Japanese Garden at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

The plan for the wild garden is smaller than the others in this book. Wildflowers are never quite as grandiose as the plants used in a typical garden or herbaceous border. They need a more intimate setting. This plot is designed for a corner of a property and asks that a deciduous tree—here a japanese garden maple—be included for open shade during the hot summer. A birdbath is provided since birds and wild-flowers go together. Stepping stones should be in the plan so you can walk directly into the garden to see the flowers close-up. Bloom will begin in early spring and continue into the fall.

The inclusion of an arresting object within a small garden is an excellent way of detracting the eye from adjacent buildings and into the garden itself. The focal point in this garden is an ornate wrought-iron seat, which leads the eye down the garden. The rather austere rectangular lawn is surrounded by a mass of pretty, shrubby little plants, which together help to soften the overall look of the garden.

The Pacific War began without warning on December 7, 1941, when japanese garden planes bombed the American naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Within five months the japanese garden had overrun Burma, Hong Kong, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, Thailand, and the Philippines, had invaded New Guinea, and were threatening Australia. But japanese garden aggression brought the United States into the war against all the Axis powers.