Tokachi Millennium Forest: Pioneering a New Way of Gardening With Nature

by Dan Pearson, Midori Shintani

Dan Pearson and Midori Shintani’s inspiring work at the Tokachi Millennium Forest is a game-changer for gardeners and for all who wish to reconnect with the land and wildlife that surround them. It embodies a new strand of naturalistic gardening that relates closely to the immediate context while bringing together the culture, aesthetics and horticultural practices of East and West. This exemplary project puts nature at the heart of the human experience and is a torch bearer for the environmental movement in Japan and beyond. There is an awareness of past, present and future here that speaks to gardeners and nature lovers the world over.

Genres: Nature, Gardening

288 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2021

About the author

Dan Pearson is an English landscape designer known for his pioneering work in naturalistic perennial planting. After early training at RHS Wisley, Kew Gardens, and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, he founded his own design practice in 1987. His work spans private gardens, public landscapes, and international commissions, including Tokachi Millennium Forest in Japan and the restoration of Althorp’s grounds. He has received multiple RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medals, was named Royal Designer for Industry, and has collaborated with prominent architects and artists. Pearson is also a writer, broadcaster, and the author of several acclaimed books on gardening.

Reviews

[Servabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was born and raised in the countryside, surrounded by the sea of Wakasa Bay and the mountains of the Fukui prefecture in Honshu. My childhood memory is filled with the landscape of rugged coastline, islands and fishing boats, bamboo forests behind temples, rivers flowing through the town, vast rice fields, animals and the people who lived there.

Native miscanthus meadows
Diversity of vegetation
Boardwalks and stepping stones
Moss garden

[Jo Cameron-Symes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Pearson is a fantastic garden designer who has a unique ability in creating gardens that blend with the landscape instead of jarring with it. Tokachi Millennium Forest garden is in the most northerly part of Japan on the island of Honshu. I found it surprising that roses did well here though the growing season is relatively short. A lot of thought and care has gone into creating this garden and it definitely shows. If I visit Japan one day, I'd definitely like to visit.