A new Japanese garden in Sale near Manchester was officially opened this afternoon when the Japanese Ambassador, in the presence of local dignitaries, media and members of the public, planted a cherry tree.

The Japanese garden is located inside Walkden Gardens, Sale Moor, in the Borough of Trafford, around four miles south west of Manchester city centre.

The garden was conceived and developed by members of the Japanese Garden Society, and occupies a formerly derelict piece of ground within Walkden Gardens. The Friends of Walkden Gardens were involved in the project,, and support was provided by Trafford Borough Council. The Mayor of Trafford MBC, Vivienne Ward, was present for the occasion.

The garden is beautifully laid out and looks just like one you’d see in Tokyo or Kyoto. It’s divided into separate spaces, each marked by a Japanese style gateway. A bed of raked silver grey granite chippings symbolises the sea, and mountains are represented by boulders. Pebbles form a ‘river’ which flows from one end of the main garden to the other. The boulders were brought from the north of Scotland and the pebbles came from an offshore location near Barrow-in-Furness.

Walkden Gardens is already an outstanding example of urban regeneration. A few years ago, it was a run down patch of ground, but thanks to the imagination and hard work of some dedicated people, it is now one of the most attractive gardens in the Manchester area.

See also the website of the Japanese Garden Society. The new Friends of Walkden Gardens website is currently in preparation. The stones in Walkden Gardens were provided by specialist stone suppliers CED.

I returned a few days later to take this photo, as raindrops were falling as the Ambassador was turning the turf to plant the cherry tree!

See photos on the aidan.co.uk photo portfolio site on the theme of Japanese gardens