Tsubo-en Zen-garden diary

Midoritsumi or ‘green picking’ the pine-trees: Continued

Karesansui — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:26:56 +0000

In Midoritsumi or ‘green picking’ the pine-trees I first wrote about this annual mandatory “bud pinching” activity. This year, with our first Frost damage due to minimum temperatures as low as -22,9 °C (-9.2F), growth of most plants, including the Pinus densiflora, Japanese Red Pine started a few weeks late.

The photo to the left shows the [...]

Shumi-sen or Mount Sumeru, in historical perspective

Karesansui — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:51:43 +0000

In the garden book Sakuteiki 5 “Creating a garden” is expressed as “setting stones”, ishi wo taten koto; literally, the “act of setting stones upright.”

At the time the Sakuteiki was written, the placement of stones was perceived as the primary act of gardening. Similar expressions are also used in the text, however, to [...]

Frost damage, to survive or to die ?

Karesansui — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:20:52 +0000

As mentioned in my earlier post Tracks in the snow we had an unusual winter with extreme frost. This is the first time ever that we have substantial frost damage.

Although we have previously had these low temperatures and minor damages, the combination of factors this year was very different and fatal to some [...]

Tracks in the snow

Karesansui — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:54:14 +0000

After an extreme delay the winter has now commenced. Last week we got about 20 cm (8 inch) snow. We also had the pleasure to be the coldest spot in the country with -22,9 °C (-9.2F).

It’s exciting to find trails in the snow of “wild creature”. While we have no clue what wildlife [...]

Late winter or no winter 2011/2012

Karesansui — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:09:13 +0000

So far we have not seen any real winter weather. It is more like an extremely long autum.

Last week we had the very first frost of this season on Monday 16th and Tuesday 17nd of January 2012. This is exceptionally late! And it actually lasted only 2 nights, and only just below 0°C.

What [...]

Wisteria sinensis winter pruning

Karesansui — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:17:25 +0000

Over winter the Wisteria side shoots need to get pruned back to 6 to 10 cm long (2.5 – 4 inch), leaving only 2 or 3 buds on the side-shoots. These will be the flowering spurs on the Wisteria.

This pruning should be carried out each year. The only shoots to be left untouched [...]

Японский Сад «Цубо-Ен», Japanese garden “Tsubo-en” in Ukraine magazine

Karesansui — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:22:38 +0000

An article about our garden written by Olga van Saane has been published in September 2011 issue of the garden-magazine “Neskuchniy Garden” («Нескучный Сад») in Ukraine.

An abstract of the article, in the Russian-language, can also be found on the blog of the article author.

Posts you might also like:Late winter [...]

Most beautiful spot in province of Flevoland nomination

Karesansui — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:25:51 +0000

Yes! With 24 other places we have been nominated as “Most beautiful spot in the province of Flevoland“.

The search of this spot is to commemorate the fact that this year our province officially exists 25 year. The inauguration was on 27 Juni 1985 but the work to create this “New land” [...]

Abies procera “Glauca” (Noble Fir) tidy-up

Karesansui — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:35:11 +0000

This is part of the activity I discussed in Niwaki-trees annual pruning and trimming for shape and size. Because of the exceptional attributes of this Abies I wanted to show some additional photo’s, and here they are. This is about our Abies procera “Glauca” (Noble Fir or Blue Noble Fir).

In its native [...]

Niwaki-trees annual pruning and trimming for shape and size

Karesansui — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 07:24:25 +0000

Most of the solitary trees need one major annual treatment of pruning and trimming for shape and size.

After 12 years in our garden, most trees ar some 15 to 17 years of age and have now reached the right size and often the right shape. It is in particular the shape that can [...]