Times have changed and it is rare to find a garden that is cared for with the same level as what the older Japanese Gardeners did. Back when they were around that is.
The Japanese people have such an amazing history of being meticulous and so very detailed in their art and carpenter work and these famous Japanese gardens and landscaping. I have always been very impressed and in awe of the skills in these and other areas as well.
The japanese gardens in the sanfran golden gate park, and the hayward japanese gardens are excellent examples. And having lived in japan 3 years, these are valid gardening systems. And having done the same on my parents house lot, lots of intense work, but people walking by, or driving by are forced subconsciously to look, and wonder why they are looking, or notice that something is vastly different, micro-clean, intensively pruned. A little mandelbrotting happening. Learning and doing bonsai is not just about pruning, but it teaches you nature, birth and death cycles, how to manage and direct nature, but also to become a greater parent and business manager .. a little discipline and attention at first leads to minimal discipline later in life, solving problems when they are micro vs macro, and when to cater to a new business tree branch, and cut off an old business product model, when to prune out unproductive employees, creating a healthy and productive work environment…. bonsai should be a class taught in high school and college for all business and mba people.
Back in the late seventies I was contracted to take my Mini Bobcat and backhoe attachment to trench and connect a sewer line from a septic system into a new sewer system. This involved going down the side of the house which had a very well kept Japanese garden each side. We built a ply topped scaffold/box over each side to protect the plants and be able to pile the dirt from the trench on top digging right under the pathway. All worked well until about lunch and the late morning commencement to plumb the new line and we required a run back into town for parts.The sewer contractor took me to lunch , we picked up the needed parts after and headed back to the job. When we got there an older Japanese gentleman(who we learned was the gardener) was on his knees and in tears at the gateway along the side of the house which looked like trench war zone with things all dug up. After much consolation and demonstration that his plants were indeed all right under the piles of dirt and scaffold his relief was on par with his earlier despair. I always admired this style of garden and was proud that the right thing was conceived on how to trench this tie in. Lesson learned that this style of garden was a reflection of a personality that must be guarded as well as its plants. Is this humans at our best? At least close to it I think.
Being a fan of the Japanese style of gardening and trying to make my own Japanese garden your exactly right its very time comsuming. The pinus thunbergii at the entrance has to take so much time each year when the candles sprout! The fellow has even needled the tree not to mention the fact that to shape that tree that way takes skills. I tried doing a thunderhead pine into that style which is called niawaki and it takes time and skills that you think you have but starting a tree from scratch you find out you don't. Lol great video Blair that is what I call plant porn at its finest!!!!!!!!
I certainly do appreciate an oriental type garden. Saw them for the first time as a kid in the old James Bond movies and have liked them ever since. Thanks for sharing that.
Pre-WW2 the South Bay area had some wonderful plant nurseries and cut flower growers of Japanese descent. These hard working families were interned during the war and by and large they lost their land and businesses. Post-war some returned to California. Many were unable to reestablish their enterprises for various reasons, including racism. Some turned to landscaping / gardening to make a living, often infusing a homeowners yard with their expertise and aesthetic sensibility. Gardening, often being an entryway profession into the American economy, means that their children usually chose more lucrative careers.
Thanks for sharing Blair, as always! The "stylisation" as you call it, and which it is, I believe is what in Japan goes under the term "Niwaki". But beyond the stylisation, and buttressing this stylisation, is a belief and a search for harmony. This is where the notion of "zen" (or zen-garden/gardening) comes to its fore. When I visited Japan last, I noticed many small gardens (even in suburbs of Tokyo, where home-owners were diligently shaping trees and bushes according to the notions of Niwaki. I also spent a lot of time in gardens and parks in Tokyo, Kyoto and in Kanazawa. I spoke with several "keepers" there, and their role, as they saw it, is to maintain and improve for generations to come, the manifestation of harmony, so as to allow you, the visitor, to enjoy a peaceful environment where s/he may find an opportunity to connect the "small universe" with the larger one, examplifying how the infinitesimally small, joins the infinitesimally large. Notions of meditation, solace, grounding and balance seem to be elements sought after in order to conduce "hishiryo" –loosely translatable as "the absence of all thinking". In my understanding, the stylisation that can be observed aims to indicate, to suggest, the notion of "kyo" (void, emptiness), which in buddhism is a source, if not the source of all source(s). As can be expected, Feng-shui "rules" , guide the establishment and maintenance of these gardens, for generations to come. Like you Blair, I admire the work in these japanese gardens. And I do admire the results. As for my own, little patch, I pain to make it that way, all the way. I have tried several of the techniques with sometimes, admittedly, very nice results. But is is, as you said several times, so time intensive to do so, that for me to also take of the entire yard (an acre or so) , and the house etc., I simply do not have enough hours in the day. I do harbour a quiet hope, in spite of age, that I may be strong and flexible enough and that I will have the time to take more care of the garden in the spirit of Niwaki, for a very long time. Meanwhile, I try to strike a balance between the natural, the functional necessity and the aesthetically pleasing.
