Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/133552
Going Green Green is the dominant color in a Japanese garden. Symbolic in many cultures, spring is the only time of the year in which the Japanese garden has multiple colors. While there are no cultivated flowerbeds in Rotary Botanical Gardens' Japanese landscape, blooming trees like redbuds, crabapples and magnolias give the garden bursts of whites, pinks and fuchsias, reminding visitors of both rebirth and awakening. Though Japanese cherry trees are culturally appropriate, they're just not hardy in Wisconsin, says Dwyer. Water Water Everywhere Water as an element brings sound, movement and reflection into the garden. Whether it is a symbolic tribute to water, like Rotary Botanical Gardens' raked gravel sea, or a small pond or waterfall, a constant flow of H20 is essential. If you have space for a larger body, you can incorporate picturesque bridges, like Rotary Gardens' popular Arch Bridge, painted in traditional Japanese green and red, or its Zig-zag bridge which is said to help you lose evil spirits that may be following you. June 2013 bravamagazine.com 51