Atlanta

Pokemon Go comes to the gardens

Posted on July 14, 2016 by usjapanesegardens

The online game Pokemon Go has taken a giant leap outdoors. The impact on gardens in the United States was immediate and not always pleasant.

Roji-en fell victim to overly enthusiastic Pokemon Go players in the first days following release of the new game.

Roji-en at the Morikami Museum and Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida, immediately took to social media posting photographs of damage to trees and benches. Pleas were made for common sense as The Morikami set out a few ground rules.

“Attention all Pokemon Trainers: As your teams vie for supremacy over each other, we ask you to keep a few ground rules in mind:
“Please be respectful of our property and natural resources. Stay on the designated paths at all times—absolutely no climbing on the trees!
“No vandalism of any kind will be tolerated in the garden.
“Please respect your fellow visitors, which includes refraining from disruptive behavior, such as running or yelling.
“The garden is for everyone; let’s make sure we can all enjoy it!”

Within a few hours of their post, The Morikami had more than 300 comments on Facebook. The perpetrators were located and apologies made.

The Atlanta Botanical Gardens invited Pokemon fans to post their screenshots. “We hear the Garden is a GREAT place to catch ’em all, and we’re super excited to have several Pokéstops as well.” Visitors are encouraged to share screenshots ‪#‎pokemonGO‬

The Birmingham (Alabama) Botanical Gardenis having a “Catch ‘Em All” event in the gardens tomorrow (July 15).

At the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the game has obsessed players trespassing at night to gain more points. John VanderHaagen, public relations manager, said Meijer Gardens staff are thrilled that droves of Pokemon Go players are visiting the gardens, as long as it’s during regular hours.

“We do encourage players to be aware of their surroundings and follow our basic rules of not touching the sculpture and staying on pathways and mowed lawn areas only,” he said in an email.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2016/07/pokemon_go_brings_late-night_t.html

In Hilo, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald ran a font page story today (July 14) that continued to the back page of the front section with many photos by Hollyn Johnson. Just yesterday George DeMello at Sig Zane Designs mentioned the invasion of Lili`uokalani Gardens.

“There’s no place to park and take a walk,” said DeMello. “And the gardens look so lovely.”

http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/local-news/catch-em-if-you-can-pokemon-go-smartphone-game-huge-hit-hilo

Nearby, Banyan Gallery owner Jelena Clay noted an influx of shoppers who were also seeking to capture points in the game.

Have fun, be safe, and respect the gardens.

UPDATE FRIDAY, JULY 15:

A news story from Hawaii News Now published yesterday states that Niantic Inc., the developer of Pokemon Go, says it has corrected a mistake in the app. Users who checked in with iPhones through a Google account found that they were allowing full access to their account information. Niantic says the problem is fixed, but advises users to log out and download the update.

HISTORY:

Geocaching games predate Pokemon Go

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-12/long-before-pokemon-go-there-was-geocaching

UPDATE THURSDAY, JULY 21:

Some gardens are making great use of the increased visitor count. Nikka Yuko in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, has opened in the evening with two different ticket rates: one for those visiting the gardens and another for those wishing to see a movie also.

an example of a character found at Nikka Yuko

view of increased visitor count due to Pokemon Go craze

UPDATE FRIDAY, JULY 22

On the same day Pokemon Go was released in Japan, Izumo Taisha — one of the oldest and most highly regarded Shinto shrines — announced a ban on drones and on playing Pokemon Go on its grounds and surroundings.

http://kotaku.com/pokemon-go-banned-at-a-religious-shrine-in-japan-1784102983

UPDATE: FRIDAY, JULY 28

Hiroshima’s Peace Park reports 30 Pokestops and 3 gyms were in and around an area considered sacred. The city of Hiroshima has asked Pokemon Go’s creators to remove the monsters before the August 6, the annual ceremony of the bombing.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36891787

UPDATE: MONDAY, AUGUST 22

Pokemon Go continues to be the most popular outdoor video game. Recent postings on Instagram give maps to characters in The Morikami in Florida and in Lili`uokalani Gardens in Hilo.

a recent map of Pokemon Go characters at Roji-en, Morikami, Delray Beach, Florida

a recent map of Pokemon Go characters at Lili`uokalani Gardens in Hilo, Hawaii

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Categories: Alabama, Alberta, Atlanta, Birmingham, Canada, Delray Beach, Florida, Georgia, Grand Rapids, Hawaii, Hilo, Japan, Michigan | Tags: Banyan Gallery, Frederick Meijer Gardens, Liliuokalani Gardens, Nikka Yuko, Pokemon Go | Leave a comment

Magnificent shapes and color at Metro Maples

Posted on July 24, 2012 by usjapanesegardens

Part of designing, installing and maintaining any garden is knowing where to go for quality plant material. This is particularly true of Japanese gardens.

