With the weather heating up many of us are spending more time in our front yards, back patios and public parks. These spaces provide a connection to nature, tranquility, and shade! More than just plants, ponds and bridges, Japanese gardens provide serenity and inspiration, and these hidden gems can be found throughout southern California.

Japanese garden design seeks to evoke a sense of harmony with nature and provide a retreat for reflection and meditation. The three key features to Japanese gardens are stone, water and plants. These carefully chosen and placed elements are more than just aesthetically pleasing, they are inspired by the natural landscape and selected for their symbolism.

Courtesy of BHG.com Credit: Amy Haskell

Credit: Richard Felber

Photo courtesy thejapanesegarden.com

As Japanese gardens are “designed to replicate landscapes in miniature” (BHG.com), rocks may represent mountains or islands and provide structure to the garden. Water, symbolizing life-force, is essential to any Japanese garden -- babbling streams and rippling ponds also add a soothing auditory element as well. While evergreens are commonly used, bamboo and moss also provide subtle textural and visual contrast. Twisting paths encourage visitors to meander slowly through the gardens, mindfully observing their surroundings. Typically, Japanese gardens are not laid out on a symmetrical axis (shizenstyle.com) and opt for a more natural yet balanced feel.

Angelenos can enjoy Stroll Gardens, Tea Gardens (the names say it all) and even Zen Gardens (dry landscaped gardens with raked gravel symbolizing water, etc.) throughout southern California in these botanical gardens, a university and even a hotel.

Huntington Library, San Marino

“The historic Japanese Garden has been one of the most beloved and iconic landscapes at The Huntington, with its distinctive moon bridge, picture-postcard views of koi-filled ponds, and the historic Japanese House” (huntington.org). In addition to the garden, visitors can also get a glimpse of Japanese life 300 years ago at the Japanese Heritage Shoya House, explore a ceremonial tea house, enjoy hundreds of bonsai trees, or contemplate the raked patterns of the Zen Garden.

Descano Gardens, La Canada Flintridge

All the plants found in Descano Gardens’ Japanese Garden are native to Asia including amellias, azaleas, black pines, mondo grass, flowering cherry trees, and Japanese maples. They also boast a Stroll Garden, pond, rock garden and tea house. Of note are the two Hiroshima survivor trees in the Japanese garden – they are descendants of the Japanese persimmons that survived the atomic bomb and were donated to “help spread their message of peace and hope for a nuclear-free world” (descanogardens.org).

SuihoEn, The Japanese Garden, Van Nuys

*Photo courtesy of thejapanesegarden.com*

Water is a key design element in SuihoEn, which uses reclaimed water from the adjacent Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation plant. Utilizing the water for the ponds and irrigation system, the garden demonstrates the potential and beneficial reuse of reclaimed water. Water is everywhere in the Strolling Garden featuring three levels of waterfalls symbolizing Heaven, Man and Earth, a water garden filled with lilies and lotus flower blooms, and multiple bridges. Moving along, visitors walk on steppingstones over shallow water in the tea house and garden. The design of ‘the garden of water and fragrance’ (suihoen) leads us from a world of freeway traffic, pressures and haste, into a world of meditative calm… to focus on the very simple and beautiful in both nature and our lives” (thejapanesegarden.com).

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Cal State, Long Beach

Located on the campus of Cal State University, Long Beach, guests can make a reservation to feed the koi at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden. They can also enjoy a serene central pond, winding paths, Zen Garden and Tea Garden.

Kyoto Garden, Double Tree by Hilton, Downtown LA

Technically you need to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy the Kyoto Garden hidden on the third floor of the hotel. Guests can enjoy this oasis in the heart of LA with a mini waterfall, manicured plants, statues and space for meditation and relaxation.

Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, Pasadena

*Photo courtesy of japanesegardenpasadena.com*

Built in the 1930’s as a private estate garden, the space is open to the public at select times on weekends. Visitors can marvel at a 25-foot cascading waterfall, bridges, ponds, and garden beds all centered around the formal teahouse.

Inspired by these gardens? Try creating an intimate space by incorporating the design principles of Japanese gardens in your own backyard.

Japanese Gardens