The 32nd Barakura Flower Show is taking place in Barakura English Garden, Japan’s first authentic English-style garden, in Tateshina, Nagano Prefecture, until June 18.
The garden was founded in 1990 thanks to the tremendous efforts and passion of Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show medalist Kay Yamada and her family. The 10,000-square-meter garden is home to about 5,000 varieties of plants, as well as birds and insects that travel freely beyond the border of the garden, connecting the garden’s ecosystem with that of the natural environment surrounding it.
On June 1, the show’s opening ceremony was held, followed by the awards ceremony for the Container Gardening Exhibition and Show Garden organized by Kay Yamada Gardening School, a lecture, container gardening demonstration and workshop by Kay Yamada, and a reception.
At the opening, Barakura’s Managing Director Eugene Yamada said that the garden, as the first in Asia to be accredited as a partner garden of Royal Horticultural Society, will continue to pursue the possibility of garden science with global partners.
Three guests who had also served as judges for the exhibition, Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum Curator and Head of Horticulture Mark S. Brent, RHS Director of Horticulture, Education and Communities Tim Upson, and RHS Britain in Bloom Judge and Horticultural Advisor Tracy Wilson, attended the first day’s events and enjoyed interacting with participants.
Upson commented that big gardens such as Barakura provide visitors “ideas and information useful for domestic gardens” that are not only aesthetically inspiring, but also effective in mitigating urban problems such as noise and pollution.
The opening reception was also attended by several important guests including Nagano Gov. Shuichi Abe and the Councillor of Science and Innovation at the British Embassy in Tokyo Marie-Louise Taylor.
Until June 18, visitors can enjoy not only walking in the garden, but also a garden tour by reservation, a plant market featuring nurseries from all over Japan, panel discussions, an English-style container planting workshop, as well as arts, crafts, music events and workshops.
After the show, Rose Weeks will start from June 19 and a diverse array of rose varieties will color the entire garden.
Visit https://en.barakura.co.jp/ for more information about Barakura English Garden.