WEI
Yamadori
I was in LA for work and thought I’d make a short detour to Chikugo-en, which is open to visitors by appointment only. There is a no photography rule (reasonable given the thefts a few years back), but I would highly recommend a visit even if you don’t intend to buy anything. Massive California juniper yamadori, hornbeams, pines, elms, japanese beautyberries, and of course their specialty, san jose/prostrata juniper grafted with itoigawa. anything you pointed at regardless of size could be shipped. Gary builds his own wood frames for even the largest trees, which go in aircraft cargo holds and can only be picked up at the destination airport.
Gary was a phenomenal host. We chatted about the history of the place and the results of his methods on display throughout the garden. his junipers are on the pricier side but justified IMO; some of them rival the very best Japanese imports in quality, and are also hardier given the stronger base. I spent probably an hour looking around before settling on this raw material.
this tree was once a 3-inch itoigawa cutting grafted on the base of a san jose juniper. over the course of ~40 years, it was grown into shape and now has a myriad of design options in the slant style.
a closer look at the deadwood. the bulge of the live vein indicates it has been in the making for many years.
the tree was last repotted in fall 2022, which makes now the perfect time to style and next spring a good time to repot. this will be an exciting project if/once I get this past airport security. Gary was so helpful as to provide the interstate paperwork certifying the tree was inspected and free of diseases/pests, so now it’s fingers crossed I don’t have to ship it back in a box.
Gary was a phenomenal host. We chatted about the history of the place and the results of his methods on display throughout the garden. his junipers are on the pricier side but justified IMO; some of them rival the very best Japanese imports in quality, and are also hardier given the stronger base. I spent probably an hour looking around before settling on this raw material.
this tree was once a 3-inch itoigawa cutting grafted on the base of a san jose juniper. over the course of ~40 years, it was grown into shape and now has a myriad of design options in the slant style.
a closer look at the deadwood. the bulge of the live vein indicates it has been in the making for many years.
the tree was last repotted in fall 2022, which makes now the perfect time to style and next spring a good time to repot. this will be an exciting project if/once I get this past airport security. Gary was so helpful as to provide the interstate paperwork certifying the tree was inspected and free of diseases/pests, so now it’s fingers crossed I don’t have to ship it back in a box.
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