Kusamono and Shitakusa: Accent Plants

Beside a fine tree in a Japanese display there is often a small pot of grasses, ferns or wild flowers. These accent plants place the tree in a landscape and a season, the way a few reeds at the water's edge give scale to a distant mountain.

Two words

  • Shitakusa 下草, undergrowth: the companion to a tree in display.
  • Kusamono 草物, grass things: a planting of grasses and wild flowers shown as a subject in its own right.

Plants and seasons

Spring might bring violets or dwarf iris; summer, sedges and ferns; autumn, bellflowers, small chrysanthemums and grasses turning gold; winter, moss and a single bare stem. The aim is the feeling of wild nature, not a garden border.

Pots for accent plants

Accent plants are grown in small, often quirky containers: rough unglazed cups, glazed bowls, slabs of stone, even pieces of driftwood. Small Japanese accent pots by named makers are charming to collect and easy to send abroad.

In the collection

Browse bonsai and suiseki. Our curator desk can search Japan for a particular pot, stone or stand; replies follow within 1–3 business days.

See also

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