{"id":12242,"date":"2026-04-19T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/?p=12242"},"modified":"2026-04-17T13:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T20:29:08","slug":"the-serenity-of-kubota-garden-in-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/gardens\/the-serenity-of-kubota-garden-in-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"The Serenity of Kubota Garden in Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Kubota<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the first day of spring, two of my daughters, my son-in-law, grandson and I visited Kubota Garden in Rainier Beach, Seattle. It\u2019s a big garden, 20 acres, so we had a nice walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japanese gardens have their own style and philosophy. You shouldn\u2019t expect them to wow you with bright seasonal flowerbeds. Don\u2019t look for trimmed grass, shaped trees, geometric shapes, statues, or paved fountains. Their designers intend to create a tranquil, idealized microcosm of nature, a peaceful place for reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kubota<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you want something to knock your socks off, visit RoozenGaarde in Skagit Valley, WA or Butchart Gardens in British Columbia, Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
RoozenGaarde<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Japanese gardener may plant every tree in the garden, dig holes for ponds, bring in fish and ducks and boulders, but their intention is to make it look natural. They can throw in a cute red bridge and a rugged bench for meditation. That\u2019s okay. But the paths must curve and lead to unseen places. And everything should look wild and spontaneous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kubota
I love this naturally curvy tree.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Kubota
Star magnolia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They work especially well in Western Washington since our climates are similar. Mr. Kubota, the designer and previous owner of Kubota Garden, was a 1907 immigrant from Japan. He started the garden as a nursery for his landscaping business. Unfortunately, his career was interrupted by the Second World War when he and his family were interned at Camp Minidoka<\/a> in Idaho.  After the war, though, he and his sons went back to his work in landscape design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, Mr. Kubota and his sons were the landscapers responsible for the campus grounds<\/a> of my alma mater, Seattle University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the first day of spring, two of my daughters, my son-in-law, grandson and I visited Kubota Garden in Rainier Beach, Seattle. It\u2019s a big garden, 20 acres, so we had a nice walk. Japanese gardens have their own style and philosophy. You shouldn\u2019t expect them to wow you with bright seasonal flowerbeds. Don\u2019t look […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2420,862,2012,1804,1723,2339,1050],"tags":[2772,2773,2770,741,1855,2771,2774],"class_list":["post-12242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beauty","category-gardens","category-park","category-seattle","category-spring","category-tulips","category-washington-state","tag-japanese-gardens","tag-japanese-gardens-vs-western-gardens","tag-kubota-garden","tag-roozengaarde","tag-spring","tag-star-magnolia","tag-waterfall"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Kn1e-3bs","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4333,"url":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/culture\/the-serenity-of-a-japanese-garden\/","url_meta":{"origin":12242,"position":0},"title":"The Serenity of a Japanese Garden","author":"Nicki Chen","date":"November 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"When you walk under the red lacquered torii gate and enter the Japanese Garden at Butchart Gardens, you step into a world that seems far removed from the flashy, showy gardens behind you. 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