Masa Mizuno (consultant) and Pete Putnicki
(senior gardener) finger pruning a pine tree
by the pond. (Photo by Aurora Santiago)
removed in response to the growth of the Garden,
the interest of visitors, and the shifting missions
of the curators. Elements of a botanical collection
were incorporated into the framework of the
Japanese Garden. As time passed, the form of the
Garden began to reflect these changes, and the
scale, size and shape of the plant material began
to reflect a more Northwest woodland aesthetic.
In 1973, Iida returned to visit and helped
establish a program of maintenance to bring
the existing Garden closer in alignment with the
original design concept. A number of large trees,
ground covers and other plants were removed; a
significant and painstaking pruning program was
instituted; and the emphasis was shifted towards
refinement of the Garden.
With the vital help of gardeners and consultants
such as Dick Yamasaki, Mark Akai and
others, an ongoing lineage of maintenance
and enhancement was initiated. Gradually, the
Garden began to reflect something more than a
flat implementation of the design—it began to
develop its own identity and became a true and
honest fusion of ideals, images and cultures.
ENHANCEMENT AND IMPROVEMENT
The Seattle Japanese Garden is a garden in
the present tense: a place that’s living, vital
and dynamic.
For example, in the late 1990s, under the
guidance of Masa Mizuno (current garden
consultant), another significant shift in the
plant collection began to take place. Birch,
oak, ash, and other large deciduous trees were
removed. Individual specimens were slated
for removal because their negative impacts
outweighed their positive attributes. Trees that
were unsuitable for pruning and grooming—
and trees that were oversized for the scale of
the Garden—were removed.
Trees removed were often “pioneer” species
(ones that tend to grow quickly in disturbed or
cleared areas)—in other words, trees typical
of a “young” forest. For a Garden approaching
maturity, these elements were no longer appropriate,
in spite of any individual merits. Over the
last few years of the twentieth century, a holistic
view of the Garden was incorporated into
management practice. In essence, each element
14 v Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin