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| Photo Credit: Lane Greer |
| Water and stone – two of the five essential elements of a Chinese garden – are present in the garden’s waterfalls. |
From humble beginnings come great gardens. And the Garden of Awakening Orchids is no exception.
The Portland Classical Chinese Garden in Portland, OR, sits on what used to be a downtown parking lot. Eight years ago, Northwest Natural Gas sold the land, equal to one city block, to the city for $1. Today the new garden is full of beautiful plants, buildings, waterfalls and even a lake.
There are five basic elements to a Chinese garden, and all are present in this fair Portland oasis:
1. Plants. Ninety percent of the plants in the garden are of Chinese origin. They include selections such as ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), nandina (Nandina domestica) and tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa).
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| Photo Credit: Lane Greer |
| This beautiful stone passageway leads from the Courtyard of Tranquility into the inner depths of the garden. |
2. Stone. In Chinese culture, stone represents the masculine. All the stone in the Portland garden, even the pebbles making up the sidewalks and courtyard floors, was imported from China. The intricate floor designs are beautiful, but they’re also functional, designed to massage your feet as you walk.
3. Architecture. The Portland garden has nine pavilions and a teahouse.
4. Poetry. Throughout the garden, written in Chinese characters, are reminders of what gardens mean and how we should focus our minds while visiting them.
5. Water. There are several waterfalls and a lake (Lake Zither) within the garden.
Before you enter the garden proper, you’re greeted by the Three Friends of Winter: red pine (Pinus densiflora), Japanese plum (Prunus mume ‘Alba’) and black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra). These three are often grown together – for their beauty, as well as for their winter interest and symbolism. This is just the beginning.
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