It just takes Time. Remember the Song "Time", by the strawberry alarm clock. The drummer was my neighbor. If I were rich, and could afford , and I could find someone who could do this. I would have a very large garden. But as it goes, my vegetable garden keeps me busy. Plus I have just recently built a nice large green house, again more time. I wish you could have 2 lifetimes, the first is just work,work,work. The 2nd lifetime would be your time , to do anything you want, invent,garden,travel, because you already put in your 1st lifetime of work, this is your payoff. Then they plant you Deep. In your Japanese Garden. Sorry…Daydreaming again 🙂
I started back in the early 80's and that's when the older Japanese gardeners were becoming a rarity. I took over caring for one property that had had a Japanese gardener in the past, but no way could I maintain it as well as he did. The Vietnamese started taking over as well, throwing their plastic wrapped flyers with rocks in the bags for weights. Mow and blow guys who weren't in any way like the Japanese. I would say virtually no gardeners today have the same level of meticulousness as the Japanese did back in the day.
Slowly I am learning how to glow plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables, I am finding gardening very therapeutic and inspiring, spending time outside with my hands in the earth while observing nature grow.
I would love to have a Japanese gardener. I've had several gardeners (none Japanese) and none have been satisfactory. Two have actually stolen plants or equipment from my yards. The rest showed no pride in their work. Very disappointing.
19 Comments
The Japanese people have such an amazing history of being meticulous and so very detailed in their art and carpenter work and these famous Japanese gardens and landscaping. I have always been very impressed and in awe of the skills in these and other areas as well.
In the fifties my parents were totally envious of a neighbor who had a Japanese gardener, it was indeed a high standard.
The japanese gardens in the sanfran golden gate park, and the hayward japanese gardens are excellent examples. And having lived in japan 3 years, these are valid gardening systems. And having done the same on my parents house lot, lots of intense work, but people walking by, or driving by are forced subconsciously to look, and wonder why they are looking, or notice that something is vastly different, micro-clean, intensively pruned. A little mandelbrotting happening. Learning and doing bonsai is not just about pruning, but it teaches you nature, birth and death cycles, how to manage and direct nature, but also to become a greater parent and business manager .. a little discipline and attention at first leads to minimal discipline later in life, solving problems when they are micro vs macro, and when to cater to a new business tree branch, and cut off an old business product model, when to prune out unproductive employees, creating a healthy and productive work environment…. bonsai should be a class taught in high school and college for all business and mba people.
Very interesting topic, Thank you for sharing!
I'd say the man that does all that with pruners has a handshake that'd crush Brazil nuts
Back in the late seventies I was contracted to take my Mini Bobcat and backhoe attachment to trench and connect a sewer line from a septic system into a new sewer system. This involved going down the side of the house which had a very well kept Japanese garden each side. We built a ply topped scaffold/box over each side to protect the plants and be able to pile the dirt from the trench on top digging right under the pathway. All worked well until about lunch and the late morning commencement to plumb the new line and we required a run back into town for parts.The sewer contractor took me to lunch , we picked up the needed parts after and headed back to the job. When we got there an older Japanese gentleman(who we learned was the gardener) was on his knees and in tears at the gateway along the side of the house which looked like trench war zone with things all dug up. After much consolation and demonstration that his plants were indeed all right under the piles of dirt and scaffold his relief was on par with his earlier despair. I always admired this style of garden and was proud that the right thing was conceived on how to trench this tie in. Lesson learned that this style of garden was a reflection of a personality that must be guarded as well as its plants. Is this humans at our best? At least close to it I think.
