A few weeks ago, in mid January, my daughter and I went to Woodward Park in Fresno. This 300 acre park is packed with nooks and crannies of awesome places to take photos, enjoy nature, relax or exercise.
One of our favorite places to visit is the Shinzen Friendship Garden at Woodward Park. There are amazing vistas and eye candy for nature lovers everywhere you gaze.
Even in mid January there is color to be found. We saw red, pink and white blossoms on trees and bushes, varied greens from chartreuse to deep forest green. The paths of the majority of the garden are wheelchair accessible.
There is a park entrance fee of $5 to the park in addition to the Shinzen park admission price.
The entrance to Ume Grove
There are two separated gardens inside Shinzen Friendship Garden, Ume Grove, and The Clark Bonsai Collection. The first one we explored was Ume Grove, just behind the entrance booth.
Tsukubai basin
The reflective qualities in the bodies of water were so beautiful.
Ume apricot blossoms
As you exit Ume Grove to your right, you will find paths leading to the Camellia Grove.
Taken at the point of Camellia Grove.
My daughter heard rustling in the bushes and found a peacock and two peahens (not pictured).
As you meander through the trails, you will come upon the Double Moon Bridge
The koi in the pond were orange, black, white and lemon yellow.There were so many photo shoots, I couldn’t get a picture of the bridge without someone on it.
I love the detail that the garden planner went to, making things natural looking.
Many different places to take photos from different angles, all with their own beauty.
The garden changes with each season. For us, it was late in the day and we didn’t have the best light that day with the intermittent cloud cover, so some of the photos didn’t have the quality as the others, but I put them in because I felt the content was worth viewing. I hope you enjoyed the article and will make a point to visit beautiful Shinzen Friendship Garden in Woodward Park.
~Julie
