Tours to Be Offered of Japanese Garden

Wisteria arbors, waterfalls, abundant greenery, basin wildlife and hand-carved stone lanterns await visitors to the Japanese Garden at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant as it celebrates Swallow Day on Sunday.

Visitors are invited to stroll through the Japanese Garden, Water Reclamation Plant, native landscaping and basin wildlife preserve from noon to 5 p.m., said Gene Greene, garden manager and a landscape architect associate.

Guided tours of native landscape berm and basin wildlife will be given at 1 and 2 p.m.

The 6.5-acre garden is actually three gardens in one, Greene said. The first area is an arid, Zen meditation garden containing a tortoise island, a three-Buddha arrangement of rocks and a wisteria arbor.

Further along the path, Greene said, is a “wet-strolling” garden with waterfalls, lakes, streams and stone lanterns hand-carved by Japanese artisans.

In the third area, Greene said, visitors can view a teahouse with its own tea garden.

At the water reclamation plant, visitors can observe how waste water is treated sufficiently to be used in industry, irrigation and aesthetic lakes not used for swimming or fishing, Greene said.

The idea of having a Japanese garden adjacent to a water reclamation plant was conceived by Donald C. Tillman, the retired city engineer for whom the plant is named, Greene said. The garden’s purpose is to demonstrate a positive use of reclaimed waste water in what is generally agreed to be the delicate environment of a Japanese garden, Greene said.

Admission to the plant and garden, located at 6100 Woodley Ave., is $3. Call (818) 756-8166 for more information.