Bridge over the lake, Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Gardens

A few weeks ago. I finally visited the Auburn Botanic Gardens, a place I had long heard about but really knew nothing about. I went with a group, and we were lucky enough to have a tour of the Japanese garden, which is one of the drawcards of the garden. The Auburn Botanic Gardens is one of only two botanic gardens in NSW run by a local council (the other being the Wollongong Botanic Garden). The Auburn Botanic Gardens were established in 1968 with the allocation of 9.2 hectares of land (formerly used as a rubbish dump) along the Duck River corridor. Council's Head Engineer/Town Planner, Eric Black, was responsible for the concept and design of the gardens.

Clipped Camellia shrubs, Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Garden

Clipped Camellia shrubs, Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Garden

The construction of the gardens began the following year on a completely flat site: all soil for constructing the contours of the landscape had to be brought in. Black's original vision of having gardens representing those from all over the world was curtailed somewhat, but various areas were created, including the Japanese garden, an Australian native garden, a scented garden, a rose garden and a seasonal garden of trees. The gardens were opened in 1977, but over time the gardens have continued to evolve, with other features such as a fauna reserve and Avenue of Remembrance being added, and more recently, a long perennial border.

Lake in the Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Garden

Lake in the Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Garden

As we learned during our tour of the Japanese garden, it was designed mainly by reference to various postcards of Japanese gardens! A red gate marks the entry to the Japanese garden, signifying the transition into a revered space. A Zen Garden with rocks and raked gravel can be seen near the entrance to the garden. The centrepiece of the garden is a large lake, populated by geese, and currently dyed blue to deter algae growth. The lake provides a backdrop for a classic red bridge, and has a waterfall cascading into it and is crossed by steppingstones and a traditional zigzag bridge. It also provides wonderful reflections of a grove of autumn-colouring deciduous trees in early June, including Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) , pistachios (Pistacia chinensis) and tallowwoods (Sapium sebiferum). A Liquidambar styraciflua (not an Asiatic tree) adds to the scene. An annual Autumn Colours Festival is held to celebrate this time of year, as seasonal highlights are important in Japanese garden design.

Dragon hedge in the Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Gardens

Dragon hedge in the Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Gardens

A pathway around the lake is lined with undulating 'dragon hedges' that alternate open and closed spaces, allowing a range of controlled views and vignettes, such that the whole of the garden is never seen at once, following the Japanese garden principle of a 'Garden of One Thousand Views'. The overall focus of the garden is on form rather than flowers, with many plants clipped into shapes, creating mounds and spheres of Japanese box (Buxus microphylla) and azaleas (Rhododendron species and cultivars). Camellia are also clipped.

Massed dwarf Nandina in the Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Gardens

Massed dwarf Nandina in the Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Gardens

Mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus) is extensively used as a mass under trees, forming an effective carpet. Dwarf nandinas (Nandina domestica 'Nana') are also used as a sort of tall groundcover under trees, and their leaves provide tints of bright colour in the cooler months. The taller species, Nandina domestica, is also used in the garden. Restraint in the number of different plants used in the garden provides a sense of calm, but there is sufficient diversity of textures and colours to hold the interest of the eye.

Bamboo screens the teahouse, Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Garden

Bamboo screens the teahouse, Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Garden

Other plantings include groves of towering clumping bamboo, with different coloured stems, and a majestic Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora), which is carefully clipped to a traditional shape; its trunk is also shaved to reveal its new red bark. In shaded areas, Fatsia japonica and Pieris japonica are some Japanese plants that are used. A teahouse seeming to float on the lake forms part of the scene, and the horticultural team is gradually making the plantings around this structure resemble more of a woodland setting, as would be found in a traditional Japanese garden.

Cherry blossom trees are an important feature of Japanese gardens, representing the beauty and fragility of life. An avenue of these was planted near the entrance of the garden, and this is the scene of the Cherry Blossom Festival each year in late August. This has become so popular that it is now a ticketed event. The cherry trees used in this avenue and elsewhere in the garden are Prunus x blireana, a cross between the Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) and the purple-leaved plum (Prunus cerasifera 'Pissardii'), which is suited very well to Sydney's mild climate. This tree has fragrant, double pink flowers. Another cherry that does well in the garden is Prunus campanulata, the Taiwanese Cherry, which flowers a week or so beforePrunus x blireana, with single, bell-shaped cerise to magenta blooms. There are specimens of the more traditional Japanese cherry tree (Prunus serrulata) in the garden, but they do not grow robustly, preferring a cooler climate.

Red pine tree, Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Gardens

Red pine tree, Japanese Garden, Auburn Botanic Gardens

The Japanese garden has changed over time, as some of the original plantings were not specimens that would have been traditionally used, so when some of these get to the end of their life cycle, the current horticultural team replaces them with more authentic plants where possible. The atmosphere in the Japanese garden is serene and peaceful, despite the many visitors present on the day we were there. The residents of Auburn are truly fortunate to have these wonderful botanic gardens available to them. It's hard to imagine that gardens like these would be created these days - such an available parcel of land now would likely be filled with residential tower blocks. The power of plants and nature to bring multiple health and psychological benefits is well established. Green spaces like these are essential in all communities!