Hidden Landscape Gems Anderson Japanese Gardens

Anderson Japanese Gardens

by Heather Prince

Anderson Japanese Gardens Rockford, Illinois 815.229.9390 andersongardens.org Due to Covid-19, please check Anderson Japanese Gardens website for up-to-date hours.

Anderson Japanese Gardens began in 1978 when Rockford businessman John Anderson, inspired by a visit to the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon, contracted renowned garden designer Hoichi Kurisu to create a Japanese-style landscape along Spring Creek in Rockford at the base of forested bluffs. In 1998, John and Linda donated the gardens, and they opened as a not-for-profit destination for anyone seeking inspiration and solace.

These elegant gardens offer many private and public spaces as you explore the stone paths, ponds, waterfalls, nooks, and crannies. One special space is the guesthouse. “It was intended as an architectural element that could also be used for entertaining,” says Tim Gruner, Curator & Head of Horticulture. “It’s post and beam construction in the sukiya style or the ‘style of tea’, an offshoot of traditional tea house architecture.” To reach the guesthouse you must either pass through the South Gate and meander through a woodland scene or slip inside an opening in the fence to follow the paved path. It is a garden to be stumbled across and discovered. As soon as you cross the threshold from the road, you instantly feel calm settle over your shoulders. Surrounded by the music of water, “It’s nestled at the base of the hill with a waterfall tumbling over stones, a small stream and a viewing pond,” observes Gruner. “It is designed to provide the basic function of a tea garden where the idea is you are escaping the trouble, clutter, and noise of daily life. This concept goes all the way back to 16th century Japan with that conscious design aesthetic that transports you away, be it

to a mountain path or a rustic retreat.”

The path leads around the corner of the building to a wide deck and a raked gravel garden. “This particular gravel garden is different than most. Instead of being within a rectangular walled space, the plants and trees create the enclosure,” Gruner points out. “The idea is to create a void — an empty space. It is not about all the flowers or plants or ‘the stuff’, it’s about the space created, the space between the branches. It creates respite.” As you follow the paths, listen as the water changes tune with each step. “This is a water-rich garden. The idea of water flowing is present throughout. Kurisu described the concept as water droplets slowly collecting to form a stream to a waterfall to a pond. Each water element creates a soundscape to calm the mind and open the senses, bringing you more in touch with nature,” says Gruner.

Japanese gardens are one of the most labor-intensive garden styles. Each element is carefully wrought. “This garden functions like a bento box. Each plant or tree is beautiful on its own, but it also must work together as a composition. It’s not a stir fry. Trees, for example, have to have individual character to be noticed but also fit into the context and have it all look effortlessly natural,” Gruner explains. Explore this and the rest of the gardens in spring, summer, and fall, as each scene evolves with the seasons.

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