A Japanese Garden 
VIEW LOOKING EAST 
but with the promise that in 
five or ten years the aging 
process will gradually evolve 
the garden into its intended 
beauty; we are told the best 
gardens in japan are hun¬ 
dreds of years old. 
The only artificial orna¬ 
ments allowed in a garden 
of this kind are the stone 
lanterns; three or four at the 
most, of thefollowingdesigns: 
Tukiini, Shizen, Kasiiga, 
but avoiding the pagoda or 
other conspicuous shapes jar¬ 
ring to the eye. 
The construction of the 
garden was the evolution of 
practical and artistic ideas. 
First—Lake excavations. 
Second—Formation of the 
mountains. 
Third—Rock work con¬ 
struction. 
Fourth—Laying out paths. 
Fifth—Planting. 
Sixth—Finishing touches. 
It is hardly possible to find a more beautiful 
garden picture than the steep-sided glen reaching 
from the blue sky down to the water’s edge and then 
reflected back by the mirror surface. The morning 
sun on the azalea bloom intensifying the delicate 
crimson colored maple leaves, just bursting into 
new life, makes an indescribable picture. The 
ROUGHING OUT 
rolling ground surrounding this sheet of water 
reminds one of a mountain lake, the water giving 
expression to the whole garden. Two bridges 
are used, designed and built by a Japanese carpen¬ 
ter. The rustic one is of cedar, left its natural color, 
the curved bridge is painted a bright red. 1 here are 
four small lakes, the largest about fifty feet long and 
twenty-five feet at the widest part with an island 
in the centre. This is fed by a large spring, con¬ 
sequently cold; it is stocked with brook trout, grown 
to a fair size; they are especially pretty and interest¬ 
ing darting through the clear, transparent water. The 
only successful water plant in this lake is watercress. 
While these lakes are of small area, easily 
walked around, yet all the more reason the gar¬ 
dener had in spanning them with small bridges, thus 
impressing us with increased size and artistic effect. 
The next two ponds are of less area, spanned by 
the two small bridges and stocked with gold fish; 
the water in these middle ponds while warmer than 
the trout pond is not sufficiently warm for water 
plants. A lily and spiked grass in one of the large 
tubs are the only plants grown here and are to 
break the water surface rather than for bloom. 
The last pond, which is for lilies, is irregular in 
shape, with rocks so arranged as to relieve the 
severe lines. The water here is warmer than 
in the others. This is necessary because lilies 
will not bloom profusely if cold. Its warmth 
is maintained by not allowing the full volume to 
pass through. The water simply passes by, on a 
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