Kazuyuki Ishihara is known at Chelsea for his exquisitely crafted and serene Japanese gardens that evoke the beauty of the Japanese satoyama (landscape). Acers always feature, along with irises, calming water, artfully placed stone and moss. He has done 17 small show gardens at Chelsea, many winning Gold or Best in Show, but this is his first on Main Avenue.
Created to be the designer’s personal garden, it is designed to evoke a sense of shedding the world's cares as he slowly meanders through the garden to the tea house, where he will arrive refreshed and calm for tea ceremony.
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The garden is open on two sides so that the public can see all the details of the garden. It includes trees commonly seen in the Japanese countryside, including Acer palmatum 'Inaba-shidare', Acer palmatum f. polymorphum, hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) and Cornus florida as well as perennials including the delightfully named Iris 'Flight of Butterflies', The garden is influenced by the traditional flower arranging art of ikebana and the shape and arrangement of the stones has been carefully designed to interact with the plants.
Unlike many of the gardens at Chelsea which are colourful and plant heavy, this garden shows that less can be more. "Instead of adding lots of plants, I use a small amount and keep them pruned to create space. This is my signature style," he told Monty Don.