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Japanese Garden

Step through the gate — and into one of the finest Japanese gardens on the East Coast.
Designer / Architect: Takeo Shiota
Year / Era: Designed before 1910
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Contact Information
Michael Gross, Ph.D.
Director of Arboretum; Professor of Biology
732-987-2373
[email protected]
Office Hours

Introduction

Designed by the celebrated landscape artist Takeo Shiota and given to Edith Gould by her husband George as a birthday gift, the Japanese Garden at GCU is a place of genuine tranquility and horticultural artistry. From the entry gate to the teahouse to the hand-crafted wooden bridges, every element was chosen with intention. The garden is open from 7 am to dusk daily, and two seasonal peaks — spring blossoms and autumn color — make it worth multiple visits a year.

Japanese Garden Highlights

Authentic teahouse (sukiya) from the Japan-British Exhibition of 1910

Three custom-built wooden bridges by craftsman Peter Wechsler (2014–2015)

Stately Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) on the central island

Gardens for Peace initiative — annual participant, North American Japanese Garden Association

Peak Bloom

Two exceptional color seasons: • April 15 – June 5 — Cherry blossoms open the season, followed by lily of the valley, azalea, iris, rhododendron, and goldenchain tree. In late May, irises, rhododendron, and goldenchain tree often bloom simultaneously — a striking mix of yellow, purple, and pink at the garden entrance. • October 25 – November 10 — Cherry and maple leaves turn brilliant shades of yellow, red, and orange.

Description

The Japanese Garden is entered through a machiai — a formal gateway — and the transition is immediate. The garden path, or roji, draws you past a genuine sukiya (teahouse) brought from the Japan-British Exhibition of 1910, over a small wooden footbridge, and into the quiet interior of the garden.

At the center of the garden, a stately Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) stands on an island surrounded by Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata), Japanese Cherry (Prunus serrulata), Hinoki Falsecypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum), and Weeping Higan Cherry (Prunus subhirtella).

The three wooden bridges were custom-built by craftsman Peter Wechsler in 2014–2015. Wechsler also replaced the shoji screens, installed tatami mats, and completed other teahouse improvements from 2016 to the present. Several cultivars of Japanese maples were added in 2013 to replace trees lost in Superstorm Sandy.

The garden is enclosed by a deer fence with an entrance gate on the stone path leading in. Each year, GCU participates in the North American Japanese Garden Association’s Gardens for Peace initiative.

Want to experience the teahouse in action? See the top of the arboretum homepage to register for our next Japanese Tea Experience.

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