People who love trees

This is the Spirited Garden in Jeoji, dedicated to all people who love trees. The photos here don’t really give an accurate picture of the place: you can’t tell that the pear, quince and persimmon fruit in the photos below are growing on bonsai trees.

The garden was started in 1968 by Sung Bum Young, who came to Jeju from mainland Korea and began the long-term task of transforming some wasteland on this part of the island. The result of his labour of love was finally opened to the public in 1992.

It would be easy to be cynical about some of the unlikely science, philosophy and aesthetics that notices around the garden ascribe to the art of bonsai, and to the somewhat hubristic claims of how man is improving on nature, but there is something satisfying about the garden and it really is an interesting and relaxing place.