Perhaps the most beautiful garden in all of California lies nestled amidst the tree covered park wrested out of the dunes of San Francisco over a hundred years ago. It is an expression of a garden spirituality that transcends our contemporary state of mind and explores the endless passages of Zen Buddhism as it is applied to Niwa, pure place, Japanese garden. Built in 1893, this dream-like landscape lies nestled between the Strybing Arboretum and the De Young Museum in the heart of Golden Gate Park. Each season is a new experience beginning with the stark leafless trees and sculptured evergreens of winter.
Early spring brings out the saucer magnolias combined with bright azaleas.
These yield to the gorgeous display of cherry blossoms that rain their petals down upon the path ways in a floral blizzard unmatched in other garden settings. Then as nights cool in fall the Japanese maples bear their sunset shades of scarlet, creating stark contrast against the closely clipped and controlled shrubs. There are three fundamental elements present in this garden and others modeled on those in Japan. These are connected to the harmony of the landscape created by the balance of yin and yang - opposing forces that govern the universe. Their placement responds to strict rules of symbolism that relate to the size and shape of the stones themselves.