MONDAY, APRIL 24, 1999

Garden springs up with Asian flare

By Nicole Martinez

On-line Forty-Niner

Tucked away on the outskirts of Cal State Long Beach is a place filled with exotic plants, colorful koi fish and enchanting waterfalls.

Welcome to the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden.

Established 18 years ago, the 1.3 acre garden was dedicated to the memory of Earl Burns Miller, a local business man and philanthropist who had a great interest in Japanese gardens.

Since the 15th century, traditional Japanese gardens have been inspired by the Zen Buddhism religion and philosophy which has a special reverence for nature and the beauty of Asian landscaping.

Funding for the garden was provided by Miller's wife, Lorraine Miller Collins, and was to be used as an educational and aesthetic subdivision for the campus and community.

"A total of $350,000 was donated by Collins," said Rachel Goldman, the garden's program assistant.

Collins loved Japanese art and was a student of Japanese ceramics.

After three years of planning, an expert landscaper was finally selected by Collins to design the garden. Ed Lovell was chosen for the job.

"He's [Lovell] the master plan landscape architect for the university," Garden director Jeanette Schelin said.

After touring Japan in search of authentic gardens, Lovell began construction at CSULB during the summer of 1980. The garden was dedicated in Miller's memory on April 1981.

Three individual gardens comprise the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden: A strolling garden, a woodsy tea garden surrounding a Japanese teahouse and the dry rock Zen garden.

All three surround a serene pond filled with Japanese koi fish. A moon bridge and a zig-zag bridge is used to "ward off evil spirits," garden workers said.

It takes Schelin, master gardener Nobi Coreeda and many student workers to groom the lush landscape on a daily basis. The garden receives additional funding throughout the year by hosting weddings, wedding receptions and other events.

In addition to the campus-wide festivities during the 1999 Kaleidoscope Festival, the garden is sponsoring "Boy's Day," from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.