Two transitions occurred this week within the garden. A beloved Scotch Pine tree was removed after a period of decline that left the tree in too poor a state to recover. Shortly afterwards, A Japanese Black Pine arrived that would fill the physical void left by the removal of the cherished Scotch Pine.
The Scotch Pine started to show signs last summer of distress, especially after its bi-annual pruning. The tree had rested in the viewing garden since 2019. I had pruned it several times over the years, but never so much as to cause distress or shock.
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| Before Pruning 2023 |
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| Immediately After Pruning 2023 |
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| Fall 2023 |
However, something went noticeably wrong within a few weeks of the 2023 pruning. The tree did not die, but it did shed most of it's needles. It could have been the shock of the pruning, the inconsistent weather, or the poor sandy soil. I was never able to determine the cause. I waited to see if the tree would heal, but alas, over the next ten months, the tree did not improve, in fact, it got worse.
As a result, I decided to remove the tree and use the location for a long desired feature - a Turtle Island.
I first posted about Kami Jima - The Tortoise Island in 2020. At that time I mentioned that stone and plant placements within Japanese gardens can sometimes represent islands, and that often one of the islands was referred to as a tortoise island, or kame-jima (亀島). The idea originated with the cult of immortality, a Daoist inspired belief from China in which the tortoise is a symbol of longevity representing 10,000 years.
I also included some images of examples employed in several gardens: |
Ryōan-ji - Kyoto, Japan |
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Isshidan (Rtogen-in) - Kyoto, Japan |
Originally, I planned on using stones I had left over from other garden projects, but the stones never really worked well.
With the opening up of the space within the central bed of the viewing garden, I could now try to create a more authentic tortoise island. I was inspired by two distinct garden examples Tenshin'en in Boston, Massachusettes, and the Anderson Japanese Garden in Rockford, Illinois:
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Tenshin'en |
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| Anderson Japanese Garden |
I loved that both these gardens used a combination of stones and plants to create the metaphorical illusion of a tortoise.
My plan consists of a Japanese Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii 'Thuderhead') at the center to represent the shell of the turtle.
This tree has the potential to get very large if unattended, so I will need to be diligent about removing candles each year to restrict its growth and control its shape.
On the right side I have placed a large red stone that I recycled from elsewhere on the property. This large stone will represent the tortoise head.
On the left side I have places a somewhat small red stone to represent the tail.
I also plan to fill in the surrounding areas with some other plants and/or ground cover to help define the tortoise from the rest of the bed and plantings. The island is still a work in progress.
On either side of the tortoise I also planted two large shrubs. On the left, a Cora Louise Itoh Peony (Paeonia x 'Cora Louise') with large white flowers.
On the right I planted an Ivory Halo Dogwood (Cornus alba 'Baihalo').
I am hoping to keep these two shrubs trimmed down to about 3' in size. I think they will help frame the tortoise while also adding some more interest to the viewing garden.
