In a Garden Library
POPULAR JAPANESE GARDENING
AND PLANT BOOKS
B y B r i a n R . T h o m p s o n
The Japanese gardening section at the Elisabeth C. Miller Library is large and varied—and wellliked
by our patrons. Readers are especially keen on the symbolism, design and maintenance of
gardens in Japan, and how Japanese flora influenced their development. Profiles of Japanesestyle
gardens in this country are also popular. In honor of the 60th anniversary of the Seattle Japanese
Garden, the following is a survey of some of our most well-circulated books.
Designing a Japanese-Style Garden
Marc Peter Keane has published several books
based on his landscape architecture degree from
Cornell University and the 18 years he spent in
Kyoto designing gardens. His earliest, “Japanese
Garden Design” (published in 1996), has stood
the test of time.
The first section is a well-illustrated introduction
to broad concepts such as Zen gardens,
tea gardens and stroll gardens. The author
emphasizes the context that led garden designers
to create these “new forms of gardens and,
more importantly, new ways of perceiving what a
garden is [author’s emphasis].”
The final third of the book is about design:
the principles, techniques and elements. I
wouldn’t recommend relying on this book for
help developing your own garden, but rather for
understanding the intentions of the creators of
established gardens. In those intentions, Keane
sees a myriad of perceptions, including the
garden “as a living entity with a spirit” or “as a
painting, an object of contemplation, a spiritual
passageway, or as a work of religious art.”
For designing your own space in a Japanese
style, consider “The New Zen Garden” (2004)
by Joseph Cali. He is another American who
lived many years in Japan, using his education
as an interior designer. In this book, he urges his
readers to treat the garden as an extension of the
home’s indoor space, and is very practical and
systematic in his advice.
For expertise in specific elements of the
garden, Cali includes tutorials by Japanese
landscape architects, artisans and garden
designers. Topics include lighting, building
walkways and walls in traditional styles, and even
how to arrange a dry waterfall.
26 v Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin