Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
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Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden

Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden

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The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden is one of the oldest and most visited Japanese-inspired gardens outside Japan. It is a blend of the ancient hill-and-pond style and the more recent stroll-garden style, in which various landscape features are gradually revealed along winding paths.

The garden features artificial hills contoured around a pond, a waterfall, and an island, along with carefully placed rocks. Architectural elements include wooden bridges, stone lanterns, a viewing pavilion, a Shinto shrine, and a dramatic vermilion-colored wooden torii.

History and Design of the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden

Highlights

the Japanese Garden covered in snow
A view of the torii and wooden bridge in January. Photo by Antonio M. Rosario.
a red Japanese maple leaf
Acer palmatum (Japanese maple) in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Photo by Blanca Begert.
purple irises alongside a pond
Iris ensata (Japanese irises), in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Photo by Jean-Marc Grambert.
a wooden shrine in a garden
The small shinto shrine in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Photo by Blanca Begert.
white cherry blossoms on bare branches
Prunus ‘Snow Goose’ in April. Photo by Blanca Begert.

Plant Collection

View an interactive list of plants in this location.

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Image, top of page: Rebecca Bullene