Corvallis man transforms 10 acres into Zen garden
When Jay Gray bought 10 acres off of Sulphur Springs Road 22 years ago, the property was overgrown, the house was a mess and the yard was littered with junk cars, boats and transmissions.
Gray had to use a machete to bushwhack his way through dense blackberries to Soap Creek that runs through his property to find out if the stream was even accessible for trout fishing.
Later, with the help of landscaper Mike Riddle of Trillium Landscaping of Corvallis, Gray carved out the Garden of Gentle Breeze, a Japanese-themed strolling garden that covers about an acre.
“In 2008, the idea occurred to me to make a Japanese garden but I had no idea how to start or who to ask for help,” he said. “My youngest son was dating a girl at the time and he mentioned that her grandfather was a landscape gardener.”
It turned out Riddle was familiar with Japanese gardens so Gray, who grew up in Corvallis, invited him out to his property, and his Zen garden became a reality at a cost of about $75,000.
Visitors can enjoy his efforts beginning their tour on flat Three Rivers rock that leads to an arbor of two pin oaks positioned on both sides of the walkway.
“The walkway represents the path of life,” Gray said. “The path trails out of sight just like life because our futures are unknown to us. Something intrigues us however about the future so we keep walking.”
Before going too far, walkers can pause at a bowl, where they scoop water into a dipper and then pour it over their hands and then pat their face. “The water symbolically purifies the mind and reminds us to move and think at a slower pace,” he said.
Along this part of the path are rhododendrons, azaleas, a flowering cherry tree, bamboo and foxglove.
“A Japanese garden is not about flowers like English and Western gardens,” Gray said. “It’s about greens, shapes and contrasts.”
Up ahead is a place to sit down to “contemplate the features of the garden and to calm down,” he said.
From there, visitors follow a path marked by pine, filbert and Japanese maple trees; more rhododendrons; bracken and sword fern; and they will hear the soothing sounds given off by small waterfalls.
Stone seating benches appear near a reflecting pool.
Farther along, Gray has retained the plants and trees native to the property for guests to enjoy as they take a series of steps down to the creek and then back up to the start of the path.
The four elements of earth, water, air and fire are represented throughout the walk to help people achieve a balance between yin and yang. “Stones set in the earth give us a grounded sense and fire is symbolized by the lanterns that light our path,” he said.
Gray walks the path each morning and evening. The walks restore him and give him the chance to pull weeds, remove deadfall and recall how much he has accomplished since moving in as a single father in 1990.
“About a dozen people looked at my house before I bought it but they decided it would take too much work to fix it,” he said. “But because I had handyman skills, I wasn’t deterred. Every blade of grass, the rocks and the plants now here were put where they are by hand.”
Gray’s interest in things Asian developed further while majoring in Asian philosophy and religion as an undergraduate at Oregon State University He spent a year at Waseda University in Tokyo and then attended Yale Divinity School.
Over the years, he returned to Japan to visit ancient and treasured gardens, finally deciding to make one where he lived.
Gray is working with the Benton County Planning Department to get a variance so he can officially open his garden to the public. There will have to be a public hearing, and he hopes his neighbors don’t object to his plan.
If you go
The garden, which towered with old-growth Douglas fir before it was logged off in the 1920s, is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily or by appointment. Visitors should notify Gray ahead of time that they are coming. They can call him at 541-745-7315 or email him at jaygray44@gmail.com.
The garden is at 26907 Sulphur Springs Road, about 6 miles from the Corvallis city limits.
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