Japanese garden

I visited a Japanese garden near my home in the East Midlands about 10 years ago and a recent article in the Daily Mail prompted me to make a return trip. I was not disappointed.

It has taken Japanese born Maitreya 40 years to create Purelands from scratch and what he has achieved is quite amazing. The relatively small site has been gently scuplted with mounds, gorges, plateaux and lakes to create a whole panoramic landscape in miniature.

Paths go this way and that to make endless routes possible, while stepping stones, bridges and flights of steps really do give a sense of going on a journey.

The large central pond is home to carp that cruise about sedately and make noisey gulps at the surface.

All around ordinary English garden plants like forsythia, mock orange and dogwood have been made extraordinary by careful pruning (see next post).

Teahouses, covered sitting areas and viewing points punctuate the whole space and let you stop to contemplate the scene. And that is partly the point. This is a garden that is deliberately thoughtful.

At one point a sea of neatly raked white gravel is dotted with flat stones that entice you across to the other side. There is a spiritual dimension here and a sense of calm pervades.

Even the birds have noticed something going on and happily maintain their dawn chorus all day.

The peaceful looking Maitreya, a 76 year old ex monk, tells us he found this site when he was on his way to America and ran out of petrol. His gentle joking continues when he tries to entice us to have some 'heavenly' tea and then convince us that it will be worth the wait for the scones that are currently in the oven because they too are heavenly.

They are indeed, except for the cream that slides off my scone onto my new suede shoes leaving a permanent greasy mark. But I take this as a test and instead of getting annoyed contemplate the view.

Purelands is well worth a visit, not just to appreciate a lovely Japanese garden, but also to see how differently it is possible to manipulate outdoor space and the emotions that go with it.