Being a fan of the Japanese style of gardening and trying to make my own Japanese garden your exactly right its very time comsuming. The pinus thunbergii at the entrance has to take so much time each year when the candles sprout! The fellow has even needled the tree not to mention the fact that to shape that tree that way takes skills. I tried doing a thunderhead pine into that style which is called niawaki and it takes time and skills that you think you have but starting a tree from scratch you find out you don't. Lol great video Blair that is what I call plant porn at its finest!!!!!!!!
Really cool. That work is too tedious for me lol. I like removals and large trim jobs though. 👊
I certainly do appreciate an oriental type garden. Saw them for the first time as a kid in the old James Bond movies and have liked them ever since. Thanks for sharing that.
Pre-WW2 the South Bay area had some wonderful plant nurseries and cut flower growers of Japanese descent. These hard working families were interned during the war and by and large they lost their land and businesses. Post-war some returned to California. Many were unable to reestablish their enterprises for various reasons, including racism. Some turned to landscaping / gardening to make a living, often infusing a homeowners yard with their expertise and aesthetic sensibility. Gardening, often being an entryway profession into the American economy, means that their children usually chose more lucrative careers.
Outstanding!
Thanks for sharing Blair, as always!
The "stylisation" as you call it, and which it is, I believe is what in Japan goes under the term "Niwaki". But beyond the stylisation, and buttressing this stylisation, is a belief and a search for harmony. This is where the notion of "zen" (or zen-garden/gardening) comes to its fore. When I visited Japan last, I noticed many small gardens (even in suburbs of Tokyo, where home-owners were diligently shaping trees and bushes according to the notions of Niwaki. I also spent a lot of time in gardens and parks in Tokyo, Kyoto and in Kanazawa. I spoke with several "keepers" there, and their role, as they saw it, is to maintain and improve for generations to come, the manifestation of harmony, so as to allow you, the visitor, to enjoy a peaceful environment where s/he may find an opportunity to connect the "small universe" with the larger one, examplifying how the infinitesimally small, joins the infinitesimally large. Notions of meditation, solace, grounding and balance seem to be elements sought after in order to conduce "hishiryo" –loosely translatable as "the absence of all thinking". In my understanding, the stylisation that can be observed aims to indicate, to suggest, the notion of "kyo" (void, emptiness), which in buddhism is a source, if not the source of all source(s). As can be expected, Feng-shui "rules" , guide the establishment and maintenance of these gardens, for generations to come.
Like you Blair, I admire the work in these japanese gardens. And I do admire the results. As for my own, little patch, I pain to make it that way, all the way. I have tried several of the techniques with sometimes, admittedly, very nice results. But is is, as you said several times, so time intensive to do so, that for me to also take of the entire yard (an acre or so) , and the house etc., I simply do not have enough hours in the day. I do harbour a quiet hope, in spite of age, that I may be strong and flexible enough and that I will have the time to take more care of the garden in the spirit of Niwaki, for a very long time. Meanwhile, I try to strike a balance between the natural, the functional necessity and the aesthetically pleasing.
The style of pruning of the pine near the entrance is called "cloud pruning."
Very arty and minimalist. Tough going to keep up with these trees. Great to feature this. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
It just takes Time. Remember the Song "Time", by the strawberry alarm clock. The drummer was my neighbor.
If I were rich, and could afford , and I could find someone who could do this. I would have a very large garden. But as it goes, my vegetable garden keeps me busy. Plus I have just recently built a nice large green house, again more time.
I wish you could have 2 lifetimes, the first is just work,work,work.
The 2nd lifetime would be your time , to do anything you want, invent,garden,travel, because you already put in your 1st lifetime of work, this is your payoff. Then they plant you Deep. In your Japanese Garden.
Sorry…Daydreaming again 🙂
Some ancient gardens have a gardener for each plant-tree
I started back in the early 80's and that's when the older Japanese gardeners were becoming a rarity. I took over caring for one property that had had a Japanese gardener in the past, but no way could I maintain it as well as he did. The Vietnamese started taking over as well, throwing their plastic wrapped flyers with rocks in the bags for weights. Mow and blow guys who weren't in any way like the Japanese. I would say virtually no gardeners today have the same level of meticulousness as the Japanese did back in the day.
Slowly I am learning how to glow plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables, I am finding gardening very therapeutic and inspiring, spending time outside with my hands in the earth while observing nature grow.
I would love to have a Japanese gardener. I've had several gardeners (none Japanese) and none have been satisfactory. Two have actually stolen plants or equipment from my yards. The rest showed no pride in their work. Very disappointing.