Name: Cottered Japanese Garden  Cottered Photo: Graham Gibbs   Alternate Name: Garden House, Cottered  Address: Cottered, East Hertfordshire  Mailing Address:   City: Hertfordshire  State: England  Postal Code:   Country: UNITED KINGDOM  Latitude/Longitude: lat=51.9333; long=-0.08333 Find Gardens Nearby Phone:   Fax:   E-Mail:   Contact:   Designer(s): Kusumoto Seyomon  Contruction Date: 1905; 1923-26  Admission: The garden is private but is open once per year with proceeds going to charity.  Added to JGarden: 12/10/2004  Last Updated: 12/16/2004  Sources: Graham Gibbs The Genius of Gardening. Christopher Thacker. Weidenfield and Nicolson. London 1994. ISBN 0297833545. p 313.   JGarden Description: Herbert Cooke (1865-1937) began developing this 6-acre garden in 1905 after a visit to he made to Japan in that year. Japanese garden features were imported and the design was developed over the following 30 years. In 1923, Japanese designer Kusumoto Seyemon was engaged to complete the design, incorporated a lake, streams, cascades, stone work, buildings, gates and arches with maples, azaleas, wisteria, bamboo, iris on dwarf conifers. Kusumoto worked periodically over the next three years. The Japanese-style garden still occupies 2.5 hectares with additional ornamental garden and woodland of 2 hectares. The house is on the English Heritage Register (GD1545). For further reading: Herbert Cooke. The Japanese Garden at Cottered, Herts 1905-1933. 1933.

Since before anyone remembers It has been clear Shining like silver Though the moonlight penetrates it and the wind ruffles it No trace of either remains. Today I would not dare to expound the secret of the stream bed But I can tell you That the blue dragon is coiled there.   Muso Soseki   trans. by W.S. Merwin and Soiku Shigematsu   14th century