Japanese Friendship Garden
511 Royal Avenue, New Westminster, BC
A garden that celebrates city sisterhood in Japanese and Canadian styles.
Category:
Visual Arts Location
What:
| Type | | Outdoor/Garden/Park |
Where:
| Neighbourhood | | New Westminster |
| Getting There | | 4th Street and Royal |
Profile Last Updated: August 28, 2008
Moriguchi – Sister City
This pretty garden is located next to City Hall. Built in 1987, it was designed by the Vancouver Japanese Gardeners Association as a tribute to New Westminster’s sister city of Moriguchi in Japan. The garden is a blend of a basic Japanese aesthetics combined with the more informal western garden. The community park offers visitors a pleasant respite from the busy city, with a waterfall and pond, shady trees and flamboyant flowers. There’s even a totem pole. You can walk slowly along the pathways or sit and relax on one of the benches.
Man-Made
The two-and-a-half acre garden wasn’t always so beautiful. In 1962 a typhoon wreaked havoc on the heavily forested area, knocking down most of the trees. The Friendship Garden was a wonderful idea designed to put life back into the area. Today, the plants and trees are very well cared for by a crew of gardeners who know about exotic plant husbandry. This includes the scores of Yoshino cherry trees that were gifted to the garden by the city of Moriguchi. As is true of many lovely public gardens, this one is a favourite for wedding photography.
Plants and Stuff
The Friendship Garden is popular for all visitors no matter what their age. Children love to feed the ducks that have made the water-lily dotted pond their home. The 570 yards of pathways wind through the garden, offering new floral vistas along the way. A walkway to the top of a hill brings you to a colourful display of annual and perennial blooms. Among the trees are a few picnic tables – what better place could there be to enjoy a sandwich and a cold drink while enjoying the view ?
This pretty garden is located next to City Hall. Built in 1987, it was designed by the Vancouver Japanese Gardeners Association as a tribute to New Westminster’s sister city of Moriguchi in Japan. The garden is a blend of a basic Japanese aesthetics combined with the more informal western garden. The community park offers visitors a pleasant respite from the busy city, with a waterfall and pond, shady trees and flamboyant flowers. There’s even a totem pole. You can walk slowly along the pathways or sit and relax on one of the benches.
Man-Made
The two-and-a-half acre garden wasn’t always so beautiful. In 1962 a typhoon wreaked havoc on the heavily forested area, knocking down most of the trees. The Friendship Garden was a wonderful idea designed to put life back into the area. Today, the plants and trees are very well cared for by a crew of gardeners who know about exotic plant husbandry. This includes the scores of Yoshino cherry trees that were gifted to the garden by the city of Moriguchi. As is true of many lovely public gardens, this one is a favourite for wedding photography.
Plants and Stuff
The Friendship Garden is popular for all visitors no matter what their age. Children love to feed the ducks that have made the water-lily dotted pond their home. The 570 yards of pathways wind through the garden, offering new floral vistas along the way. A walkway to the top of a hill brings you to a colourful display of annual and perennial blooms. Among the trees are a few picnic tables – what better place could there be to enjoy a sandwich and a cold drink while enjoying the view ?
