Ponds, gardens, koi

• Portland, OR has an awe-inspiringly beautiful Japanese garden (reputedly the best in the U.S.) with a majestic view of Mt. Hood from the balcony of the teahouse. It is maintained by a group of volunteers. Contact the Japanese Garden Society: (503)223-4070, Washington Park, Portland, Oregon. I have about ten postcards but am hesitant to scan them in due to copyright issues.
• The Japanese garden in San Mateo's public park was designed by the Japanese Imperial gardener. It turned out to be kind of small, with lots of annoying "Stay on the path!" signs, and a waterfall that more splashed loudly than trickled gently. There was also some squad of martial artists practicing and yelling in their white outfits. Interesting, but all in all, not exactly conducive to quiet contemplation. On the other hand, the pond had at least 20 adult koi and about 20 more inch-long baby koi. Some of the adults were beautiful, and their markings varied from yellow-gold all over to black and red splotches to salmon and silver. Best koi display I've seen in one pond, I think. So, not my fave water garden visited so far, but not all bad. El Camino Real and 5th, San Mateo, CA -- this is in the southern half of the SF/Bay Area sprawl.
• The Huntingdon Library is surrounded by a large estate with a cactus garden, rose garden, and a Japanese garden which is not as authentic, quiet, or stunning as Portland's, but has more pond space & koi. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, California. This is near Pasadena/LA. (818) 405-2141
• The Lamberton Conservatory pond (Highland Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in Rochester, NY) is simple, but restful. Koi swim about, and there is a low stone ledge around the edges where one can sit and watch them close up, after wandering the park and looking at the exotic plants in the conservatory. The rest of Highland Park is a joy to visit, especially when the 700 varieties of lilacs are in bloom. Even at other times, I love walking through the Poet's Garden and up a particular hill for viewing much of surrounding Rochester.
• The Brooklyn Botanic Garden soothes those strolling through it. Some of the different gardens there are designed to be viewed from a height; others are designed to be explored on foot. I like the rock garden best, but there are also some grand trees, a fragrance garden, an herb garden, a bonsai room, and a rose garden. I have mixed feelings about the Japanese garden. On one hand, it's difficult to walk on some of the paths, and it seems a bit paint-by-numbers. On the other hand, the trees are reflected beautifully in the water, and there are grebes in addition to the ducks and koi. This set of gardens is a great place to visit, with added bonuses of an exhibit hall (during Memorial Day Weekend 1996, they had Japanese garden-oriented art), a delicious cafe with outdoor seating, and an art museum right beside it.
• Amazingly enough, Malvern PA (a mere half-hour from my sister Trish, outside of Philly) has a pretty good garden. I was lucky enough to visit the Malvern garden in the fall, always a good time for scenery. Although their sound barriers need work (to keep out nearby traffic noises) and they have made some compromises to ease maintenance, they definitely have the Portland garden's concept of "take three steps and get a totally different perspective" down. Write Swiss Pines Japanese Garden, Charlestown Road, R.D. 1, Box 127, Malvern, PA 19355, or call (610) 933-6916.
• Lilypons Water Gardens, near Frederick, Maryland, is a water garden plants farm, not always open to the public, but they occasionally have little festivals, with arts and crafts in one section, koi exhibits/auctions in another, and the farm ponds are open to the public for viewing and boat rides at that time.
• National Arboretum: Hillsides full of azaleas, and a little tram tour is available during peak season for those who don't care to walk. Koi and lily pads in a pond near the cool bonsai exhibit. I hear the lilacs look great too, though I doubt they compare with Highland Park in Rochester. Inside eastern edge of beltway, off 50.
• Greenfield Lake in Wilmington, N.C. is five miles around and ringed by azaleas. I've gotten almost intoxicated from the flowers in full bloom while biking around it. There are also bridges for crossing over the lake and looking at the Spanish moss-laden trees. No koi or other decorative fish, but plenty o' scarey ducks (long story). No pictures as yet, but I came across a similar view at another pond.
• Brookgreen Gardens, a plantation turned sculpture garden and wildlife sanctuary off U.S. 17 between Charleston, S.C. and Wilmington, N.C., has beautiful grounds to stroll over. The sanctuary is fun to walk through, with animal sculptures by Anna Huntingdon (of the Huntingdon Library, above) in addition to the real animals. There is also a museum with sculptures by Huntingdon, C. Paul Jennewein, and others. You can see more of Jennewein's sculpture in Wilmington and my parents' house. His son Paul, a friend of my father, is famed in local parts for his Christmas Flounder newspaper columns and for being elected as a delegate and going to a Republican convention while a registered Democrat ("They never asked").

When I told my sister Trish about my web space and mentioned koi, she said "Oh yeah, the fish that tried to eat me." I had forgotten about her harrowing San Antonio Snow experience. It miraculously snowed in San Antonio one winter while she was there for college. Some of her friends suggested they tour the Botanical Gardens before the snow melted. During their snowball fight, Trish tried to get away by running backwards, and slipped off the cliff behind her into the koi pond! As she was trying to catch her breath, her alarmed friends noted the koi streaking toward her, so they pelted the pond with snowballs (poor Trish thought they were being mean to her) to drive them away until she swam to the edge and clambered out. I don't think koi eat people, actually, but I'm glad she's ok.  The jacket she had borrowed was ruined, alas -- the owner was a bit shocked to come back to find it dripping, beslimed, over the tub.

Curling?