Anderson Japanese Gardens, Rockford, Illinois

Tucked away amidst the bustling metropolis of Rockford, Illinois, are the 12 acres of lush vegetation and tranquility that comprise the Anderson Japanese Gardens. 

Unlike in traditional botanical gardens, visitors will not find themselves peering at strategically placed cards with unpronounceable Latin and English names. Anderson Gardens offers something entirely different. The goal of the gardens is not to enlighten individuals simply about plants but about the necessity of perseverance, purity, respect and tranquility.

THE HISTORY

John Anderson, the gardens’ founder, discovered his love and appreciation of Japanese culture after visiting Japan on a business trip in 1966. Then, in Portland, Oregon, during a layover he asked a taxi driver about interesting sights in the area and found himself at Washington Park Gardens, which contains the Portland Japanese Garden. He was in awe of its beauty and tranquility and began plans to convert his 14-acre property in Rockford, Illinois, into something of comparable serenity.

Brenda Warren, director of the gardens, said that what began as Anderson’s private garden has since been transformed into a location nationally renowned for its authenticity, attracting more than 25,000 visitors each year. In 2004, Anderson Japanese Gardens was ranked as the No. 1 Japanese gardens in North America from among 300 other gardens by the Roth Journal of Japanese Gardening.

"The gardens are serene – it’s all about healing,” she said. “The many solitary acres allow quiet meditation.”

 THE GARDENS

Thirty volunteers, many of them retired, provide the public guided tours, which are offered year-round because each season transforms the gardens. Marge Johnson has volunteered at the gardens for six years and said every day brings something new.

Visitors start by entering the gardens through the main gate, which was built in Japan by master carpenter Masahiro Hamada. The gate was then reassembled on site without using a single nail. Japanese folklore says that garden visitors lose a year in age as they pass through the gate.

“When you enter the garden, you leave all worldly cares behind,” she said. “The gates are built low so you have to dip down, humbling yourself when you enter.”

Despite the city on the other side of the walls, visitors are left with nothing but the sound of their own footsteps and nature’s beauty. Johnson said no one ever mentions the sound of the traffic right outside the gardens.

“Visitors should just be quiet and listen to the sounds of the garden,” she said. “You’re in the city, but you’re not of it.”

After passing through the gate, visitors will find themselves following gracefully winding paths to the Pond Strolling Garden, which is reminiscent of a style popular in Japan from 1603 to 1867. This area is filled with poignant colors, although the hues and textures of green are the most important, as they are the essence of the Japanese style. Johnson said visitors should take time to notice the intricacies of their surroundings, as they change with every step.

In the middle of the pond are three islands: Turtle Island, Crane Island and Sacred Island. Turtles symbolize longevity, and cranes symbolize prosperity because Japanese legend says they live 10,000 years and 1,000 years respectively. The Sacred Island represents ancestors. This combination signifies longevity and good health for the gardens’ visitors.

At one end of the pond is the East Waterfall, reiterating the importance of water to Japanese gardens. The movement and sound of the water are said to enliven the atmosphere and calm the spirit. From the viewing house in this garden, visitors can see the guest house, the beach and more. The Zig-Zag Bridge, which changes direction and offers different angles from which to view the gardens, leads visitors to the rest of the garden. According to Japanese folklore, evil spirits can only travel in straight lines, meaning those spirits cannot follow visitors while crossing the bridge.

“You know what’s funny about that bridge myth?” Johnson asked. “I’ve never heard a splash and a smart-alecky kid has never fallen in … although the kids are generally more interested in the gophers than anything.”

Two of the most impressively authentic structures in the gardens are the Guest House and the Tea House, the latter of which was also built by Hamada. These buildings are of museum-quality architecture, yet they exist with the gardens as one entity, not as extensions.

THE VEGETATION

Tim Gruner, a horticulturist who has worked as the gardens’ curator for 30 years, said it takes a lot of work to maintain the gardens, but the result is exceptional. The gardeners meticulously complete their work. Also, all of the plants in the gardens are readily available in the area.
“Plants are plants,” he said. “Japan is a country with huge climate extremes … very cold in the north and warm in the south, so it’s very similar [to the United States].”

Ian Divine, who is a gardener, said maintaining the garden is an art and not a duty to be taken lightly.

“You have to see what you want to do before you can do it, or it cannot be done,” he said.

Everything in the gardens has meaning, from cloud pruning, in which gardeners try to keep puffy tops on the trees, to raking the sand, called kara-san-sui, which is done to replicate patterns that water makes, to mowing the grass in particular patterns. However, there are some aspects of the gardens that might appear unkempt to the unknowing eye.

“Most people would hack off branches [of trees and bushes], but they’re here to slow us down, to make us aware of our surroundings,” he said.

On their way to the final pond in the gardens, visitors take notice of the West Waterfall, which took three years to complete. It took 800 tons of boulders and 250 cubic yards of concrete to build it, with a 20-ton steel wall serving as its base. Every minute, 1,400 gallons of water circulate through this waterfall. Japanese koi fish make their presence known in this area, waiting for intrigued visitors to drop the tiny pellets of food into the pond.

“I believe that as the water comes down [from the West Waterfall] it’s oxygenated, and it’s like a breath of fresh air for the fish, which is why they all hang out there,” Johnson said.

The last part of the gardens is the Garden of Reflection Pond, which has grass surrounding it, unlike traditional Japanese gardens. Johnson said her theory is that as visitors move west through the property, the gardens become more Western until visitors reach the Garden of Reflection, which
is a Western garden with a strong Japanese influence.

“Everything in this garden, from the poles to the bridges, plants and even the patterns in the sand shows that the Japanese pay so much attention to detail,” she said.

After touring the gardens, visitors are encouraged to make their way to the visitor center, on which the staff is currently finishing the renovations. There, visitors can see, and even buy, traditional Japanese items such as tea sets and glassware. There are also plans to open a restaurant overlooking the garden in the near future.

Anderson Japanese Gardens offers something most tourist destinations cannot: a chance to alleviate stress through the tranquility of nature.