional
elements of beautifully maintained trees, shrubs,
and vines are among carefully selected and placed
stones, water elements, stone lanterns, and
carved granite basins. As you would expect,

Vol. 60:1

33

spring and fall bring a splendid display of flower
and foliage.

On the third Saturday of the month (from
April-October), at 1:30 pm, you are invited to
participate in a free demonstration of Chado,
the Way oi Tea, in the authentic Shoseian
Teahouse.

Nitobe Memorial Garden: On the campus of
University of British Columbia across NW
Marine Dr. from the Museum of Anthropology
Gatehouse, Vancouver, British Columbia; (604)
822-6038. Fee charged, except from mid-
March to mid-October (at which time it is open
weekdays only).

Nitobe 's informal Stroll and Tea Garden was
created in 1960 in memory of Japanese educator,
scholar, publicist, and diplomat Dr. Inazo
Nitobe, noted for his role in interpreting the
ways of Japan and the West to one another. A
2.4-acre island of serenity provides insight into
the symbolic nature of a classic Japanese garden.

Native plants share the garden with those
imported from Japan, and each of 12 stone
lanterns is unique. Traditional ceremonies are
conducted in the Teahouse.

Japanese Gardens, Northwest Influence

Bainbridge Public Library Interpretive
Garden: 1270 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Is-
land, WA; (206) 842-4162. Installed in 1997,
this public garden was a gift from Bainbridge
Island's Japanese-American Community and is
located near the entrance to the City of
Winslow's library. Designed by the owner of
Bainbridge Gardens, Junkoh Harui, the garden
includes traditional elements of Japanese gardens
and some that are a fitting blend of Japanese-
influenced American touches. A distinctive
joining of cultures is represented by the many
stone plaques placed along the garden path; they
are etched with traditional haiku celebrating the
poetry of the natural world.

Bloedel Reserve: 7571 NE Dolphin Dr.,
Bainbridge Island, WA; (206) 842-7631.
Reservations required. Fee. From the time
Prentice and Virginia Bloedel acquired this 150-
acre property in 1951, they employed a sensitive
touch in marrying the designing hand of man
with the natural attributes of the woodland
setting. The major development occurred over
a period of 30 years, with the commissioned
partnerships of wisely selected professionals, such

as Fujitaro Kubota, who helped with the Japa-
nese Garden. Prentice Bloedel orchestrated the
development of many garden rooms set in the
varied landscape of second-growth hardwood
and conifers, meadow and wetlands, glens and
gullies. While incorporating the traditions of the
Japanese and European gardening influences, a
respect for the natural attributes of the land pre-
vailed. The lush woodland Moss Garden opens
onto the Reflection Pool, a startling juxtaposi-
tion of the soft, wild, and almost brooding ele-
ments of the former with the strict formality and
reverent aura of the latter.

Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH),
University of Washington: 3501 NE41st St. Se-
attle, WA; (206) 685-8033. Free. Open daily
from dawn until dusk. The Seattle Garden Club
Entry Court to the CUH campus creates a bo-
tanical foyer displaying an enviable groundcover
garden in shade, under a canopy of stripe-bark
maples. It leads into the McVay Courtyard,
which is snugly surrounded within the protec-
tive architectural arms of this horticultural ha-
ven. The courtyard harbors drifts of ornamental
grasses and plants with grass-like foliage, vines,
small shrubs, and trees. Visit especially for the
marvelous use of the hardscape — stones, pavers,
and cleverly worked paths among the undulat-
ing raised beds. They seem to invite you to sit
and meditate as though on the bank of a gently
flowing stream and to take in the careful detail-
ing of plant combinations. A corner niche fea-
tures a stately stand of black bamboo, which
rustles soothingly in any breeze.

The Chase Garden: For information, send
SASE to PO Box 98553, Des Moines, WA
98198. Tours are by appointment only, April and
May. When Emmett and lone Chase met with
Tacoma landscape architect Rex Zumwalt in
1962, they requested a design for their 4.5-acre
site that suggested the simplicity of a Japanese
garden. Over the years, the Chases have devel-
oped the garden, keeping in mind lone’s belief
that the act of gardening is to create beauty in
natural surroundings. They have established a
carefully groomed woodland of second-growth
native trees carpeted with an under story of tril-
lium, vanilla leaf, and other wildflowers. Two
small reflecting pools near the house are sur-
rounded by raked pea gravel, contributing to the
effect of a Japanese garden. Pathways go through
drifts of colorful ground covers in a meadow remi-
niscent of an alpine setting. An open vista of

34

Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin

forested foothills overlooking the Puyallup River
Valley borrows a very impressive view of Mount
Rainier. This is Washington State's first project of
the Garden Conservancy, which is a national non-
profit organization.

