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Japanese-style garden

Pond and patio

Capitol Car Distributors

In 1966 Capitol Car Distributors, a Volkswagen distributing company, unveiled its new headquarters in Lanham, Maryland to much fanfare. At the time, the company managed over fifty-eight Volkswagen dealerships in the Mid-Atlantic region. Situated on thirty-three acres of land east of the Capital Beltway, the luxurious, 150,000 square-foot complex was designed by Mills, Petticord & […]

Stepping stones

Maymont

Some of the most beautiful gardens I’ve ever seen are located on the exquisite grounds at the Maymont estate in Richmond, VA. The house and surrounding land was owned by James Henry and Sallie Dooley, who resided on the property from 1893 through 1925. After their deaths, the lands were bequeathed to the city of […]

There are four bridges in the garden

My Story of the Shiojiri Niwa Garden

I live in South Bend Indiana, and most likely always will. Here is the story of a garden in my community. Here in South Bend we have a wonderful Japanese-style garden that has a good backstory. The Japanese garden was built near a park, near a public pool, and the name of the garden is […]

The Chinese Garden at the Huntington Botanical Gardens

Camellias at the Huntington Botanical Gardens

The Huntington Botanical Garden was named an International Camellia Garden of Excellence in 2001 by the International Camellia Society because it has one of the most comprehensive collections of camellias in North America. There are 60 species and 1,200 cultivars beautifully planted along pathways on both sides of the North Vista and on the North […]

The formal Japanese teahouse at the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden

Camellia japonica at the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden

This little gem is located in Pasadena, California originally designed in the mid 1930s. The garden has recently been restored, remaining true to its original pre-war design. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. The garden is well planted with a variety of traditional Japanese plants including Camellia japonica cultivars, a lovely pond, two waterfalls, […]

The Flat Garden at the Portland Japanese Garden.

Portland Japanese Garden

We prepared for rain when we visited Portland, Oregon because the average annual rainfall is 36 inches. Therefore we were not deterred from visiting the Portland Japanese Garden in February. We were on a American Camellia Society (ACS) tour. The median age of this group is seventy, with anyone mobile walking the gardens in intermittent […]