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