The first stage of the creation of the Vilnius Japanese Garden begins

“The Vilnius Japanese garden project is unique in its nature and content: the garden will be equipped according to the requirements of a traditional Japanese garden, with its traditional attributes, and will become a special part of the ancient landscape of the Neris river bed. . The Japanese garden will complement the network of public spaces arranged in the new city center in Šnipiškės and provide an opportunity for residents and guests of the district to learn about the landscape traditions of different nations, ”said Rūta Matonienė, Senior Advisor to the Chief Architect from Vilnius City Municipality.

The project includes the formation of land and landscaped vegetation, the installation of paths and bridges, a viewpoint and small architectural elements, waterfalls, waterfalls and fish ponds. In addition, the lighting and the playground will be organized, so in total about 38 thousand. kv. m of open space. There will be a parking lot next to the garden, according to a municipal report.

Changes in the area will begin in the near future from earthworks, which will remove some of the trees growing in the area. “To form elements of the garden in such a small plot, without which the garden will not be called Japanese, a hill (the allusion to Mount Fuji is necessary in all Japanese gardens) with a waterfall, areas of open meadows, land, which determines unfavorable solutions for the trees that grow here today ”, explained Linas Ūsas, landscape architect for Terra Firma LT company, which leads the Japanese garden project.

A dendrological study of the trees in this area has been carried out twice, finding that although the value of this place is in fact its greenness, the individual trees are not exceptional. It is dominated by spontaneous vegetation, with many scattered large ash and maple maples. The area itself is abandoned and polluted, especially the pond. Some of the trees and shrubs will also need to be removed due to the infrastructure work required to make the garden easily accessible, which could have a variety of functions.

The trees that grow around the pond and in other parts of the plot and its massifs, around which no earthworks will be carried out, will remain as elements that emphasize the character of the area. In addition, new trees of various sizes are planned, around 670, and bushes will be planted abundantly, thus forming new green areas, which will create cozy interior garden spaces and at the same time separated from the surrounding intensive infrastructure.

According to L. Ūs, individual trees will be planted larger, there will be several smaller ones to form massive protective barriers as if they were at the edges of a forest garden. There will also be a sakura alley and a bonsai composition.

Of the area’s former greenery, 32 trees important to the character of the area will be preserved and successfully included in the future garden project (including Brittle Willow, White Willow, Canadian Poplar, Gray Poplar, Tartar Maple, Plums, carp birch, common ash, American ash, July ash, poplars, shutters) with an average stem diameter of 37 cm. It is expected that more groups of trees will be conserved where the terrain is not significantly altered. Some 450 trees of various conditions and sizes will have to be removed, of which 65% will be removed. consists of invasive ash-leaved maples, as well as willows, poplars, and other soft deciduous trees; the trunks of these trees are up to 18 cm in diameter.

The construction plans of the Japanese garden contractors continue to include the construction of engineering networks. Where these works do not interfere, the installation of roads and the formation of embankments will begin in parallel. Once the engineering networks are laid, the transition to the pavement structures will be carried out, the bedrock will be prepared, a frost-resistant layer will be poured, rubble will be placed and blocks will be placed. Once the roads and highways are installed, the planting phase will begin. After afforestation, the first stage of the project will be completed, which basically includes all the park installation works.