Delray Beach Things to Do

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The indoor specimens in the 4000 sq foot greenhouse are comprised of both orchids and other plantings, some surrounding water features. Some specimens are draped over a small tree killed in the 2004 hurricane. Through windows at the back of the public area, one has visual access only to the workroom where plants not in bloom are kept. The displays are changed frequently as orchids apparently bloom at different times throughout the year depending on species. Signage is extremely limited, not that the names would have meant much to a non-orchid-freak.

A selection of particularly attractive orchids has been included in the travelogue " Meet the Orchids ".

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The American Orchid Society was founded in 1921, with the goal of increasing importation of orchids from Europe, making their cultivation accessible to those not members of the privileged elite, and organizing exhibits, award systems, and publications. After spending 60 years at Harvard University in Boston, the headquarters moved to a former private mansion in Palm Beach Florida. The current facility was opened in March 2001.

The first striking finding on driving in was the empty parking lot, difficult to believe with cars lined up waiting for spots at adjacent Morikami. The attractive yellow building, with a lovely grouping of bamboo ( image 2 ), was pretty much deserted and the only employee appeared to be the cashier, who reluctantly surrended the dollar senior citizane refund off the $10 admission fee.

The main building contains a gift shop, a few wall displays, and free tea with prepackaged cookies available for purchase. Through the back door one enters the Orchid Court Fountain, and then the greenhouse building or the open air gardens. Directions to the outside plantings in bloom are on a duplicated sheet of paper ( looked like an old mimeograph ) with a sketch and numbers denoting the high spots. Signage and information both in the outside gardens and the greenhouse was very minimal, many specimens without visible name plates. The whole establishment appeared a bit unkempt, a disappointment to be sure. The website has loads of pictures of speciments, none correlating with my pictures or memories.

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Scattered throughout the garden are varied wooden and stone exhibits, mostly reproductions and interpretations, of Japanese lore.

Shishi Odoshi ( image 1 )- Deer Chaser - the sound made when bamboo strikes a rock is said to drive local pests, particularly deer, from the garden. Water flows into and fills a bamboo tube. When the weight is sufficient, the tube drops striking the rocks and empties. The tube then springs back to refill. The sound of the pipe striking the rock as it empties makes a surprisingly loud sound.

Ishidoro Stone Lantern - ( image 2 ) set at the entrance to the Yamato Island museum, this lantern was erected in 1681 and is one of the few originals on the property. It honored the memory of the fourth Tokugawa shogun Ietsuna. It has a long history, having passed to the Kan'ejii temple in Tokyo to a shipbuilder, then a ship owner in West Palm Beach Florida who donated to a south florida science museum. From there, it has found a permanent home at Morikami.

Kotohi Lantern - ( image 3 ) - this lantern tucked away in the Modern Romantic Garden is patterned after the movable bridge of a stringed instrument called a koto.

Tsukubai - (images 4 )- one of two examples of water basins placed in tea gardens to allow guests to wash up before visiting, today still frequent features of Japanese homes and buildings. Water passes through a bamboo ( naturally ) pipe into a basin, as if it were diverted from a nearby stream.

Challenger Memorial Lantern ( image 5 ) - Dedicated to the seven Challenger astronauts, including Ellison Onizuka, the first person of Asian ancestry to travel to space.

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Kameshima, the Turtle Island, recalls East Asian tradition that the tortoise has a life span of 10000 years and appears in gardens as an emblem of longevity. These are generally constructed to resemble a turtle, although perhaps not very every vantage point. And of course, what turtle island would be complete without a living specimen ( image 2 ).

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A large segment of Yamato Island is devoted to the bonsai collection, stated to be the best public display in the southeastern United States. Bonsai means 'tray planting', trees growing in a container and artistically shaped. The specimens are 10-20 years old and emphasizes species which thrive in the local climate.

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How many times have I driven on Yamato Road in Boca Raton and questioned the Japanese name for a six lane highway lined by businesses, country clubs, huge houses of worship, and upscale shopping malls. It all becomes clear at Yamato Island, site of the original Morikami museum and a garden with Japanese artifacts and a bonsai collection, set in the lake at the center of the complex.

The museum follows traditional Japanese architecture, with a central garden in the Karensansui (Late Rock Garden ) style. It features two permanent exhibits. The first, Japan Through the Eyes of a Child, is larger with typical rooms representing a schoolroom, restaurant, kitchen, bathroom, and living room.

The second is The Yamato Colony: Pioneering Japanese in Florida with pictures and printed text recalling Jo Sakai, a graduate of New York University, who returned to his hometown of Miyazu to gather a group of farmers to return to the United States with the financial aid of Henry Flagler, the owner of a major Florida railroad system of the time. Their farming colony was named Yamato, an ancient name for Japan.

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Hiraniwa Flat Gardens - phasing in during the 17 and 18th C, these gardens evolved from the late rock garden concept, characterized by increased use of plantings and shakkei - use of " borrowed scenery. In this garden, a stone pagoda lies behind the gravel platform ( image 1 ). This garden is particularly popular as a resting place for visitors.

Modern Romantic Gardens ( images 4,5) were the first to incorporate Western garden principles. beginning in the late 19th C. These gardens more directly depended on nature and less on abstract design and thought. Less carefully manicured, more difficult to capture on images.

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Early Rock Garden ( image 1 ) -- Japanese gardens were often patterned after Chinese ink drawings rather than nature, with rocks set randomly amidst plantings, for thought and contemplation.

Late Rock Garden ( image 2 ) -- by the 15 C, landscape design switched to the Karesansui form, meaning a dry landscape. Water and plants were out and raked gravel with rocks was in. Zen Buddhist temples originated this style in Japan.