You may see a familiar face walking around the Wesley Des Moines campus. Al Kubota, grandson of famed Kubota Garden founder Fujitaro Kubota, will be designing a meditation garden for Wesley Des Moines.
Many are familiar with the beautiful Kubota Garden of Seattle, which is the result of 60 years of care and commitment by the Kubota family. Following the creation of the Kubota Garden, the Kubota family became highly sought for their garden designs. They have works all throughout Seattle, including the Seattle University campus and Bainbridge Island.
The project was spearheaded by Wesley Des Moines Executive Director Alex Candalla. In January, Al was asked to develop a garden on the west side of the new Gardens building.
“My goal is to develop a garden space for the residents to enter and enjoy from within and also a landscape that complements the building,” said Al.
The new Meditation Garden will include walking paths and more mature plantings such as Japanese maples. In addition, Al is designing a water feature from basalt boulders that have been unearthed by the new construction. The water feature will provide the environment with a peaceful sound that visitors can enjoy while walking through or seated on benches. A Tom Torrens sculpture will also be featured. Adjacent to the Gardens building, the meditation area will be designed for accessibility for all Wesley residents with benches for visitors to sit.
Al said he is looking forward to the opportunity to create a garden for Wesley that will be a peaceful and beautiful space for everyone on campus to enjoy.
The funding for this project is through generous gifts to the Wesley Community Foundation. For more information about this project or to make a gift, please contact Foundation Campaign Manager Erica Wingard at (206) 870-4711.