Our World Tuesday: The Japanese Garden at the New Hanover County Arboretum

Every time we pass through, Adella and I stop at the New Hanover County Arboretum to check out the flowers and the garden designs.  The rose garden is a delight, and no doubt about it:



Still, my favorite section is the Japanese garden, where there are hidden paths and little waterfalls, bridges, and a tea house:



There is also a Zen garden.  Though this photo, below, does not show it clearly, the gravel is raked in patterns around the rocks to represent the flow of water.  However, the flow of water from the sky added it's own flair to this abstract work, suggesting a cross current outlined in wood chips.


 Rocks have symbolic significance in Zen gardens.  While the meaning can vary from garden to garden, the arrangement of three rocks in a small space defined by an enclosure is pretty common.  Sometimes a flat rock will represent turtle island, another one will represent a meditation space, and an upright rock will represent a waterfall.  Sometimes the vertical rock represents Buddha, and they flat rocks represent his disciples.  Maybe it just depends on who's nearby doing the thinking.  Maybe it doesn't matter.

Anyway, here's to beautiful spaces the world over.

Our World Tuesday


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13 Comments

  1. Oh, I do love Japanese Gardens! We have one here in Portland and it is such a delightful place to spend a day!! Yours there seems to be just as beautiful and delightful! Thanks for sharing the fun and the beauty, Sandy! Have a great week!!

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  2. What a wonderful garden with many great views. I always enjoy looking at well kept gardens. They are food for the soul! Thank you for sharing with us.

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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  3. what a pretty place. i like how nature added its own design to the zen garden. :)

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  4. Reminds me, very much, of the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Such a lovely place you have shared here.

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  5. This would be one of my favorite stops too if I was any where near it. I love gardens and gardening. Adella looks like the most beautiful flower in the garden. Things in gardens mean whatever people want them to. I have a pile of concrete in my garden I am using for path edging and a friend looked at it and asked if it was an art installation and liked it. tee hee... So my answer to those who ask is now "art installation".

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  6. Floral confections. What a great relationship you two are building!




    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^= . <3 . >< } } (°>

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  7. We don't have too many Zen gardens but there is one in Fort Worth, TX that we absolutely love even though being in Texas it seems to be about five times the size one would expect.
    I'm not sure what it all represents but it is extremely peaceful and calming. Which is big for me.

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  8. Anonymous5:33 AM

    What gorgeous flowers and such a lovely garden.

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  9. fun to learn about symbolism of the rocks...I love roses and Japanese gardens!

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  10. what a cool place...i used to have a zen garden that my father built for me to keep n my desk for wen i needed those focusing moments...

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  11. so much beauty!
    I love visiting gardens and it looks like you do to. Sweet summer days and nights to you ~

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  12. Lovely photos of the gardens, the zen garden looks like a peaceful place and the roses are gorgeous.. Your daughter has grown up, she is lovely.. Enjoy your week!

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  13. Beautiful gardens. It must have been nice to be there in the rain. I love the rain.

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Thanks for being here.