From the traditional to the contemporary, the Channel Gardens vision for 2023 was inspired by some of the most beautiful gardens in their pinnacle seasons from across the USA. The Japanese Garden sits nestled in the hills of Portland, Oregon’s iconic Washington Park, overlooking the city and providing a tranquil, urban oasis. Designed in 1963, Nobuo Matsunaga, the former Ambassador of Japan to the United States visited the Portland Japanese Garden and proclaimed the garden to be “the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan.” The garden encompasses 12 acres with eight separate garden styles, and includes an authentic Japanese Tea House, meandering streams, intimate walkways, and a spectacular view of Mt. Hood. Housing a mixture of Pacific Northwest native and Japanese plants, species featured in the Japanese Garden camellia, sasanqua camellia, Kalmia, Pieris, Enkianthus, azaleas, tree peonies, maples, and pines.

From Mid-September to mid-November, The Rockefeller Center Channel Gardens were colored with the bright yellow, orange, and red fall foliage of ginkgo, birch, and Japanese maple trees. A deep green from pine trees like thunderhead and degroot’s spire complemented the palette of the garden, along with blossoming pink and purple flowers like aster and sedum.