Author Archives: Portland Japanese Garden
Willow Fascine
John Hall The use of soil retention devices, such as the woven bamboo fascine in this photo, have long been used through the history of agriculture to fight erosion. We have installed a multi-layered fascine in areas around the Lower … Continue reading
Koi Return to the Lower Pond
Our usual routine of moving the koi is necessary to be able to give the ponds a good cleaning. After leaf fall in autumn, the fish move from the Lower Pond to the Upper Pond. Sometimes they overwinter there, and … Continue reading
Removing a Red Cedar
The gardeners are in the process of removing a Western Red Cedar tree that, some years ago, had forked and then begun to split.
Treating Weeping Cherry Trees with Leaf Spot
Recently we have received several inquiries regarding the health of weeping cherry trees in the Portland area. These trees have difficulty coping with the climate and humidity in this region. Most particularly they are affected by Shot Hole Fungus which … Continue reading
Iyo Blue Stone
Iyo blue stone (called Iyo Aoishi in Japanese) is one of most sought-after garden stones in Japan. It is no longer harvested from the river beds in the Iyo region—the best specimens we have today in Japan are already placed … Continue reading
Featured Garden: Jackson Park’s Osaka Japanese Garden
Chicago, Illinois The Osaka Japanese Garden began over a century ago with the scraping and building up of a natural oak savanna sandbar—then a peninsula—for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. On what became Wooded Island, it was constructed with a … Continue reading
Nutrient Management Program
Our gardeners continue to endeavor to provide the level of care and nourishment required by a first-rate Japanese Garden. The Nutrient Management Program we have developed is based on proven organic supplement technology that provides both immediate and long-term nutrition … Continue reading
Some Thoughts on the Origins of the Japanese Garden
What makes a garden “Japanese?” This question is not as easy to answer as it might seem. At the Portland Japanese Garden, there are five distinctly different garden styles to consider: Stroll Garden Tea Garden Natural Garden Sand and Stone … Continue reading
Two New Plants of Significance
Near the entrance, we have installed manryo? ?? (Ardesia crenata or “coralberry”). The name “manryo?” signifies ten thousand ryo?, a gold coin in old Japan. We have also planted senryo? ?? (Sarcandra glaber a.k.a. Chloranthus glabra) at the sleeve fence … Continue reading
Welcoming Spring
Nothing so represents the poetic sense of springtime renewal as fresh greenery, midori みどり. As always, gardeners keep busy in this season. The Garden’s fixtures are renewed in time with the leaves and blossoms—fresh, green bamboo is cut and wooden … Continue reading
