THE INSTANT GARDENS OF JAPAN
The market of ready made gardens in the Orient.
This idea could bring in a profit and add beauty to the
world!
Few countries in the world-except perhaps Great
Britain-take horticulture as seriously as does Japan . . .
and, during our Plants and Gardens Tour of that nation last
spring, we had the opportunity to visit some of the most
spectacular examples of Japan's botanical, classical Zen,
and privately owned landscape gardens. Almost equally
impressive, however, were the thousands of exquisite little
beauty spots that graced the entranceways and yards of many
Japanese homes, apartment buildings, and businesses. In the
delightful city of Kurume, a garden center on the southern
island of Kyushu, the mayor had a lovely garden-which he
himself tenderly nurtured right inside his office.
Kurume, in fact, provided us with evidence of what an
incredibly big business gardening is and has been for
centuries in the Land of the Rising Sun. In Japan, you see,
nurseries seem to cluster in congenial communities of like
interest . . . and in Kurume such businesses number more
than 1,000! There, plant auctions-involving some 200
different species occur six or seven times a month . . .
with total sales topping $10 million a year. (This is
understandable, as well-to-do Japanese might be willing to
pay from $15,000 to $20,000 for a large trained black
pine.)
Such nursery centers have been flourishing for centuries,
and-over the years-a common horticultural philosophy has
developed. Usually, gardens are continually groomed and
maintained in their original designs, so most show
relatively little change over the decades or even for
hundreds of years-except, of course, for the natural but
controlled aging of plants. And the nursery worker, who is
seen as a very special and talented artisan, plays a major
role in the preservation process, making sure (for example)
that quality plants are available as replacements.
It's also especially interesting to observe how well
Japan's long-standing horticultural traditions have
resisted the onslaught of technology and mass
merchandising, cautiously incorporating new ideas
without supplanting the old ways.
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"SAMPLE GARDEN" SALESMAKE
SENSE
There is, nevertheless, one innovation that's taken place in
Japanese gardening that might be worthy of consideration in
this country: In various cooperative nursery centers, small
sample gardens are displayed, which show the buyer exactly
what his or her final garden will look like . . . when it's
installed a few days after the purchase. Because
Japanese gardens are traditionally designed on a modular
basis, this enterprise works quite well . . . and similar
operations could, perhaps, be successful here, particularly
as the construction of condominiums and town houses expands
in this country. (Sales opportunities might also exist in
urban centers like Philadelphia and San Francisco, where
yards are often of a rather small and uniform size.)
In the 22,000-square-meter Kawaguchi Nursery Stock Market
owned by the city of Kawaguchi, for example, a row of sample
gardens has been constructed with the help of a landscape
architect. Though these "instant gardens" are no more than
200 square feet in size, they often employ a remarkable range
of plant materials. A large sign in front of the sample
gardens states the prices of the permanent outdoor displays,
which can range from about $1,200 to $5,000 for the
completely installed garden, including fences, stones, and
other accessories. Nearby, a gardener can also see sample
entrance walks, ornamental bamboo fences, various kinds of
hedges, stones, lanterns, and so on ... displayed in the same
manner that rooms of furniture are arranged in American
stores.
And it seems likely that an enterprising gardener, nursery
owner, or landscape architect-by borrowing a few ideas and
creating some new ones-could come up with similar examples of
small rock, herb, Victorian, water, or other types of
traditional gardens that would appeal to Westerners who want
to put a bit of natural beauty into a limited space.
If you already own a nursery or are thinking of opening one,
you'll want to consider that enclosed gardens of this nature
would consist principally of mature plants. The sale of such
specimens, combined with contracts for the maintenance of the
gardens, would almost guarantee a continuing clientele.
What's more, by creating opportunities to own and
care for small but well-groomed gardens, you'd be likely to
stimulate greater interest in horticulture in your community
and, at the same time, offer the urban dweller an exotic
contrast to the standard charcoal broiler and deck chairs
that so often decorate small patios and backyards!