At the beginning of our trip, we were thrilled to find Bill Hudgins’ Lush Life Home and Garden in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia. Hudgins is known for the 200-plus varieties of maples he’s collected.

At the mid-point of our journey in Fort Worth, I was quite literally jumping up and down and clapping my hands at the variety I saw when Bill and I drove in to Metro Maples on South Dick Price Road.

There are more than 15,000 maples from which to choose — more than 100 varieties of Japanese and Shantung maples including several patented varieties such as Acer truncatum ‘Fire Dragon’ — in sizes ranging from one-gallon pots up to 45-gallon pots.

Variety and abundance were the words of the day at Metro Maples in Fort Worth.
(photo by Bill F. Eger)

(photo by Bill F. Eger)

a weeping variety
(photo by Bill F. Eger)

Self-described “owner, grafter, salesman, yard man, hose dragger, web updater, bookkeeper” Keith Johansson has been seriously collecting maples, azaleas and rhododendrons in hot climates for 27 years. Jeri Bisel, his wife, and Scott Hubbel, the intern who came for two weeks in 2007 and stayed, round out the full-time crew at Metro Maples. All were on hand the day we visited.

I truly appreciate Keith’s attitude, perhaps best summed up with this remark: ” When walking through the garden, no king ever had it better.”

Scott Hubbel, Keith Johansson, and Jeri Bisel pose near sample plantings around a koi pond, the water from which is used for irrigation.

The company maintains an excellent, informative web site: http://www.metromaples.com/

Metro Maples does not ship. The nursery is open to the public from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Monday through Friday, appointments must be made.

entry sign
(photo by
Bill F. Eger)

the driveway that set me dancing

Keith is the current president of the Maple Society, North America Branch. The fifth international maple symposium plus post-conference tours will be held in Seattle and Portland in October. The conference is October 19-21 and the tour October 22-24. For more information, go to the web site of the Maple Society: http://www.maplesociety.org/

All photos in this blog that are not credited to others are by K.T. Cannon-Eger. Click on any image to see it full size.

Categories: Atlanta, Fort Worth, Georgia, Texas | Tags: Bill Hudgins, fifth international maple symposium, Keith Johansson, maple | Leave a comment

A little something for the railroad fans

Posted on June 29, 2012 by usjapanesegardens

Some of our readers have asked for a little detail on our railroad adventure: what lines we rode, what the stations were like, how was the food and who got the upper berth.

There is no way my husband and I could have made this trip from Atlanta to the San Francisco Bay area if it were not for Amtrak. The same trip by air would have been prohibitively expensive and not nearly as enjoyable.

Everywhere we went, we reveled in the anxiety-free wonder of looking out large windows at the cityscapes and countryside. It’s no wonder that the Amtrak motto is “Change the Way You See the World.”

On the wall of the Grand Junction, Colorado, station is a small sampling of Amtrak posters offering guided train tours.

On every train, we found engaging and delightful conversation with a wide range of fellow travelers from Switzerland, Canada, China, Australia, Holland, France, and so many states that I’ve lost count. Families were traveling with their children and grandchildren. Businesspeople were going to work or coming home from conferences. Young couples were honeymooning, older couples were celebrating wedding anniversaries. All in all a wonderful mix.

Our first train station in Atlanta, Georgia, still had the comfortable old style curved wooden benches with tall globe lamps.

Baggage allotment is similar to that of airplanes in size and weight of luggage to be checked — and we had to do some quick switching to get the large red suitcase lighter by moving several one-pound bags of Hilo Coffee Mill whole bean coffee to the smaller purple suitcase. Giving away omiyage as we went from garden to garden plus mailing home packages of books and gifts purchased kept us at the proper check in weight.

Our first train — #19 on The Crescent Line — arrives in Atlanta to take us to Birmingham, Alabama.

