We've been thinking a lot about our first responders.A medical professional recently shared how his membership to Anderson Japanese Gardens has helped him through COVID-19. His job has required additional obligations and long, stressful hours; and like many medical staff, he was exhausted this past summer. He found a natural way to destress and solace in the Garden. It has calmed him when he had anxiety. The Gardens have helped him see the pandemic as a season that is always changing, and moving forward. The beauty of the Gardens have brought him peace and tranquility when nothing else could. He is reminded of what is important: nature, family, and community.Thank you to our generous donors for supporting our first responders in times of uncertainty!Find out more about us here: https://andersongardens.org/

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Winter sunrises are magical.What do you love about winter?

Monday, February 22, 2021

Looking for a fun activity to do at home with your kids? Katie Weston, AJG Program and Events Manager, shows you how to make fun art projects with materials from your own back yard!https://www.facebook.com/AndersonJapaneseGardens/videos/733563733966911

Saturday, February 20, 2021

A donor recently shared her memories of growing up camping and hiking. Her family took a road trip every summer to a different National Park, hiking through the quiet wilderness together. She loved the feeling nature gave her, filling her with peace and contentment. The first time she came to the Gardens, she felt that wonderful childhood contentment again. That is why she donates to Anderson Japanese Gardens; the feeling our Garden evokes within her, and that everlasting joy when one is quietly surrounded by nature's beauty. Your donations allow others to be surrounded by beauty and contentment. Thank you!

Friday, February 19, 2021

One kind word can warm three winter months. Japanese proverb

Friday, February 19, 2021

West Waterfall Construction Part 3:Photo 1: In the Spring of 1989 progress continued on the construction of the West Waterfall. One by one the boulders were positioned to create the twenty-foot-tall lower falls. In total, there were thirty days of rock setting, all guided by master garden craftsman Hoichi Kurisu with the support of his crew in tandem with the Anderson Japanese Garden team. The first course of boulders was set upon a four-foot thick, steel-reinforced concrete slab. In total, 750 tons of glacial erratic boulders would be utilized on the project.Photo 2: To ensure long-term stability, four-inch-deep holes were drilled in multiple places on the backside of each boulder. Steel rods were then inserted into the holes with the opposite end of the steel rod welded to the steel wall. The image illustrates this method, as viewed from the top. The space between the wall and the boulder would then be filled with concrete.Photo 3: With boulder work on the steel wall nearly complete, the crew turns its attention to creating the spillway of the waterfall. Note the heavy steel reinforcement of the stream bed as the concrete is put in place.Photo 4:With the concrete still wet, Mr. Kurisu orchestrates the position of a boulder as it hangs from the crane. The rock shown is part of the small dam that holds water in the pond at the very bottom of the lower falls. The boulder will split the water cascading over the dam creating part of the dynamic, seemingly ‘made by nature’ form of the falls. Every aspect of the waterfall’s design is informed by patterns in nature.Next week we will follow the project as it moves up the steep slope to the top of the hill!#throwbackthursday

Thursday, February 18, 2021

The word Roji, another name for a tea garden, can have the meaning “the dewy path to spiritual enlightenment” and is reflected in the stepping-stone path to the tea hut. The transition into the tea garden should give the sense of leaving a structured environment and entering a remote, natural setting of hills or valleys, a rustic scene. The tea garden serves to disconnect those who enter it from worldly pomp and circumstance, to strip away cares and concerns, and to prepare them for the ritual of drinking tea with friends.

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Enjoy the sounds of the forest and the craftsmanship that went into creating one of Bach’s most recognizable melodies. #meditationmonday

Monday, February 15, 2021

Here is a fun family activity, a Winter Scavenger Hunt! Print out a copy, or screenshot the image on your phone, and check off the items that you find. Search your yard or neighborhood!

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Saucer magnolia is a very popular flowering tree with spectacular, large purple and white flowers. Since the tree blooms so early in the spring, flower buds are formed in the fall and are fuzzy. Check out winters’ fuzzy buds and the flowers that will soon follow!

Friday, February 12, 2021