Seeing Japanese Gardens-- Part 1: Asymmetrical, Not Symmetrical

From the Dec. 21, 2014, Chicago Tribune "re-creating the Japanese garden" by William Hageman.

Japanese gardens have been here for nearly 150 years, yet many Americans know very little about them.  The first one was introduced in the United States in 1876 at the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia.

A Japanese garden follows the dictates of nature  "The Japanese garden is based on natural patterns, rock formations, the way plants grow naturally, the way water moves naturally through a stream valley, the shape of the land," according to Tim Gruner of the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford.

They tend to be asymmetrical, whereas Western ones are often symmetrical and geometrical.

--RoadDog