On some legs of this journey, we reserved coach seats. The ride from Atlanta, GA, to Birmingham, AL, had a delayed departure due to a live wire on the tracks somewhere in Virginia, but once underway, proceeded uneventfully. The Crescent Line begins in New York and goes to New Orleans. We quickly learned why our fellow coach passengers traveled with blankets. The AC was cranked up and it was COLD inside that car. Thank goodness for jackets and sweaters.

close-up detail of wire, rock and metal slat combination used to create benches in Railroad Park, Birmingham, AL

Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, a few blocks from the Amtrak station, is full of wide open spaces used by walkers, joggers, symphony performances and yoga classes, to name a few. It was a featured stop on the Birmingham Botanical Garden’s Leaf and Petal Glorious Gardens tour.

The Crescent Line continued from Birmingham, AL, to New Orleans, LA, a day-long trip for which we booked a roomette. I napped in the upper berth using both mattresses as Bill stayed seated upright in the seats below giving him a chance to wander around to the lounge and dining car. This line had some older equipment so our roomette featured a sink and toilet. Shower was down the hall. Seats were wide, roomy and comfortable. In this sleeping car, roomettes lined one side of the car with a narrow windowed aisle on the other side.

poster for the Crescent Line — loved the graphics throughout this journey

The New Orleans, Louisiana, train station features some of the most amazing frescoes I’ve seen in a long time. The New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (NOUPT) was designed in 1949 and opened in 1954 at which time it was considered an ultra-modern facility.

Featured are 120 feet (2,166 square feet) of murals depicting New Orleans and Louisiana history painted by Conrad A. Albrizio with the assistance of James Fisher. Albrizio was a renown art professor at Louisiana State University. The murals in four parts depict the ages of exploration, colonization, conflict and the modern age. The murals were restored after Hurricane Katrina.

For more information on New Orleans’ railroad history dating back to 1831, see the Amtrak link: http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/NOL/Station_view

one section of the colonization panel

one section of the exploration panel

New Orleans is served by three lines: Crescent, City of New Orleans with service to Chicago, and Sunset Limited with service to Los Angeles. Our next leg of the journey would be aboard the Sunset Limited which used to go all the way from Los Angeles to Orlando, Florida but the section of track beyond New Orleans has yet to be replaced after Hurricane Katrina. Our train left New Orleans before noon and arrived in San Antonio, Texas in the middle of the night.

one version of the Sunset Limited poster

From San Antonio to Chicago, with several stops along the way, we were aboard the Texas Eagle. Sometimes we were in coach. For the long leg from Fort Worth, TX, to St. Louis, MO, we were in another roomette, this one in newer equipment that featured roomettes on both sides of a central aisle.

K.T.’s window seat in coach with plenty of leg and elbow room, loads of space for carry-on baggage above plus beneath seats. Note the different color tags stuck in a rail indicating to the conductor that passenger’s stop.

Bill enjoys the view from the large windows in this typical roomette. The upper berth drops down to just above the top edge of the window — still plenty of headroom for the person in the lower seat, but the upper berth in some sleeping cars can be rather close to the ceiling of the car.

Categories: Alabama, Amtrak, Atlanta, Birmingham, California, Chicago, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, New Orleans, San Antonio, San Francisco, Texas | Tags: railroad, train | 6 Comments

The Carter Center and The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum

Posted on June 2, 2012 by usjapanesegardens

Located about two miles from downtown Atlanta are The Carter Center: Advancing Human Rights and Alleviating Suffering and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, two separate entities on Freedom Parkway. At the heart of these buildings is a large garden, part of which is a Japanese garden designed by Kinsaku Nakane and donated by the YKK Corporation. The garden contains many species of azalea, rhododendron, Japanese maple. river birch, camellia, golden raintree and barberry. The garden is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, although access through the library building must wait until opening hours.

This vantage point is at the farthest edge of the large, lower pond looking back toward Kinsaku Nakane’s waterfalls. The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum building is visible at the upper right.

The larger waterfall visible behind the lantern is dedicated to former President Jimmy Carter and the smaller to his wife Rosalyn, according to a garden brochure.

Categories: Atlanta, Georgia | Tags: Japanese garden, Jimmy Carter, Kinsaku Nakane, President | 1 Comment

More on the Atlanta Botanical Garden

Posted on June 2, 2012 by usjapanesegardens

This information comes from Amanda Campbell, horticulturist at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

“In the 1960s the Atlanta Bonsai Society began a Japanese Garden which was largely a collection of bonsai plants. It was a charming and restful little garden, but it was eventually vandalized and the bonsai were stolen, so the Bonsai Society gave it up. In 1980 the Japanese Garden was restored as part of the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Initially the Japanese Garden had no water, and white sand was used to form “pools”. In a 1984 renovation, water replaced the sand. In 1996-97 the garden was renovated once again by a generous gift made possible by the Bonsai Society, the Cherokee Garden Club, the Ivy Garden Club and Mrs. Ferst. The structures, including the stone wall, were designed and constructed by Toshihiro Sahara.

