NIKKA YUKO JAPANESE GARDEN OPEN
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Maureen Sexsmith-West
ISA Certified Arborist, PR4600A
Be sure to visit this tour this world class facility the season!
"Established during Canada's Centennial in 1967, Nikka Yuko was built to recognize contributions made by citizens of Japanese ancestry to the multi-cultural community of Lethbridge, Alberta, and a s a symbol of international friendship. Its name was created from the Japanese words Ni (from Nihon meaning Japan), ka from Kanada or Canada, and Yuko, which translates as "friendship" to mean "Japan-Canada friendship". (Source: NYJG History).
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| Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paige_eliz/2994264072/ |
Under the direction of Mas Mizuno, the facility is maintained to perfection by the City of Lethbridge Park's Department in the traditional style.
You can rent the space for wedding pictures, private events and group tours. For complete details about history, volunteer opportunities, and their event calendar: Click Here
About Japanese Style Gardens
Japanese gardens combine rock formations
complimented with plantings. Plants are
used to create spacial definition and to highlight particular features of the
landscape (e.g. prune dogwoods directionally to help create the illusion of an
arch over a dry river bed). Pruning is done with a sharp, sterilized pair of secateurs to manage plant size and form. Careful detail is given to the view from all
angles – you should feel at one and at peace with the space.
There are three laws (1) the design must
suit the site, not vice versa; (2) correctly place the stones, then the trees,
then shrubs; (3) be acquainted with the rules of shin, gyn and so - to help set
the correct mood. One of the key areas
required is balance (sumi) and a clear definition between plants and rocks in
relation to the space. You don’t use a
10-ton boulder in a 10x10 space. Less is
more. It is critical to have
‘emptiness’. This concept is foreign to
most North American gardeners – they want to fill every last space or allow
plants to become overrun. Annual pruning
is a must to maintain ‘ma’.
According to Mas, “stones/rocks (ishi) are
the key element” to garden designs.
Selection and placement of the stones is critical. Shape, size, colour and texture (wabi and sabi
elements) mean that each stone is hand picked and placed in a specific
location/position. They are usually
configured in three, fives or sevens all with specific meanings. Any rock, plunked anywhere can create “bad
stones”. Water is another key element
since it represents the passing of time.
Bridges (hashi) are used to represent journeys. Ornaments such as lanterns are incorporated
as accents only when integral to the overall design.
Once the placement of stones is complete,
the plants fall into place naturally to represent the changing seasons. Possible planting combinations suitable to our
growing environment and soils include montane pines, low growing junipers,
stone fruits, weigla, spirea and elder.
After care specialists should be able to assist with plant selection so
you can fully understand how each plant will grow, whether they are allelopathic
in nature, and the best season to prune each.
Avoid hedge trimmers – they do not represent plants in their natural
form. This should not be confused with
English garden style topiary - I can’t think of any natural pine tree that
look like groomed poodles – can you? These
would be out of place in a traditional Japanese garden scape.
Remember that in our arid climate, plants
growing in gravel beds will be subject to heat stresses, and will require
additional
watering to compensate for evaporation. Supplemental fertilization may also be needed.
This style of garden is more costly and time consuming to
maintain. If the appropriate time and consideration is given to the design phase, and you have a disciplined maintenance program the results are spectacular.