A Walk Through a Plant

Paths become narrower and more serpentine in Japanese gardens to slow the visitor down for more detailed observation. The technique can be used in any setting. We use it to focus on detail in small spaces, such as this cluster of seven Annah Khruskes.

The plants occupy an area only fifteen feet on a side. In that short space, the skinny path makes seven sharp turns and climbs two knobs. Throughout the stroll, the viewer is only inches from the plants, seeing closeup details of the rhododendrons at various levels.

After climbing and then descending a knob at either end, the path tunnels through the ten-foot rhododendrons like a labyrinth. Each year, the closely grouped plants grow more than a foot in all directions, so that they are now fusing as one giant rhododendron.