What Tsukuba Peony Garden shows about the value of healthy soil
For vacation homes, resorts and other properties where the land itself is part of the experience, a beautiful landscape is not simply something to look at.
How the soil is managed, what is planted and how the outdoor environment develops over time can all shape the experience of owning and enjoying the property.
Peony Garden Tokyo in Tsukuba offers an unusually long-running example of that relationship between land, landscape and everyday life.
Located in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, it is one of the world’s largest peony gardens, with around 60,000 plants representing approximately 800 varieties.
Peony Garden Tokyo in Tsukuba when open to visitors, with tree peonies flowering in April followed by herbaceous peonies around May each year; photo courtesy of Leaf Co., Ltd. and Tsukuba Peony Garden
The garden grows both botan and shakuyaku. Although both belong to the peony family, they grow differently.
Botan, commonly called tree peonies in English, are woody shrubs whose stems remain above ground through winter.
Shakuyaku are herbaceous peonies, which die back before growing again from their roots. This is why Japanese descriptions of the garden often distinguish between the two.
Behind that landscape is garden director Dr. Hiroichi Seki, who describes himself as a soil artisan.
What began with the challenge of growing peonies has developed into a broader approach connecting soil improvement, composting, agriculture and food.
How Peonies Led to Soil Research
Dr. Seki’s interest in soil began while developing Tsukuba Peony Garden.
After seeing peonies struggle when grown repeatedly in the same soil, he began looking beyond the plants themselves and studying what was happening beneath them.
From roughly 1991, he began producing compost and working on soil improvement, adjusting his methods each year according to the results he observed.
The garden visitors see today is built on more than three decades of that accumulated work.
From Thoroughbred Leavings to High-Quality Compost
One initiative that grew out of this experience is “Thoroughbred Miho,” a fermented compost made primarily from meticulously-raised thoroughbred manure.
From soil to everyday life: a conceptual diagram of the “Thoroughbred Compost Ecosystem Project,” which turns thoroughbred horse manure into high quality fertilizer; Graphic courtesy of Leaf Co., Ltd. and Tsukuba Peony Garden
Dr. Seki began working with thoroughbred horse manure around 2015 to 2016 after being consulted about the large quantities generated at the Miho Training Center.
There were concerns about its disposal, including the potential impact on water quality in Lake Kasumigaura, prompting the search for another use.
Manure from the stables also contains wheat straw, rice straw and wood chips. By fermenting and composting the mixture, surplus material can instead be returned to the soil as a resource for growing plants.
From Soil to Table
Dr. Seki’s work with soil eventually moved beyond flowers and into food.
Over the years, he has advised growers on soil improvement for crops ranging from tomatoes, strawberries and melons to corn, rice, onions, sweet potatoes and potatoes
Dr. Seki’s soil research is applied not only to the tree peonies and herbaceous peonies within the garden, but also to the cultivation of a wide variety of crops and the provision of technical guidance; photo courtesy of Leaf Co., Ltd. and Tsukuba Peony Garden
At Tsukuba Peony Garden, that connection between the garden and the table is also visible in its Peony Tea, made from dried stems and leaves of herbaceous peonies grown in the garden and at partner farms.
That progression is what makes Dr. Seki’s approach relevant beyond agriculture.
On a vacation property, resort residence or home with generous grounds, the landscape does not have to be purely decorative. Herbs near the kitchen, vegetables grown seasonally or fruit trees planted in the garden can turn the land into something that is actively used and enjoyed.
In that sense, farm to table can begin much closer to home.
When we look at real estate, we tend to focus on the building, location, views and size.
But over the long term, how the land itself is cultivated can also shape the experience of living there.
Tsukuba Peony Garden displays how soil, plants, landscape and food can become part of the same cycle and how land can be nurtured rather than simply a decoration to be maintained.
Dr. Hiroichi Seki - Soil Artisan & Director, Peony Garden Tokyo in Tsukuba
Born in 1960, Dr. Seki became deeply involved in plant cultivation after encountering the peony variety “Hoki.”
Following the opening of Tsukuba Peony Garden in 1989, he pursued soil building methods focused on soil microorganisms and organic matter.
Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in soil improvement, he was also involved in developing “Thoroughbred Miho” a fermented compost responsible for transforming previously lifeless landscapes into flourishing ones.
In March 2022, Dr. Seki was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture by Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. He continues to provide guidance on soil improvement and work on technical development.
Further Reading:
Buy your own thoroughbred compost here (Japanese only)
