Lanterns and Landscape

     "Poet
     like a 
  gardener,
his pen is the 
      hoe"

I decided to add a Tachidōrō (or Kasuga-dōrō), or pedestal lantern, to the garden this week. 

My lantern is made of six pieces carved in granite. It is more rustic than the traditional - fancy lantern style. With the exception of the top piece, it was very heavy and difficult to move into place. 

I placed the lantern near the back corner of the garage, where the elevation takes a sudden dip. I was afraid to place it elsewhere because of the variety of hardscape items already present. I didn't want to over crowd the garden with too many lanterns, and this would be the third. Nevertheless, I really liked this lantern.

In order to centrally place the lantern, I had to remove the Clumping Bamboo (Fargesia rufa) plant that was present. I was nervous about doing so, since this plant had only recently recovered from a winter burn that almost killed it off. I placed the bamboo behind the Buddha statue, a location that I have repeatedly had no luck filling with a permanent plant fixture.

I will try once more and hope that the bamboo takes well to the location. This plant only likes limited direct sunlight, so the shady location of the garden corner may work out - provided I can keep the critters away from it.

In the new lantern area, I left most of the remaining plants that had been there. In place I left the Hosta Blue Cadet. I did however move the Japanese Painted Fern to behind the lantern, and shifted the White-Variegrated Japanese Forest Grass away from the edge, closer to the center. I also added a new Arthyrium Fern ('Cruciato-christatum' Dre's Dagger) to the right of the lantern and placed a Heucherella 'Sweet Tea' plant along the gate edge - this plant had been sitting in a bucket all summer waiting for a home. we will see how it does now that it is in the ground. I also added a small annual with dark green leaves and blue flowers just in front of the lantern - Blue Wonder Heliotrope.

After extending the rock edge just beneath the gate support and adding mulch, the alteration was complete. I think the final outcome looks nice.