Volunteering at Shofuso Japanese House and Garden

This past weekend, I had a wonderful time at the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden during the annual Sakura Sunday festival. This is the busiest day of the season for Shofuso and I was one of the many volunteers lending our support to the cope with the avalanche of visitors who are visiting the Fairmount Park for the cherry blossom viewing and other cultural events.     

Viewing garden with a Hinoki tree in the background
(Japanese cypress) on Saturday 

The day before, we had a short briefing at the house to assign our various roles and shifts. With clear skies and sunshine, the garden was just sublimely beautiful. It was great that we got to see Shofuso in its tranquil setting before the busy festival.

Sunday turned out to be cloudy but thankfully the rain held back and the festival-goers were able to enjoy all the outdoor activities around the park. At Shofuso, we hosted a steady stream of visitors who were eager to see the interiors and learn about the history and architecture of the house and garden in an abbreviated tour. Through an earlier volunteers' briefing, a tour outline and script prepared for guides, and after shadowing the other more season docents for several tours, I was all geared up to lead a group on a house tour myself. 

First up was a brief introduction of how Shofuso came to be in Philadelphia in 1958 and subsequently became restored to its present condition, given by Kim Anderson, the director of Friends of the Japanese House and Garden (FJHG). Next, I started explaining the symbolism behind the design of the viewing garden and also the unique architectural elements of the house itself. The beautiful weeping cherry tree was resplendent with soft pink blooms and offered the perfect backdrop for our guests. The second stop was the main room or shoin and the Waterfall murals of Hiroshi Senju in the tokonoma or alcove. We then proceeded to the tea garden where I talked about the ceremonial nature of tea ceremonies and described features of the tea garden. The tour concluded in the kitchen where we had a glimpse of how meals would have been prepared 300 years ago. I have so much more to learn about Shofuso, 17th-century Japanese architecture, culture, and lifestyle! I'm definitely benefiting more from volunteering than the little that I'm giving.

Horticulture Center at Fairmount Park West

This was a fortuitous gem of a find in the Fairmount Park. I visited the Hort Center this past weekend for a volunteers' briefing with the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden. I have not been to this part of the Fairmount Park so far and would not have except for this briefing. The Center is a fair-sized greenhouse and has a few large exhibition areas that seem interesting to visit and I made a mental note to stop by after the briefing.

Entering the viewing wing, I first came across a small pond and a whimsical sculpture of a cherub riding a sea turtle. The borders of this wing were lined with a small collection of various tropicals including palms, begonias, and hanging baskets. At one corner was a small fountain surrounded with an array of potted and herbaceous plants.

I was lured by a small sign saying "Plant Sale This Way" which is usually irresistible for me and so I entered a second viewing area that was much warmer and sunnier. Here, one section featured a variety of agaves, cacti, and other succulents plants. In the middle of the hall was another sculpture of a nude on dolphins surrounded by a lush arrangement of tropicals, shrubs, and a grapefruit tree! It did feel slightly out of place under the stark glass windows of the greenhouse, exposed plumbing, and concrete flooring. And surrounding the hall were brilliantly orange clivias in full bloom.

I spoke to Julian, the friendly and knowledgeable center staff who pointed me to the incredible selection of plants that were on sale. There were dozens of different Coleus varieties, scented geraniums, herbs, shrubs, small trees, tropicals, succulents, and much more. All for much less than a regular garden center. It definitely took a lot of restraint to limit my impulsive shopping of plant starts and I kept reminding myself, "There's no more space at home!" But eventually, I did manage to stick to "just" two trays worth of plants. Now I have to figure what where to plant these new babies...