What's in a Barakura-style plant container?
You'll never guess!
Are you maybe a bit tired of the same old container plant combinations? You’ve got to throw caution to the wind and try Barakura gardening!
This is horticultural creativity at its best, where plants are combined in a way that resembles flower arranging, but with living, evolving greenery. Barakura-style container gardening is about instant visual impact, using a range of plants in a single container to create an ever-changing display that can be adapted and refreshed over time.
The Barakura English Garden - home of Barakura!
The Barakura English Garden, established in 1990 by the Yamada family, is the garden behind this unique planting style. Located in the scenic Tateshina area of Nagano, Japan, at an elevation of 1,100 metres, this garden blends Japanese and English gardening traditions. Initially designed by the renowned John Brookes MBE, the garden has introduced a variety of British plants to Japan, including species from esteemed suppliers like Peter Beales Roses and Hillier Nurseries. Barakura was the first to plant certain varieties in Japan, such as Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Frisia’ and Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’. The garden’s use of native Japanese plants, combined with imported varieties, creates a gardening experience like no other.
Barakura English Garden also hosts the Kay Yamada Gardening School, which draws on British horticultural expertise, particularly in container gardening. The school invites respected British gardening experts to give lectures, either in person or online, from the new Kay Yamada Garden Studio, which opened in August 2022. Ms Kay Yamada, who has exhibited three times at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, winning three medals, has made a name for herself not only in gardening but also in fashion, drawing inspiration for her textile designs from the plants in her garden.
