The Gardener’s View

The Blooming of the Japanese Star Anises
As one walks along the path toward the three-tiered waterfall, a sekimori (or “barrier-keeper”) stone comes into view. Then, as you raise your eyes, you see all the cream-colored flowers. There are many Japanese star anises blooming here. In Japanese, they are known as “Shikimi.” It is said that one of the meanings behind their Japanese name is “beauty (mi) of the four seasons (shiki),” a reference to how they stay beautiful all year round.