“Signature Japanese Maple”
Portland Japanese Garden
Every time I visit the Portland Japanese Garden, I stop by and look under the branches of the signature Japanese maple that overlooks the main pond area. I get a completely different abstract view of the garden looking through the branches and leaves.
This star attraction is meticulously pruned to create the maple’s beautiful structure. The environment in the Portland garden is perfect for Japanese maples and their delicate pruned structure. In our Central Washington Heatherwood garden, we don’t the same luxury. Because of the harsh direct sunlight, we need to keep a heavy layer of leaves on the maples to protect them. We can still have a similar overall shape, but not the delicate loose layering of maples in a less harsh environment.