Kubota Gardens

After bemoaning the disappointing and questionable "improvements" to the Botanical Garden nearest my home I went in search of a replacement spot in which to refresh my heart and just generally be jolly in. I found it in the most unlikely place! Near to Boeing field and other industrial complexes is this oasis now owned by the Seattle Park Department. It abounds with ponds with stone bridges of all sorts. Some are arched with red railings that cartwheel alongside, some are stones set an easy step apart often with a patch of small reeds nestled against the stone's lee side of the waters flow, some are large carved stone rectangles laid from the shore to an islandette, midway across, with a delicate cherry tree or maple placed to offer shade should you decide to linger there before stone rectangling across to the other side. And everywhere is the sound of water plinking over stones bringing fresh water to the ponds below. Butterflies, dragonflies, water striders, and flamingly red and golden Koi festooned the pond surfaces with flashes of color. The Koi were huge, simply glowing in that murky water but I must admit, that though gorgeous, they didn't look all that intelligent (often said about me w/out the 'gorgeous' caveat). But these specimens obviously landed on their feet, metaphorically speaking, to be so healthy and happy.

One of the aspects that I found appealing about this garden is that it is not overly groomed. (Discovered in speaking w/Marcia, a park employee, that there are only 3 of them for the entire grounds and their hours have been reduced due to budget cuts). The trees have a bit of dead wood, needles that need clearing, seed heads need popping off to encourage new blossoms on the perennials, dandelions abound in several of the small wayside verges and here and there fireweed can be spotted towering above the smaller azaleas. In other words, it feels like home. It invites you to do a bit of light weeding as you wander, asks you please to join in and engage. Encourages you to steward the spot you are admiring ever so lightly, like proffering a small environmental pat of fellowship, benevolence, affinity. I loved it there!

I also loved very much the fact that you can in all places reach the water, you can dabble your feet if you desire and there are many opportunities to walk along the deeper pond edges on 12" stone ledges that for those of us who remain 10 years old are completely compelling. It was while doing just this that I spotted a turtle atop a rock sunning itself, a veritable Yertl of a turtle and I fell immediately in love. (If you are not familiar w/Yertl, you might want to become so, especially gladders who lives w/Reg, for there are many Yertl's that one comes into contact with in life, often at work I find). I posted a photo of the turtle and a few other photos of the garden on my blipfolio if you wish to look. Below is some information about the garden that you might enjoy reading...

From their pamphlet..."The Story of Seattle's American-Japanese Garden"
1879 Fujitaro Kubota is born in Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku Island, Japan
1907 Mr. Kubota emigrates to the United States of America
1923 The Kubota Gardening Company is established
1927 Mr. Kubota acquires five acres of logged-off swampland in the Ranier Beach neighborhood of Seattle, Washington
1930's The Japanese Garden is completed; The Heart Bridge is built
1962 The Mountainside is completed
1970's The Moon Bridge is completed (I believe this is the bridge in my photo)
1972 The Japanese Government awards the Fifth Class Order of the Sacred Treasure
to Mr. Kubota
1973 Fujitaro Kubota dies at the age of 94 years
1981 The Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board designates the four-and-a-half acre core
Garden as an Historical Landmark
1987 The City of Seattle acquires the Garden from the Kubota family
1989 The Kubota Garden Foundation is incorporated as a non-profit organization
1999 The Tom Kubota Stroll Garden is built
2004 Tom Kubota dies at the age of 87 years

Inscription on the Memorial Stone:
"Fujitaro Kubota was born in 1879, in Kochi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan. He immigrated to America in 1907 and established his home. In 1927 he acquired this land in order to make a large garden. With his own hands he cleared the land, dug several ponds and cut the trees to build the garden. Mr. Kubota studied landscaping, suffered hard work and put great effort into this project. The garden was finally completed in 1962 and in that year this memorial stone was erected. It was the eighty-third year of Fujitaro Kubota."

Thank you, Mr. Kubota. Your work is finished and lives on. xx

Happy weekend to all, I'm making marmalade, reading, gardening and playing with friends. Hope yours is even happier for you! Tomorrow I will post, promise, the little story of dad's trip to follow my grandfather's trail.