The Garden of Morning Calm

On the slopes of Chungnyeongsan in Gapyeong, The Garden of Morning Calm takes its name from an old epithet for Korea, "the land of the morning calm". Professor Han Sang-kyung of Sahmyook University's horticulture department designed it himself and opened it in May 1996; today around 5,000 plant species grow in more than twenty themed gardens, including a sunken garden shaped like the Korean Peninsula. In winter the Lighting Festival transforms the gardens after dark.

From stony ground to garden

The garden was first conceived in 1992, and the land was bought in 1994. It was barren, stony ground once cleared by slash-and-burn farming, and Han and his wife built the garden largely with their own hands. When money ran short, they are said to have sold their house and moved into a small home on the site. The garden opened on 11 May 1996 with ten sections and has kept growing; more than twenty themed gardens now wind through this hillside arboretum. Showing Korean beauty by season and theme was the aim from the start.

What to see

• Sunken Garden (Hagyeong Garden): flowers planted in the shape of the Korean Peninsula represent the country's mountains and rivers. The shape is clearest from the Hagyeong viewpoint above.
• Cheonnyeonhyang: an old juniper known as the "thousand-year fragrance", one of the garden's signature sights.
• Themed gardens: the conifer garden, Korean garden, herb garden, bonsai garden, stone garden, secret garden, wildflower garden, iris garden, weeping garden, Rose of Sharon hill and hometown house garden are linked by forest paths. The collections are described as about 750 wildflower species, about 800 iris varieties and some 200 varieties of Rose of Sharon.
• Plants of Baekdusan: the collection includes more than 300 species native to Mount Baekdu.
• Indoor displays: greenhouses for landscape plants and alpine plants, a gallery and a history hall, useful on rainy days.
• Filming location: starting with the film The Letter, many productions have been shot here, including the dramas Love in the Moonlight and My Golden Life.

Good to know

• Footpaths run beneath a dense grove of Korean pine, so the garden is as good for a forest walk as for flowers.
• The Korean garden is described as holding 38 varieties of tree peony; it is at its most colourful when they bloom in late spring.
• Newer areas such as the Forest Garden, Kitchen Garden, J's Cottage Garden and Dry Garden now appear in the visitor information, so there is something new even for returning visitors.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: 08:30–19:00 (last entry 18:00), open every day. Hours change during the winter Lighting Festival, so check the official website.
• Admission: adults KRW 11,000, teenagers KRW 8,500, children KRW 7,500, concessions (seniors, veterans, people with disabilities) KRW 9,000. Prices may change.
• Parking: free. Groups of 30 or more and visitors arriving by large coach must book.
• When to go: spring flowers, deep green summer forest, autumn leaves and winter lights each give the garden a different face.
• Time needed: allow 2 to 3 hours to walk the whole garden. It sits on a hillside with some climbs, so wear comfortable shoes.