Anderson Japanese Gardens

My blog posting today was inspired by two inputs on this chilly Sunday.  First of all, we need the punctuation of some color and the promise of spring to get us through this arctic blast and winter landscape (beautiful in its own right of course).  My second input was the fact that I’m still sorting my photos from 2017 and am currently in May of that year.  I ran across some great spring shots of a fabulous garden only 40 minutes south of RBG in Rockford, IL.  Anderson Japanese Gardens has long been a favorite of mine and is a treasure not only in this area but for those that travel far and wide to enjoy the best Japanese gardens in the world.  This 12 acre garden is consistently ranked as one of the best Japanese gardens in the Northern Hemisphere (not just North America!) and I try to visit every spring and fall to enjoy a magical setting.  Their Garden Curator and Head of Horticulture, Tim Gruner, is top notch and a great guy to get to know.  He and his team continue to keep this fabulous garden in tip top shape.  I’ll have to post some autumn photos in the future as those are equally impressive.  Some background information from their website is included below….Go visit when it warms up a bit!

Construction of Anderson Japanese Gardens began in 1978, when Rockford businessman John Anderson was inspired by a visit to the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon.  With the ongoing assistance of renowned Master Craftsman and designer Hoichi Kurisu, the Andersons’ swampy backyard along Rockford’s Spring Creek was transformed into a Japanese-style landscape.  From groundbreaking to today, the placement of every rock, alignment of every tree, and layout of all paths has been made with careful consideration by Mr. Kurisu.  In 1998, John and Linda Anderson donated the Gardens as a supported organization to the Rockford Rotary Charitable Association.  It now exists as a not-for-profit entity and continues to grow and change to this day.