Dedicated in April 1981, the garden was built through the generosity of Mrs. Loraine Miller Collins. The contribution was made in memory of her late husband, Earl Burns Miller, for whom the 1.3 acre plot is named. Following three years of planning, in cooperation with California State University Long Beach, Mrs. Collins selected Long Beach landscape architect Edward R. Lovell to design the garden. In preparation for the project, Mr. Lovell visited similar gardens in Japan and in the United States

The resulting garden reflects the university's continuing interest in international education, and the university community is delighted to have you share in this educational, cultural, and aesthetic resource.

Loraine Miller Collins

"I have a dream for this garden. When a person is tired, or anxious, or in a quest of beauty, may they enter and come forth refreshed to meet the problems of the day. There will be music of the wind through the pines, music from the waterfalls and the birds. There will be serenity as you walk around the lake, and joy, I hope, in the beauty of the reflections in that lake. There will be iris and azaleas in the Spring. Flowering magnolia in Summer. In the Fall, chrysanthemums and the gold of the liquid amber trees. There will be strength and solidity in the rocks and the wooden bridges. And, of course, there will be bamboo, a favorite wood of the Japanese because it is so useful and beautiful. There is an old proverb that says, 'Bamboo bends but never breaks.' It is my hope that as you leave your tour of the garden, you will find in your heart that proverb, and the day will be filled with joy."

Ed Lovell

Ed Lovell, landscape master plan architect for CSULB, traveled to Japan and took inspiration from the Imperial Gardens in Tokyo before designing the garden. At the dedication to the garden, in April 1981, Lovell commented, " The garden will mellow in about 30 years. What we are doing is creating something of beauty and value for people we will perhaps never meet."

To read the full history about this garden including all the plants we have in the garden, click here.