Exploring a hidden Japanese garden in Sydney | Garden Design and Inspiration | Gardening Australia

The Japanese Garden is a major drawcard for visitors to the Auburn Botanic Gardens, about 20km west of Sydney. It’s easy to see why. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe Generally associated with Shinto shrines, the impressive red “Torrii” gate marks the entry to the Japanese garden, and, just as it does in Japan, signifies the transition into a revered space. Large ornamental lake, traditional tea house, bridges, man-made waterfalls and seats encourage visitors to sit contemplatively and reflect. The design of this area draws inspiration from the famous Ryoan-ji Zen Buddhist Temple Garden in Kyoto, Japan, which can be seen through the “dry landscaping” elements of the garden. Raked “gravel”, small mountains, rock formations and the large stone steps across the lake area all draw inspiration from the kare-sansui (meaning traditional Japanese rock gardening). The result is peaceful, meditative, and evokes the essence of nature, rather than imitating it. Coming into bloom right now are the cherry blossoms, a visual feast so spectacular that the Botanic Gardens hold a nine-day festival to celebrate, the annual event attracting thousands of visitors. “It’s our version of Hanami” explains Paul Clark, Supervisor of Premium Parks for Cumberland Council. Hanami is a traditional Japanese custom of welcoming spring, appreciating of the temporal beauty of nature - a celebration of the transient beauty of flowers, a sharing of food, drink, song and friendship under the blooming cherry blossoms. The Blossoms: The first to bloom every year is the Prunus campanulata, the Taiwanese Cherry. “They’re our indicator blooms. They flower first, and let us know that our main display is right on track and due in a week or two!” Although the Taiwanese Cherry isn’t the main draw card, it is nothing short of stunning with masses of single, bell-shaped deep cerise to magenta flowers, held for a short time. “This is a nice, neat tree” says Paul “and makes a good specimen in a home garden, given its narrow shape. It also does well in a warmer climate, so it’s not a bad option”. The ‘original’ cherry blossom tree is the Japanese Flowering Cherry, Prunus serrulata, also commonly called Sakura. “This is the tree that launched a thousand cherry blossom festivals in Japan” laughs Paul. While there are several present throughout the Auburn Botanic Gardens, Paul finds they aren’t the best performing tree in the garden. “They flower mid-late season here, and there are some great cultivars available, but they are better in a cooler climate than Sydney”. Prunus x blireiana, the double-flowering plum, is the star of the show cherry blossom show here, with Paul explaining that “60 percent of the main blossom display is this variety”. This cultivar of ornamental plum is a cross between the Japanese Apricot (Prunus mume) and the Purple-leaved Plum (Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardi’) and is the gardens preferred tree for a number of reasons. “We’ve just found it’s the most suited to the Sydney climate, more so than the Japanese one” says Paul. Home Gardens: Would this make a suitable feature plant in home gardens for anyone wanting to host their own Hanami? “Absolutely” says Paul “This one would always be my top pick – great vase shape, and only gets to around 4m tall with a similar spread”. And the biggest bonus of this variety, according to the gardeners at Auburn? “It’s sterile, so it doesn’t produce fruits, which means less cleaning up for us” laughs Paul (many of the ornamental varieties produce inedible fruits). This variety blooms on one to three-year-old wood, so they should be pruned after flowering is complete. Paul's tips for growing at home: plant in a spot that doesn’t get smashed by wind, or you’ll lose the blossoms quickly. They love moist, well-drained fertile soils and a spot in full sun is best. Featured Plants: TAIWAN CHERRY - Prunus campanulata JAPANESE CHERRY - Prunus serrulata PURPLE-LEAFED PLUM - Prunus x blireana CAMELLIA - Camellia cv. JAPANESE BOX - Buxus microphylla cv. AZALEA - Rhododendron sp. JAPANESE RED PINE - Pinus densiflora Filmed on Dharug Country | Auburn, NSW ___________________________________________ Gardening Australia is an ABC TV program providing gardening know-how and inspiration. Presented by Australia's leading horticultural experts, Gardening Australia is a valuable resource to all gardeners through the television program, the magazine, books, DVDs and extensive online content. Watch more: http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/gard... Facebook: Facebook: gardeningaustralia Instagram: Instagram: gardeningaustralia Web: http://www.abc.net.au/gardening ___________________________________________ This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation YouTube channel. Contributions may be removed if they violate ABC's Online Conditions of Use http://www.abc.net.au/conditions.htm (Section 3).