"In
a Japanese Garden"
By Lafcadio Hearn
"No effort to create an impossible or pure ideal landscape is made in the Japanese Garden. Its artistic purpose is to copy faithfully the veritable landscape, and to convey the real impression that a real landscape communicates. It is therefore at once a picture and a poem; perhaps even more a poem than a picture. For as nature's scenery, in its varying aspects, affects us with sensations of joy or solemnity, of grimness or of sweetness, of force or of peace, so must the true reflection of it in the labor of the landscape gardener create not merely an impression of beauty, but a mood in the soul."
Excerpted
from:
The Atlantic Monthly
Volume 70, Issue 417
July 1892
Post-Hurricane Garden Update, August 31, 2006
Dears Friends,
Several weeks after the storm I
received the first message about the condition of the garden from our landscape
architect Mr. Robin Tanner, who visited the garden.
He told me that we had a miraculous escape from the storm with no
structural damage to the garden and only the loss of several trees and plants,
as well as some loss of ground cover. Of
course, there had been flooding of the grounds.
When I first returned to view the garden, I was very pleased to see that
our calligraphy with the name of the
The things that have taken place to restore the garden after the storm include the following. We have replaced the camellia that was damaged. We have replaced the two large Japanese maples that died after the storm with the aid of a crane. Robin Tanner and his crew and volunteers have taken turns watering the garden during the drought even though the sprinkler system was working most of the time. Volunteers have replanted Asian jasmine in the front two areas on both sides of the main entrance; giant lariope was planted on the side wall. Volunteers have weeded the garden several times.
A small group of board members have met with an architect and contractor to begin making plans for constructing a tea house on the platform within the garden.
We had a board meeting on April 18th,
which was sparsely attended, our second board meeting is
Plans are being made to restore and install large amounts of granite covers in the dry creek bed in the center of the garden, as well as to replenish the ground cover.
We shall keep you informed as progress continues.
Jack P. Strong, M.D.
President,
"Yakumo Nihon Teien" hit hard by hurricanes
JGSNO would like to thank everyone who has inquired about the safety and welfare of the society's members and friends, and the condition of the garden. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita decimated untold thousands of homes and businesses along the Gulf Coast. New Orleans' City Park, the location of the Yakumo Nihon Teien, is in a part of the city that was especially hard-hit.
Every attempt to describe the effects the hurricanes had on the city has proven grossly inadequate. JGSNO has not yet been able to completely assess the long term impact of the storms. There is a possibility that the storm waters were toxic and/or laden with salt. And a complete analysis of the condition of the structures in the garden has not yet been completed.
But, we wanted to do our best to convey an approximation of the impact. Below are "before and after" photographs of parts of the garden. As you view these, please remember that the JGSNO remains committed to completing the Yakumo Nihon Teien. This setback will be overcome, with the help of our friends and partners.
Before After
