In Winter, ‘Kobai’ Flowering Plum Opens its Fragrant, Deep Pink Flowers

Three Prunus mume ‘Kobai’ trees are planted on the eastern edge of the Seattle Japanese Garden’s entry courtyard. Even before the Garden re-opens each year in March, they delight Arboretum visitors with their fragrant, deep pink winter flowers.

In the Garden, Japanese Culture, Plants and BloomsCorinne KennedyFebruary 23, 2022Seattle, Winter, Plum, Fragrant, tree, bloom, Flower Arranging

Hinoki: A Revered Conifer

Among the many conifers in our garden is Chamaecyparis obtusa, known in Japan as hinoki. It's one of Japan's most revered trees for its beautiful, durable wood and bark and fragrant essential oils of its bark, wood and foliage.

In the Garden, Plants and BloomsRumi TsuchihashiDecember 16, 2016Hinoki, tree, Cypress, Seattle, Japanese Garden, Japan, Wood, Fragrant, Northwest, Pacific Northwest, Washington, Western Washington, Shinto, traditional, pagoda, gardening, Bonsai

Sasanqua Camellias: Quiet Beauties of the Fall & Winter Garden

In fall and winter, nine “sasanqua” Camellias (Camellia sasanqua) grace our Seattle Japanese Garden with their quiet beauty.

Rumi TsuchihashiNovember 18, 2016Camellia, Fall, Winter, Seattle, Japanese Garden, Shrub, Western Washington, Washington, Northwest, Pacific Northwest, Fragrant, Japan, Azalea, Holly, bloom, Pruning, Tea

Beyond Beauty: The Ephemeral Delights of Autumn

“Although the Japanese taste for spring and autumn may at first have been nearly equal, autumn, the season when things perish, possessed an inherently greater allure...

Chie IidaOctober 17, 2016Fall, Leaves, Japan, Seattle, Japanese Garden, Western Washington, Washington, Northwest, Pacific Northwest, Maple, History, Japanese Culture, Ginko, tree, Shrub, Camellia, Fragrant, bloom, Pruning, Berries, haiku

In Bloom: Water Lilies

Water lilies rise from the mud in the pond

In the Garden, Japanese Garden DesignRumi TsuchihashiJuly 15, 2016bloom, Water Lilies, Pond, summer, Seattle, Japanese Garden, Lotus, Winter, Fragrant, Koi, Washington, Western Washington

Styrax: Japan’s Lovely Snowbell Trees

The graceful Styrax, Japanese Snowbell, is a deciduous tree native to Japan that bears bell-like white flowers in late spring.

In the Garden, Japanese Garden Design, Spring, Plants and BloomsRumi TsuchihashiMay 11, 2016Seattle, Japanese Garden, Styrax, Snowbell, bloom, Pond, tree, Spring, Fragrant, Fall, tea house, Wood

Trees in a Japanese Garden: an Idealized Vision of Nature

Japanese gardens are inspired by a deep respect for nature, but they’re certainly not “natural.” Instead, they’re works of art that aim to achieve a balance between wildness and control...

History, In the Garden, Japanese Garden Design, PhotographyRumi TsuchihashiMarch 15, 2016Spring, Japanese Garden, Seattle, tree, Maple, Zen, bloom, Fragrant, Stone, Shrub, Cherry, Plum, Moss, Pine, Japanese Pine, Bamboo

In Bloom: The Quietly Elegant Corylopsis

In early spring, the fragrant, luminous yellow flowers of Corylopsis appear before the leaves, and are held in short nodding spikes along the branches.

In the Garden, Japanese Culture, Japanese Garden DesignRumi TsuchihashiMarch 15, 2016Corylopsis, bloom, Seattle, Japanese Garden, Forsythia, Winter, Spring, Witch Hazel, Fragrant

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