Great Falls Elementary Japanese Garden Dedication October 2010

On Friday, October 15th, a Dedication Ceremony was held for our new Japanese Garden. The garden is based on the Japanese folktale “Tanabata” and incorporates local and state features. Fairfax County Master Gardener Paul McKutcheon designed the garden. The design symbolically represents our location here at the intersection of the Atlantic coastal plain and the piedmont region of the Appalachian Mountains. The dry stream (karesansui) represents a local millstream (see if you can find the millstone at the intersection in the garden). The ornamental grass, daylilies, and other herbaceous plants are a reference to the coastal plain. The evergreen bushes and dwarf trees are a reference to the mountains. In keeping with the symbolic representation of the mid-Atlantic region, primarily native varieties of Japanese plants were used.

Our 1st and 3rd grade Japanese teacher Mamiya Worland (Sahara Sensei) applied for and won a Grant from the US-Japan Foundation that provided the funding for the garden.

The Dedication ceremony was attended by many dignitaries including: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; Congressman Frank Wolf; Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Ichiro Fujisaki, Barbara Comstock, John Foust, Janie Strauss, and Dr. Dale. In addition the Principals from Langley, Cooper, and Fox Mill attended. As the Washington Post stated “Few elementary schools can casually invite a handful of world leaders, dignitaries and congressmen to the opening of a community garden and count on the high-powered invitees to show up. But at Great Falls Elementary School, those relationships have been forged over many years”.

To view a layout and description of the garden from Fairfax County Master Gardener, Paul McCutcheon, please click here.