Peridotite. Photo : JBM

For the central element of the Montréal Japanese Garden, Mr. Nakajima chose a rare stone...
of rare beauty, never before used in landscape architecture.

	The Japanese Garden under construction. Photo : JBM

Peridotite, its greenish splendour streaked with white and black, gives the Montréal Japanese Garden a unique personality. It is also a nod to Québec geology, for it comes from the asbestos mines of Thetford Mines.

The Japanese Garden under construction. Photo : JBM

An igneous rock, formed some 500 million years ago, it is from a long seam that crosses the Appalachians and runs toward the Gaspé Peninsula and the Atlantic Ocean. The only other seam like it in the world is in Siberia.

Open Windows on Japanese Gardens 1. Opening a window onto a universe 2. A very famous Zen garden 3. Step by step on stepping stones 4. Endless maintenance 5. Key to the project: the choice of stone 6. The birth of a "Japanese" garden in Montréal 7. Wanted: Hardy species 8. The three religions of Japan 9. Three gardens, three relationships between man and Nature 10. Shakkei or borrowed scenery 11. Living symbols 12. 3, 5, 7 13. Of appearance and essence 14. Precious, colourful carp 15. Mineral strength 16. Changing scale 17. The spirit of stone 18. Islands of the Immortals 19. Plants and time 20. Discreet but essential ground covers 21. Shrubs and the art of plant sculpture 22. Trees, venerable above all 23. Water, a moving mirror of life 24. A pond and its fish 25. Islands and bridges 26.Flowing, shimmering water 27. Listen to your Heart 28. Some important dates

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