Shin-Boku News
Shin-Boku Featured in Journal of Japanese Gardening
May 22, 2009
Shin-Boku Nursery was recently featured in Sukiya Living: The Journal of Japanese Gardening's May/June 2009 issue. Included below is the full text of the article. We hope you enjoy it.
JOJG readers often contact us with "Where can I get such-and-such?" type questions. All too often we've had to comment that the object of their query can be found in Japan but isn't available in the West. In the case of Japanese garden specimen trees there hasn't been much available in the West other than "poodle" trees and other low-quality ball-on-a-stick options. This situation has started to change, however, with the establishment of a few Japanese garden specimen nurseries. The most exciting among them is most definitely Shin-boku Nursery, located in the heart of New Hampshire's White Mountains in the small town of Wentworth.
Started a few years ago by Palmer and Debbie Koelb, Shin-boku Nursery has about 500 carefully groomed specimen trees in stock. Most are 20-25 years old and 2-4 meters in height. About half of the trees are Scots, White, or Jack Pine. The other half is a mix of weeping hemlock, spruce, and other cold-hardy conifer cultivars. Each tree is grown in its own container and painstakingly groomed year after year with the goal of creating the distinctive shapes seen in the gardens of Japan.
The idea for Shin-boku Nursery first took root almost 50 years ago when Mr. Koelb (rhymes with "kelp") visited Japan for the first time when he was on leave from his duties in Hawaii with a U.S. Army Band. As a young nursery-man in the 1960s he knew instinctively that he wanted to create the same kind of beauty that he witnessed in Japan. From the mid 1960s he owned and operated a series of nurseries, first in Weston, Massachusetts, then in Salisbury, New Hampshire, and then finally in Wentworth, where he stills owns and operates Baker Valley Nursery. Shin-boku's plant stock comes from grafted conifers that he first propagated decades ago at his other nurseries.
Each Shin-boku tree is treated as a distinct individual. The trees are labeled and the nursery keeps a record of each tree's history as well as the plans for its development. Each tree is groomed at least twice each year, and at that time the tree pruner has a clear idea about how to proceed. Some trees are trained to grow into tall forms. Other trees are grown as mid-size specimens. Still others are intended to cascade over water.
That kind of careful grooming, combined with nature's irregularity, means that each tree develops its own distinct character. The trees are then marketed as such. At Shin-boku each tree in the nursery has its own nickname. And each "individual" is ready to be shipped anywhere in North America where it will someday play a role in a Japanese garden, perhaps your own.
JOJG readers will no doubt be interested to take a look at Shin-boku Nursery's website or perhaps even visit the nursery in person. For experienced pruners there will also be a JOJG-sponsored pruning workshop held there this September.
Shin-Boku Goes to Japan
December 14, 2008
Palmer & Deb spent three glorious weeks in Japan in November ‘08.
The weather was mild, Palmer wore shorts most of the time, and Fall
colors were spectacular. The species Japanese Maple (green foliage)
had extraordinary Fall color. We visited 36 beautiful gardens and many
other important sites, including a stop at Hiroshima. We pursued and
acquired some new tree trimming skills and have the greatest respect for
those who have been pruning these trees. Some trees that we viewed have
been maintained for over 400 years. Truly works of Art!
Our trip began with a 14-day walking tour, arranged and led by Doug
Roth & Tamao Goda (see JOJG website).
It was a 5-6 mile per day walk through “off the beaten path” areas of
Kyoto, visiting very high quality gardens, both public and private.
The intimate “private” gardens were particularly delightful. No one was
rushing you along, no crowds, and there was ample time to ask questions
of the always friendly residents and hosts.
The last week we were on our own, traveling to The Adachi Museum in
Yasugi, Ritsurin-koen in Takamatsu, and Korakuen in Okayama. All these
stops brought us to more of the very best Japanese gardens in the world.
We found the “Mother” of all Shin-boku trees at Ritsurin-koen. This
tree is over 400 years old, about 40” through the trunk, 20' wide and
about 15' tall, and sitting on a small mound of soil and rocks. The
Garden keepers call it the “Tortoise and Crane”.
It is no wonder the Japanese are noted for their craft; they have
been perfecting this art for over four centuries. All of the gardens are
truly magnificent! The artists, construction people, and caretakers know
how to create Naturalistic gardening to the highest level of the Art.
Some of our Shin-boku trees will get an improved look next Spring,
incorporating some of the styles and techniques that we learned on
our trip. So be sure to check us out!