“The design combines several styles of traditional Japanese gardens, including elements of a hill-and-pond garden, courtyard garden and tea garden. The chozubachi stone basin is used in a purification ritual before the tea ceremony. It is placed on the ground so that one must crouch over it to rinse the hands and mouth, therefore humbling and clearing the mind. The machiai (pronounced mah-chee-eye) or tea garden waiting bench is a place to rest, reflect, and enjoy the garden.

“The Japanese Garden is basically a monochromatic garden; nearly everything is green, with variation of texture and shading. Color is used sparingly to highlight seasonal change – irises and azaleas bloom in spring, maples change color and drop their leaves in the fall. However most of plants used are evergreen. Reverence of nature is the guiding philosophy in Japanese gardening. The main garden primarily contains plants from Japan, while the surrounding gardens highlight interesting plants from all over Asia.

A sweetly subtle way to acknowledge a donor — the name is inscribed on a stepping stone leading to the machiai.

“A collection of harp-string nandinas, or kinshi nanten, were added during the 1997 renovation. These rare cultivars were popular in Japan from the 1600s to the 1800s. Also of interest are a number of dwarf conifers and Japanese maples. The large pine tree is a Virginia scrub pine, Pinus virginiana. It is planted and trimmed to give the appearance of great age. Other noteworthy trees include the weeping Japanese persimmon, Diospyros kaki, in the corner, the Stewartia monadelpha against the fence, and the weeping Japanese snowbell, Styrax japonica, next to the east gate. On the right are two groupings of Equisetum hyemale, or horsetail. This prehistoric plant is related to ferns, but it is not a fern and has no leaves or fronds. It reproduces by spores and spreads underground like bamboo.

“The Moon Gate, typically a feature of Chinese Gardens, was completed in 1985. When the moon gate was built it was necessary to cut the round window in the back of the machiai because it is essential to have a vista through the gate. Twice blooming Autumn Encore azaleas have been planted here. They bloom in spring and fall.

“The large lantern at the southwest entrance (near the hydrangea garden) is over 300 years old. It was donated by Minaminippon Broadcasting Co. in Kagoshima, Japan, Atlanta’s sister city, in 1963.”

lantern by the back gate

The horticultural staff maintains the Japanese garden, contracting out a few chores. For example, the gate to the tea house was removed and sent out to repair termite damage.

Toshihira Sahara mentioned above not only ran Architectural Woodworks in Atlanta, but also served as minister for a small Japanese congregation.

Categories: Atlanta, Georgia | Tags: azalea, iris, lantern, maple, Sister City, tea garden, Toshihiro Sahara | Leave a comment

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Posted on June 1, 2012 by usjapanesegardens

The Japanese garden now incorporated in the 30-acre Atlanta Botanical Garden predates ABG by many years. It is the oldest part of ABG. A small sign inside the entry path notes the Japanese garden is undergoing renovation.

The Japanese Garden Research Network notes that pruned pines in this garden are Virginia pines, Pinus virginian. Maple, azalea, bamboo, and iris are among many plants inside and adjacent to this small walled garden.

The July 2011 issue of Southern Living contained an article on the entire ABG and 2010 expansion that doubled its area to the present size. http://www.southernliving.com/travel/south-east/what-to-do-at-atlanta-botanical-garden-00417000074415/

Moon gate just outside the Japanese garden at Atlanta Botanical Garden with a pruned pine to the right of this photo. A small lantern tucked into the greenery at the beginning of this path is featured later in this post.

Perpendicular to and beyond the Moon Gate to its right is another entry. This view shows two of the three walls (at the right) enclosing the garden.

Inside the walls, a waterfall and stream course by blooming iris and clipped azalea then pass under a small curved stone bridge.

