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Garden name

A Beautiful Paradise (Making memories with a green poem)

Designer

Kazuyuki Ishihara

Awards

Silver Flora

Photo

A Beautiful Paradise (Making memories with a green poem) garden

Description of garden

This garden is based on the idea of Satoyama, a Japanese term which describes a rural idyll, such as that existing at the foot of mountains or in small villages. It also means 'living close to nature' and is about people's experiences of living in this rural utopia.

In this garden, moving water is the medium to transporting you into Satoyama. Four waterfalls around the garden splash into pools evoking lush Japanese landscape whilst relaxing the mind.

A York stone path leads up to a little white house, painted white to represent the wind. It's a private shrine where you can go and listen to the wind and water in the rest of the garden.

A small stream winds through a forest of maple trees, their leaves casting shadows on the water giving it an illusion of depth. Pools at the front of the garden are also used to create an illusion but this time of space.

Kazuyuki Ishihara has used a limited number of species, such as Acer, Iris and Pachysandra. He explains that an essential part of Japanese garden design is to use a limited palette of plants but still explore texture, colour and form.

Inspiration / influences

This garden is inspired by Mr Ishihara's childhood memories of playing in the hills in the countryside and the concept of the rural idyll 'Satoyama'. Mr Ishihara set about designing his garden but in March, when the Japanese earthquakes and tsunamis wreaked devastation on his country, 'Satoyama' took on new meaning. Now the garden doesn't just represent the past but also the future, and he wants the garden to "Give energy and encouragement to the people of Japan".

Photo

Kazuyuki Ishihara in the A Beautiful Paradise (Making memories with a green poem) garden

List of plants planned in the garden

Acer palmatum - Japanese maple

Iris sibirica - Siberian iris

Viburnum plicatum - Japanese snowball bush

Pachysandra

Also

Kazuyuki Ishihara started out life as a motorbike racer, but moved into Japanese flower arrangement and then ran his own flower shops. He eventually moved into garden design as a result of being asked by so many customers to do their gardens.

Has won three Chelsea Flower Show Gold medals.

Links

List of 2011 show gardens - Chelsea Flower Show

Chelsea Flower Show photographs

TV schedule - Chelsea Flower Show

List of 2011 show gardens - Chelsea Flower Show

Archive: Meet the 2010 garden designers