Hi there.
A typical summer sky. Rice paddies that have just finished planting are called sanaeda (早苗田). The sanaeda is the beautiful contrast between the small green rice plants and the blue sky reflected in the rice paddies. We can enjoy different sceneries in each season, even though it’s the same place. So, I want to continue to find each beauty of the four seasons.
A Different Challenge Every Year
We created a garden a few years ago. After that, we visit the garden regularly for maintenance, replanting, and communicating with the client. A garden always has its problems, such as the trees growing bigger and bigger and an increasing shady area. Since you see your garden almost every day, you notice such problems in your garden.
Some of the understory plants that were moved to a new location last time suddenly flowered, but some did not. Like people, no two plants are alike. That is why it is challenging to grow a garden. Each plant has its character, and we should be very careful to find a suitable environment. Creating a garden is a never-ending process of trial and error. And we have a desire to stay close to the client to nurture their garden together for a long time.
After some consideration and conversation with the client, I tried various things, such as planting a new one and changing the location.
It can take many years to care for a garden until you are satisfied with it by making small changes. However, I believe that the most important attitude for those who work with nature is to solve problems one by one, bringing the garden closer to the ideal space. Our goal is not to create a garden that is most beautiful when it is created, but a garden that we can nurture through constant trial and error, as shown in this garden.
Even the Chameleon Plant (dokudami), which is called a weed, is lovely when arranged. It seems that the garden reminds us of such familiar nature.