Some of the recently completed renovations…

a small lantern tucked in to the greenery near the entry path leading to the Moon Gate

maple near the machiai

Categories: Atlanta, Georgia | Tags: Japanese garden, lantern, maple, pine | Leave a comment

The Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead

Posted on May 31, 2012 by usjapanesegardens

Walk through the gleaming brass doors, held open by a genuinely friendly staff member, and the first thing that will catch your eye is the three story waterfall designed by Takeo Uesugi of TUA Inc. I perused the landscape architect’s site before coming here to Atlanta. You may see more of Mr. Uesugi’s work at http://www.tuainc.com/ especially in the portfolio section of the site. A little more detail on Mr. Uesugi’s life and work is available in a Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeo_Uesugi

We first became acquainted at the International Conference on Japanese Gardens Outside of Japan held in Long Beach, California, in March 2009. I have seen Mr. Uesugi’s work in Long Beach, San Diego, Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Malibu, but this was my first visit to one of his garden designs outside of California. This garden opened with the hotel in 1990 when it was the Hotel Nikko. Hyatt purchased the property in 1997 and put $5.6 million in to renovations in 2000.

The waterfall at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta is visible from the lobby, the Onyx Bar, the Cassis restaurant on a level lower than the lobby, from windows in a hallway connecting the elevators on the third floor to the pool area, from the pool area and a veranda outside the elevator area on the third floor and from several rooms facing that side of the hotel. It drops from a flat area that includes a small garden with several typical features: trimmed shrubs, tsukubai, bamboo thicket, machiai, dry stream bed, and well arranged stone work.

The waterfall cascades from the third floor pool level, divides in two and lands in a pool with a rock beach on a small island with a maple and a lantern set in the pond. The pond is surrounded by plantings of pine, azalea and bamboo.

View from the third floor veranda at the top of the falls, looking toward the table from which the previous image was taken.

The view immediately to the right of the previous image: The third floor veranda leads to one entry to the small garden. The other entry is from the pool side refreshment area.

Update 2016: It is with deep sadness that we report Takeo Uesugi died 26 January 2016 at his home in California following a battle with cancer. He was 75 years of age. A link to an obituary in the Los Angeles Times listing his many achievements follows. Our heartfelt condolences to his family and coworkers.

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-takeo-uesugi-20160218-story.html

Categories: Atlanta, Georgia | Tags: azalea, Hyatt, Japanese garden, lantern, maple, pine, Takeo Uesugi, waterfall | 2 Comments

a private garden tucked away in the woods

Posted on May 30, 2012 by usjapanesegardens

Atlanta is a beautiful city featuring a green canopy of established trees in many areas. Some residents have chosen to augment their woods. The owner of this property designed this garden, moving many established maple trees from his previous property some 15 years ago.

This magnificent lantern is quite tall, setting the scene in the entry garden.

A small bridge crosses a stream between the driveway and the main entrance to the home. Perfectly clipped bushes and a collection of maples highlighted the soothing atmosphere of this front yard.

Near the front door, a rustic wooden bench provides a resting spot to enjoy all the details of this area by the front door.

Categories: Atlanta, Georgia | Tags: lantern, maple | 2 Comments

at last! a computer connection and Lush Life Home and Garden photos are available

Posted on May 29, 2012 by usjapanesegardens

Japanese Sunrise is one of many maples offered by the garden division of Lush Life on Andrews Avenue in the Buckhead area of Atlanta.

We learned the other day in Atlanta that our iPad would not support upload of photos to this blog. Aaack! And the Dell PC suddenly decided it could receive e-mail but not send any replies. Double Aaack! So here we are in Fayette Alabama outside Birmingham with some things working again. Must be the company of long-time good friends.

Here are a few photos of our visit to Lush Life Home and Garden at 146 Andrews in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, not too far from where we stayed at the Grand Hyatt in order to see Takeo Uesugi’s garden there.

The boutique offers “sophisticated and stylish decor for inside and outside the home” and a fabulous selection of plants perfect for Japanese gardens including many unusual maples.

Check out their web site at: http://www.lushlifehomegarden.com

In the Buckhead area of Atlanta, we visited a garden and floral shop, Lush Life. The abundant nursery compliments the delightfully appointed showroom. The owner’s personal garden was part of the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s tour over the Mother’s Day weekend. Bill Hudgins was traveling in London for the Chelsea Flower Show. His personnel were most helpful.

There was something to see and admire at every turn through the well appointed shop, Lush Life on Andrews in Atlanta’s Buckhead area.

The terraced back yard behind the shop offers a variety of indoor and outdoor plants, jardiniere, garden ornaments and trellises.

parking and demonstration plantings in front of Lush Life in Atlanta — store hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Categories: Atlanta, Georgia | Tags: Bill Hudgins, garden shop, gift shop, maple | 1 Comment