The Most Beautiful Private Garden in China
I have always been enraptured with nature and natural environments. When I lived in Howell, New Jersey, as a child, I was made to look after the garden. Spending hours outdoors had a great impact on me and since then I have had a deep appreciation for outdoor spaces, especially gardens. I came across this amazing clip of a man who has what some people consider to be one of the most beautiful private gardens in China. And watching the clip, one can definitely see why they say that.
My fascination with natural environments however goes beyond just aesthetics. It is a proven fact that spending time in natural environments is healing for not only the body but the mind too. Do watch this video and be inspired to create your own natural space where you can heal and recover from all that life throws at you.
Tsem Rinpoche
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/BeautifulPrivateGarden.mp4
Transcript
I grew up in Wuhu. We had a big garden which was cared for by my grandfather. As far as I can remember, I played in the garden all day long and a seed of owning a garden was planted in my heart since then.
In 2002, this garden struck my fancy. I rented it for 50 years. It covers an area of 5,000 metres2 in total. When I first came to see the garden, there were three big trees at the back, ilex purpurea with red fruits. The three trees were lined in the shape of the Chinese character “品”. Their shade all together reached an area of 2mu (approximately 1,300 meters2). They were more than 100 years old. The three characters “San Ke Shu” (three trees) were adopted (as the garden’s name) since then.
In my own garden, I make the decisions. From the west to the east, the height variation is about 15 metres, so I divided it into five levels. As you enter the door, you see the first level with one lawn on each side and a 5 metre wide paved path in the middle. You step up the stairs and find the second level which is a main lawn. Next to the main lawn, there is a huge pond where black swans are kept. On the left is our residence. It hides behind this bamboo grove. Moving upwards, there is a koi pond, a fall and a fountain. And beyond is the platform of the three trees. There are over 1,000 varieties of plants in the garden, ranging from tropical species to temperate species.
This Bougainvillea has been kept in the garden for 16 years. In the 90’s, I bought four pots of Bougainvillea from Yunnan. They cost around 30 yuan or so. They were so small that even the youngest plant was no higher than 15 centimetres. I planted them in the ground and built a big green house for the two purple enchantresses. Now the Bougainvillea has become the iconic plant in this garden. Summer is the season of crape myrtle. I prefer blue flowers including blue plumbago and various salvia and lavender. Those flowers are elegant and fragrant. Hydrangea is the star of summer. Now there are about 300-400 Hydrangea of different varieties in the garden.
San Ke Shu manor has distinct seasons. In spring, you see buds begin to appear on branches and grow day by day. The garden glows in summer and becomes a golden sea in autumn. It presents different feelings. And in winter, our family move around in the big green house. It is full of blossoms inside but all covered with ice and snow outside. I also keep five peacocks here. They live on the three trees in the evening. In the morning, they spread their wings and fly down to the lawn, making a beautiful curve in the air. They dance on the lawn. For my garden, I finally use old materials. Some of which are even discarded ones. They cost 10,000 or so in total. The platform of the three trees is built from old black bricks. I spent 400 yuan and brought back a dozen carloads of bricks.
Generally, I wake up at 5 o’clock in the morning. I walk around the garden, check the flowers and then pull the weeds. A garden also needs primping, just like a human. If you do not care for it, it would look like a mess. When the sun goes down, the garden is at the most beautiful moment of the day. Our family members gather together to have afternoon tea which is a tradition that has been kept for so many years, just like eating and sleeping. It has become a part of our life. Under the three trees, there is a big dining table. When our relatives or friends visit, we spread a table cloth, arrange some wild flowers and light some candles. It feels ceremonious. We barbeque and sing under the trees and chat. No one is allowed to step onto the main lawn. Only my granddaughter and the peacocks are exceptions. My little granddaughter is almost five years old. She is interested in everything in this garden. She likes catching fish and prawns. And she is not scared of insects. We roll about on the lawn together.
My profession is landscape photography. I spend half a year on plateaus and half a year in the garden. My affection for the two kinds of places with remarkable contrast supplement and integrate each other. The garden represents my attitude towards life. As time slowly lapses, I can accept the garden as it is in four seasons. Whether it flourishes with blossoms and foliage or becomes bleak and barren, the garden is always great to me.
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This private garden is simply beautiful beyond words to describe. i love the beautiful bougainvillea and trees. A very good peaceful place to live in and the landscape garden indeed demonstrates perfectly a harmonious picture, which gives a good representation of the architecture. Would love to live in the pure nature, appreciating the beauty of the natural surroundings. Enjoyed watching the video of this wonderful garden too! Thank you very much Rinpoche and blog team for sharing this beautiful garden????☘️
Watched the interesting video and agree that it is the most beautiful private garden in China. It would be wonderful to live in the pure nature, appreciating the beauty of the natural surroundings. The layout of the whole garden expressed the harmonious manner of everyone’s dream place. The outstanding elegant garden are those fish ponds, a fall, a fountain, 1,000 varieties of plants in the garden and those beautiful, colourful Bougainvillea. The landscape garden indeed demonstrates perfectly a harmonious picture, which gives a good representation of the architecture. Wow…. loved to look at those peacocks.
Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing.