Huntington Gardens Part IV: The Chinese Gardens

The Japanese Gardens were closed for renovations, so after a quick peek through this arbor at the cherry blossoms we walked on to the Chinese Gardens, or "The Garden of Flowing Fragrance."

The Chinese Garden is relatively new and seems to be work in progress. Because of this the plantings are not matured and the overall effect emphasizes the form of the structures surrounding the lake. I found the architectural details more interesting than the landscaping.

There are botanical motifs used throughout in wood carvings and in the stone work. 

This is a view through a window to the inside of the tea house where we had lunch. 

The walls are made entirely of intricately paned windows like this one. 

These stone mosaics are used on several of the courtyards and walkways.

 

Inside the building above there were a series of carved wood panels, like the one below. Notice the similarity between the building and landscape above, and that depicted in the carving.  The place has all kinds of internal coherence and resonance, like the Mission at San Juan Capistrano did. Love it. 

We were reminded of Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford Illinois, which is our all time favorite. If you like botanical gardens, both Anderson and Huntington are must sees.