hakone - gardens: plants and plantings

Many of the more mature plants found in the garden such as the Japanese maples, hinoki cypress, black pines and other conifers were imported from Japan in 1915-1917 by Naoharu Aihara, the designer of Hakone. The large specimen oaks, madrone, and California laurel were originally on the property and were incorporated into the design of the garden. However, the redwoods were part of the original garden plantings. The surrounding slopes contain an array of native species such as California holly, California lilac, buckeye, and elderberry, which provide a lovely natural background for the garden and brings the man-made landscape into focus.

The camellias are from the private collection of Richard Roggia of Saratoga and were donated to the Garden by his estate in 1974. Many of the 300+ plants are some variety of japonica. Visitors can enjoy their full splendor from December through April.

The area from the tea garden and azumaya, or covered pavilion, to the wisteria arbor is covered with plants. It contains ancient wisteria vines and hinoki cypresses, which Stine loved. It is the predominant conifer at Hakone. This is a particularly fine old grove which includes an equally ancient sawara cypress. The focus of this garden can be seen from the curved bridge and as one ascends the garden path along the edge of the tea garden. Tanso planted two maple trees on the left side of the hill near the cypress hedge in order to balance the view and relate to the old maple, the "tree of the setting sun" which is planted near the azumaya. Azaleas add structure and color. The eye is drawn into the middle by the marumono clipped shrubs of pittosporum and oak. Pine and spruce trees, at the top of the steps, are trimmed to be smaller than the hinokis in the foreground, giving this garden the perspective of distance. Two additional hinoki's were planted by Ishihara to continue the rhythmic movement of trees up the hill and into the distance. At the top of this portion of the garden is the original wisteria arbor, one of Hakone's most spectacular flower blooming sights when it blooms in April.

Kizuna-en contains numerous exotic bamboo imported from Japan and other sources. Some of these varieties cannot be found elsewhere in the United States. The bamboo garden took many years to come to maturity and young divisions have been planted in other areas of Hakone.

The seasons of Hakone provide the visitor an enchanting and ever-changing choreography of color, flowering foliage, plantings and form; especially important to a Japanese-style garden.

Most of the major varieties of plants at Hakone have a small bamboo tag at its base engraved with a number. That number corresponds to the Plant Guide which can be purchased for a modest fee in the Gift Shop. The Plant Guide lists the details of the botanical family name of the plantings, including their variety and additional comments regarding on the specific specimen. There is also a map in the back to mark location of the plants.

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