Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1888-02-18
4 FLORAL WONDERLAND
UNIQUE EXHIBITION OF JAPAN
ESE GARDENING AT TOXIC.
Extraordinary Designs in Chrysan,
'hemums A Walking Flower
Piece-A Floral Mur,Iei1,ss


\ correspondent Of the 81 ouiS G1oit-
UeaweT'r, writing from Japan. gives the
following minute dcs rriutiun of the
wond, rful exhibitions Of floral art 10 be
seen in the suburban gardens Of Tokio.
which are doubtless far and away the
finest gardens in the world
There i nothing in all Toxic more
unique. picturesque. Japanese and IN
usual than this collection Of florists gar
dens on a hillside No one goes tc
l>ango.zaka except in the chry>anthemurn
season, and the little community tend.
prunc, dwarf and cultivate their plants
IN pca.e until the chrySanthcmums
begin 10 flower Then nango 1aka
becomes a gay fair. Banners. flags,
rennants, lanterns and gorgeous posters I
III the sides Of the steep, narrow street.
holiday crowds trud4e up and down, and
before every garden entrance an eloquent
proprietor sits, Turk fashion, on a table
covered with rel blanket. and holdin.
his hands over hihachi. or hralicr of
charcoal. and Sings the merits Of hi> /
'hrySanthemums The little gardens
them elves are models Of landscape art
and arrangement, all So many poems in /
rocks, trees. vines and flowers Dwarf +
pines, dwarf NAPLES, dwarfcd everything, +
axe ranged IN proSalc rows or benches,
hut the pet chrySanthemum bushes are
row housed In temporary huts or sheds /
Of bamboo mats. In.order that not a petal
may uncurl or drop, and that they May
be kept at their perfect stage as long as
possible. Bushes as tall as those in the
Empcrnis garden. and covered with as
superb and finely tinted blossoms, are
there. but not in such regiments as in the
imperial grounds These florists too,
have their bushes bearing 100 and 300
.cparatc and full blown flowers, and
bushes where skilfnl grating has made
the great topof varicgatcd blossoms look
! like one vel-arrangcd bouquet Of long
stcmmcd flowers.
I The Spccialtics of Usngo zaka gardens
are set pieces of flowers that dwarf all
, other floral efforts in that line Under
matted sheds which are 50 many ten
pnlary stages without foothghts tab
i lc;uIN with life size figures are arranged.
! The faces and hands of the figures are Of
wax or composition, but thcIr clothes
and the accessories and scenery are made
/ of living flowers, trained so closely over
framcworks that one cannot even suspect
Il mechanism The flowers are not
clipped, and wired or tooth picked into
place to wilt in a day, but the plants
/ forming the lower parts of the pieces
grow III the ground. For the upper
! courses the plant is taken up with All its
roots and they are wrapped in straw
and cloths and watcred every d,v, AS if
they were III the ground. instead Of
fcIng proprcd up inside the skeleton
II 1
to the outside and wovcn into place, and
the most natural effects are realized in
this ingenious way Groups Of ladies
are literally clad in lowered gowns.
! kimonos Of white chry rysanthemums berg
lined with deep crimson or yellow, and
having folds oi pale lilac at the
neck Til" taheauN represent scenes
from history and legends, from the
latest plays at the Shintomi<a the
Htrc. and in one case illustrate the
last sensational murder With which
the japanese newspapers have been
ringing represented III tins latter ease
bv 4 floral Mis-. rruec plunglng adaggcr
into i PROSTATE hry-nthemum man. In
one Garden alcove three Youngsters stand
Around 4 huge ,aec uf cvcrgTccnS. From
!, hole in It's side 4ush streams Of white
rhrl ~lnthcnIm~ and 4 small boy with a
red chrvSanthcfnu coat. The figures
;uc Iifc size, and illustrate the story Of
the boy who had presence Of mind and
hy breaking i hole in the side ot a huge
water iar, saved he fife - Iii, play
mate who had fallen in and would have
drown,d Il The Id, in the .ar i q ON
mon subject With thc atti-ts who en-
broIdtr II decorate porcelain. lacquer or