Kubota Gardens: Renton Avenue S. and
55th Ave. S., Seattle; WA; (206) 684-4584. Open
daily dawn to dusk. Free. The garden began life
in the 1920s as the hobby of Fujitaro Kubota.
As Kubota's landscape design business grew, he
used the garden as a working- nursery to
demonstrate the blending of traditional Japanese
garden concepts with native Northwest plants.

This stunning 20-acre setting of hills and
valleys is crisscrossed with streams, waterfalls,
ponds, rock outcroppings, and a marvelously rich
and complex collection of specimen plants.
Traditional details of Japanese garden design are
found throughout, such as the brilliant red
Moon Bridge and statuesque Kasuga-style stone
lantern. See an extraordinary 32-foot-long
weeping blue Atlas cedar and a 37-foot-tall
weeping Norway spruce, a forest of threadleaf
cypress, and a grove of yellow-groove and black-
groove bamboo. The garden has been owned
by the City of Seattle since 1987 and is
designated as a Seattle Historic Landmark.

Yao Garden, Bellevue Botanical Garden: 12001
Main St., Bellevue, WA; (425) 452-2750. Open
dawn to dusk. Free. Named for Bellevue's sister
city in Japan, the Yao Garden is part of the
Eastern Garden sequence. Basalt quarried in
Oregon and personally selected by the architect
was imported to form the foundation. Of
particular note is the finely crafted double gate
with beautiful copper adornment at its peak.
Within the garden, the use of traditional Japa-

nese maples, bamboo, hostas, nandina, and
moss is augmented by the use of Northwest
natives and a variety of other plants. A stream
tumbles into the pond which forms a central
feature around which the garden path revolves.

Resources and Organizations

The Japanese Garden Society: 10505 Sand Point Way
NE, Seattle, WA 98145; (425) 641-7145.

The Japanese Garden Society of Oregon: PO Box
3837, Portland, OR 97208; (503) 223-4070.
Bloedel Reserve: 7571 NE Dolphin Dr., Bainbridge
Island, WA 981 10-1097; (206)842-7631.
Bellevue Botanical Garden Society, PO BOX 40536,
Bellevue, WA 98015; (425) 452-2750.

Kubota Garden Foundation: PO Box 12646, Seattle,
WA 98111-4646; (206) 725-5060.

Also active in this region are organizations specializing
in bamboo, bonsai, koi, the Japanese Tea
ceremony, rhododendrons, ferns, hostas, iris,
native plants, and conifers. For information,
contact the Elisabeth C. Miller Horticultural
Library, Seattle; (206) 543-8616.

The Washington Park Arboretum has an exceptional
collection of Japanese maples, rhododendrons and
azaleas, conifers, and other trees and shrubs
commonly used in Japanese gardens. Here you can
find them identified. Members may request that
the Pat Calvert Greenhouse volunteers propagate
plants from the Arboretum collection for you.

Stephanie Feeney is the author of Northwest
Gardeners' Resource Directory. Her book. Gardeners
on the Go: Seattle , will be published in April. Reach
her at 59 Strawberry Pt., Bellingham, WA 98226
(publisher@cedarcroft-press.com). Stephanie is a
member of the Bulletin 's editorial board.

Bainbridge
Public Library
Interpretive
Garden. Photo by
Stephanie Feeney

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Vol. 60:1

35

(360) 652-7226

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“When horticultural luminaries are in town,
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I can count on Wells-Medina year round to
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horticultural pick-me-up.”

“Many of the unusual plants or varieties
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-Stephanie Feeney

The Northwest Gardener’s Resource Directory,
1995

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ARBORETUM

The Arboretum Foundation
2300 Arboretum Drive East
Seattle, WA 98112
(206) 325-4510

e-mail: gvc@arboretumfoundation.org

An arboretum is a living museum of
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conservation, and display.

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3817 42nd AveNE
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